Chapter 4 Ch 4

"He is beautiful when he sleeps."

I looked up from Dominique's tiny sleeping face. Horace stood in the doorway with that soft smile he only showed when looking at our son. Three days had passed since the birth

"He looks like you," I said quietly. "He has your nose."

"And your stubbornness." Horace walked over and kissed my forehead. "Doctor Callum should be here soon to check on you both."

I nodded and looked back down at Dominique

A knock came at the door. Horace opened it and Doctor Callum walked in, but something was wrong. The doctor's face looked tight and worried

"Doctor?" Horace said "Is everything alright?"

"I am so sorry, son," Doctor Callum whispered "I did not mean for this to happen, they threatened my daughter, said they would hurt her if I did not tell them."

My blood turned to ice. "Tell who what?"

The door burst open behind the doctor. A woman walked in. She was tall and beautiful with blonde hair pulled back tight. Her dress was expensive, all black silk and silver buttons. Behind her came a young man who looked like Horace but meaner. His eyes were cold and his mouth was twisted in a smirk.

"Well, well," the woman said. Her voice was like poisoned honey. "What do we have here?"

Horace stepped in front of me and Dominique. "Mother. Duane. What are you doing here?"

"Mother?" I breathed. This was Luna Rhonda, His stepmother.

"Do not call me that,"  Rhonda snapped at Horace. "You are not my son, you never were." She looked past him at me "So this is your little secret, A witch. How delightful."

"She is not a witch anymore," Horace said. "Her powers were stripped."

"Once a witch, always a witch." Duane walked around his brother, looking at me like I was dirt. "And you bred with her. Made an abomination." His eyes fell on Dominique and his face twisted with disgust. "That thing has both werewolf and witch blood. Do you know what that makes it?"

"Him," I said, pulling Dominique closer. "He is a baby boy, not a thing."

"It is a hybrid," Luna Rhonda said. "And hybrids are dangerous. They can destroy our entire species." She turned to Horace. "Did you really think you could hide this? Did you think no one would find out?"

"How did you know?" Horace demanded.

Duane laughed. "The good doctor told us everything

He looked at Doctor Callum with contempt. "All it took was a little threat to his precious daughter."

"I am sorry," Doctor Callum said again. Tears ran down his face "Please forgive me."

"Get out," Luna Rhonda said coldly. "Your services are no longer needed."

The doctor practically ran from the cabin

"Leave them alone," Horace said. His voice was low and dangerous. "This is between you and me, they have done nothing wrong."

"Nothing wrong?" Luna Rhonda's laugh was sharp. "You broke the oldest law we have, you mated with a witch,  created a hybrid that could destroy us all,  and you think they have done nothing wrong?"

"The baby is innocent," Horace said. "He is just three days old. Take me if you want, Punish me, but leave Gwen and Dominique alone."

"Gwen," Duane repeated mockingly "What a sweet name for a witch" He moved closer to the bed "And Dominique? How precious. Too bad he will not live long enough to hear it very often."

Terror shot through me. "No. Please. Please do not hurt him."

"Hurt him?" Luna Rhonda said. "My dear, we are going to do much more than hurt him. That creature cannot be allowed to live."

Horace shifted, his bones cracked, his body changed. In seconds, his wolf stood where he had been. A massive silver beast with bared teeth, he snarled at his stepmother and stepbrother

"Oh please," Duane said. "You cannot fight all of us."

The door opened again. Five large men walked in. Pack warriors. They all looked at Horace with hard eyes.

"Stand down, Horace," Luna Rhonda commanded. "Or we will kill the witch while you watch."

Horace shifted back to human form. His hands were clenched into fists "What do you want?"

"First, we are going to take care of the abomination. Then we are going to take care of a bigger problem"

Luna Rhonda's smile was cruel. "Your father has been Alpha for too long, it’s time for new leadership."

"What are you talking about?" Horace demanded.

"I am talking about making Duane the new Alpha. But we cannot do that while you are alive. You are the older son, You have the stronger claim." She nodded to the warriors. "Take them."

The warriors moved fast. Two grabbed Horace, holding his arms behind his back. He struggled but there were too many. Another warrior yanked me out of bed. I screamed and tried to hold onto Dominique, but rough hands tore him from my arms.

"No! Give him back! Please!" I fought and kicked but the warrior holding me was too strong.

"Take the witch and the creature to the pack house," Luna Rhonda ordered. "Put her in the cells. And bring the creature to the burial grounds."

"Burial grounds?" My voice came out as a shriek. "No! He is just a baby! Please!"

"Rhonda, stop this!" Horace roared. He fought against the men holding him but more warriors piled on. "I will do anything you want, Just do not hurt them."

"You should have thought of that before you betrayed your pack." Luna Rhonda turned to leave. "Oh, and one more thing. Your father is going to die tonight in your account”

"What?" Horace went pale. "No. You cannot—"

"I can and I will. Alpha Magnus has outlived his usefulness. Once he is dead and you are blamed for his murder, Duane will become Alpha. It is quite simple really." She smiled. "Take them away."

The warriors dragged us out of the cabin. I screamed and fought but it did no good

They threw me in the back of a wagon. Horace was thrown in next to me, his hands bound with silver chains that burned his skin. I could smell his flesh burning but he did not seem to care. He was staring at Duane, who held our baby like Dominique was a piece of trash.

"Please," I begged. "Please just give me my baby. I will do anything. I will leave and never come back. Just let me have my son."

Duane looked down at Dominique with cold eyes. "This thing is not a baby. It is a monster waiting to happen."

The wagon started moving. I watched through tears as they carried my baby away in the opposite direction. His cries got quieter and quieter until I could not hear them anymore

"I will kill them," Horace said through his teeth. His eyes were wild with grief and rage. "I will kill them all for this."

"We have to save Dominique," I sobbed. "Horace, we have to save our baby."

"I know. I know." He pressed his forehead against mine. "I swear to you, Gwen, I will get him back. Whatever it takes. I will get our son back."

But even as he said it, I saw the fear in his eyes. We both knew the truth, we were prisoners. Our pup was in the hands of monsters, and there was nothing we could do to stop what was coming.