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“I know you have a few loose screws in your head, but hurting the kid won’t do you any good.”

“But it’ll eliminate every link you have to that wench,” she spat out, and I let out an involuntary plea.

“What is going on here?” Griffin asked, looking between Lilith and me.

“Cat caught your tongue, miss perfect? Go on, tell him, so he can see you for the deceitful godforsaken bitch you are.”

Tears pooled at the corner of my eyes as all eyes rested on me, all of them seeking answers to a question I didn’t want to answer.

“I don’t have all the time, Mira. Tell them who the child belongs to, or a DNA test with his remains will be the only proof required.”

“I’m sorry,” I sobbed, turning to Griffin, who was gapping at me like he’d just seen a ghost. Victor shifted his weight, and only then was I reminded of his presence.

My skin prickled under the judging eyes of the court. I must look like the worst woman for keeping a child away from his father. Griffin must hate me now. Everyone must.

“On second thought, why don’t we make this more exciting.” Lilith smiled, holding Noah with one hand while pulling out a knife with the other and tossing it at me. “Kill him, or I’ll do it to your boy.”

Shocked gasps swept through the audience while I froze, trying to wrap my head around what she just said. My lungs were deprived of air, and my brain lost control of my body, turning me into a cold statue of shock as I stared at the knife gleaming under the sun.

I could understand Lilith wanting to harm Noah, but I didn’t think she was capable of hurting Griffin. I always thought that somewhere in her twisted heart, she cared for him a little. Turns out I underestimated her ruthlessness.

I looked at the gleaming piece of silver in front of me before looking back at Griffin, tears welling up in my eyes. I had meticulously plannedthis day to avoid surprises, and now, I was as helpless as a rat caught in the claws of a lion.

The world around me stilled. Everyone was holding their breath and waiting for my decision. I was asked to end the life of the only man I loved to save our child. There was no worse fate than this. “Please,” I croaked out, my voice thick with emotions, but Lilith only pushed her claws closer to Noah’s throat, her eyes narrowing with an unspoken threat.

“You’ll put a stop to this madness before I am forced to ask the guards to descend on you,” Griffin’s voice boomed with so much authority my knees almost bucked.

I could tell he was putting up a strong front to scare Lilith, but beneath all of that, I could see the fear lurking behind his eyes as they shifted from Noah to me.

My guilt intensified, and I found myself wishing I had given them more time to get to know each other as father and son before this happened.

Lilith let out a psychotic laugh, waving her claws in the air. “Griffin, dear Griffin,” she said in a sing-song voice. “Have you bothered to ask why I’ve gone this far without any of them interrupting?”

It was then that we noticed the guards had rearranged themselves into a threatening stance against Griffin.

Some of the elders and nobles began to slowly migrate to Lilith’s side of the division until it was just Griffin, Lady Sheila, Victor, and me on one side. Even Elder John was on their side. Griffin wore the look of shock and betrayal. His fists squeezed tightly, but he still turned to me and asked me to remain calm.

“Now, Mira.”

Lilith’s voice was devoid of the humor from before, and I could perceive the metallic scent of blood as her claws dug into Noah’s neck.

He screamed and struggled against his hold, deepening his wound. I felt his pain like it was mine, and in that moment, I knew I had to admit defeat, but before I could come up with something, Griffin pulled me back, placing himself between Lilith and me.

“This is on me, and I’ll not let you not stain your hands with blood,” he softly said to me, before turning to Lilith. “You don’t have to do this. Let the boy and Mira go, and you can do with me as you wish.”

A sinister smile touched her lips. “You know I was going to have you thrown in the dungeon and killed afterward, but you had to humiliate me with divorce papers in front of the pack,” she snickered, her eyes shifting between Griffin and me. “Then I thought to myself, what better way to put an end to this than to let you kill each other while your precious son watches.”

“This is me accepting defeat, my only request is that you let them go. Your fight is with me, after all. I was the one who betrayed and hurt you,” Griffin pleaded, his voice lacking the familiar confidence and commanding tone. He was begging.

“Lies! It was all her fault. Everything started with her, and now she’ll feel the pain of losing a mate,” her voice was dripping with venom, and her eyes burning with hate as she looked at him. “I gave you everything, and you repaid me with humiliation and disregard. You scorned and disposed of me like an old hag, and now you want me to do as you wish? You don’t even talk to me with such tenderness.”

Her lips quivered, and I could see tears brimming at the corner of her eyes. As touching as the display was, I could only focus on her claws on my son’s neck. I tried to figure out a way to use the emotional environment to my advantage when a squirrel beat me to it, dashing out of its hiding place and startling Lilith. I seized the opening to lunge at her, but strong arms wrapped around me, holding me in place. “You’ll do as the lady said, love,” Victor’s calm voice washed over me, and my body went cold.

“What are you doing Victor?” My voice was trembling and shaky.

“Making sure you don’t jeopardize my chances,” his voice remained as cool as spring water on a sunny day.

“You are teaming with her?” I pretended to be unaware of his treachery to let him expose himself and buy more time to figure out what to do with Lilith, but as he spoke, I couldn’t help the small pang of disappointment kicking inside me. I couldn’t believe I was so blind to the patterns, from our meeting to how he was always conveniently present at all my attacks and effortlessly saving the day. There were Griffin’s warnings and the way women always avoided him. There was how he didn’t mind that I was in love with his brother and didn’t bother me with his carnal needs. All these while I thought he was being a gentleman, not knowing I was merely a prey he was courting for destruction.