Claimed by My Ex's Half-Brother

Brett’s POV

Lilith was truly ungrateful; I shouldn’t have bothered talking to her.

As I was leaving, Teacher Susan rushed after me.

"Wait, Clara’s father!"

I stopped. "I am not Clara’s father."

She faced me, her eyes flashing with indignation. "Clara’s mother has a terminal illness and is dying. Why won’t you acknowledge Clara? Isn’t she lovable enough? Do you want her to become an orphan after her mother dies?"

This teacher seemed determined to fight for Lilith and Clara.

"I’ve seen the news. Lilith is so kind and gentle,she could never be someone’s mistress or destroy another’s marriage. Is that why you won’t acknowledge Clara?"

"Mrs. Susan, this is my private matter," I said coldly. "I have no obligation to answer you."

Looking back, I saw Clara standing behind us. Her tiny figure looked so fragile in the hallway, like a porcelain doll that might shatter at any moment. That face, so identical to Lilith’s, was streaked with tears.

"Mrs. Susan, is my mommy really going to die?"

Susan hurriedly knelt down to wipe her tears. "Clara, mommy isn’t sick, the teacher was wrong..."

"You’re lying," Clara’s voice trembled. "Mommy bleeds so much, and she switched her medicine for vitamins... Mommy’s medicine is so bitter..."

"Clara..." Susan hugged her.

"I won’t tell mommy," Clara sobbed. "I don’t want her to be sadder. Mrs. Susan, please don’t tell her either, okay?"

"Alright, I promise."

I stood aside, emotions churning inside me. Lilith had never told her daughter about her illness? Was this stubborn woman trying to shoulder everything alone?

The rain grew heavier, matching my darkening mood.

I watched them walk away in the rain, mother and daughter looking so alone. Lilith seemed even thinner than I remembered, clutching Clara’s hand as if she were her only anchor in this world.

Sitting in my car, I couldn’t tear my gaze away. These years of raising her daughter alone must have been difficult. But wasn’t this the karma she deserved? She had done so many despicable things, and now she was trying to steal research secrets from Aurora BioSciences, even trying to destroy Beta Cassian’s marriage.

Karma would eventually catch up. Lilith would finally pay for her sins.

But why did it bring me no satisfaction?

Lilith’s POV

I walked through the rain with Clara, the downpour growing heavier just as we reached our small rental apartment. My wolf, Thea, whined softly inside me, sensing my exhaustion and worry.

Once inside, my little pup immediately grabbed the hair dryer and took charge.

"Mama, look! I can use the blow dryer now," Clara announced proudly after drying both our hair. Her small hands managed the task with surprising competence. "From now on, I’ll dry my own hair, so you don’t have to worry about me."

My heart clenched painfully at her words. My daughter, only five years old, was trying so hard to be independent.

That evening, Clara insisted on cooking dinner. She confidently managed the stove, cooking spaghetti and warming up the sauce, just as I’d taught her. When she served it, the aroma of marinara filled our small kitchen. I put a forkful in my mouth but couldn’t swallow past the lump in my throat.

I should have been proud that my daughter could cook well enough to feed herself. That she wouldn’t starve when I was gone. Instead, the spaghetti turned to ash on my tongue as my wolf and I both fought back tears.

Across the table, Clara kept her eyes down, her own tears barely contained. Neither of us dared look up.

For the rest of the evening, Clara washed dishes alone, bathed herself, and went to bed without asking for cuddles or bedtime stories.

Her sudden maturity confused me, but part of me was grateful she was learning to be strong and independent.

When midnight came, I stood in the bathroom, slowly removing my makeup. Beneath the carefully applied cosmetics was a haggard face, with sunken eye sockets, and what was once a slightly round face had become gaunt.

Halfway through removing my makeup, I coughed up blood again. I stared blankly at the blood stains, my heart beating anxiously. My days were truly numbered; I had to secure more protection for Clara.

I quickly washed away the blood and returned to my room after removing my makeup. I sat at my desk writing letters for Clara’s future. One for each birthday, plus Christmas and Valentine’s Day, until she turned eighteen. Tonight I was writing for her eleventh birthday.

[Clara, in just three years, you’ll no longer be a child but entering your teen years...]

[Soon your body will start changing in ways I’ve prepared you for. Remember what I taught you - nobody should ever touch the parts covered by your underwear...]

[If one day you find blood in your underwear, don’t be afraid. It means you’re growing up, becoming a young woman...]

[Biologically, it’s called menstruation, happening monthly for 3-7 days. You’ll need to learn about pads and tampons - start with pads first, they’re easier to use. Always keep some in your school bag...]

What would my eleven-year-old Clara look like?Would she still love wearing her princess dress? How desperately I wished I could be there when she experienced her first moon cycle, to hold her and buy her the softest, safest pads. To bring her a heating pad and some ibuprofen, maybe treat her to her favorite ice cream. I’d tell her it’s okay to skip PE class those days....

But I wouldn’t make it to that day. My wolf whimpered at the thought.

The rain stopped the next morning. After dropping Clara at school, I headed to the Shadowpine Pack house.

Silas and Leo weren’t home.Beta Alfred waited with me in the living room, bringing out my favorite fruits and steeping my favorite peppermint tea with honey. He visited the greenhouse in the back and returned with freshly cut purple lisianthus, the flowers I treasured most.

"Lilith," he said gently,"these flowers were grown by your father. He knows you love purple lisianthus and has kept them blooming. When you returned to town recently, he mentioned seeing how difficult life has been for you and Clara. He’s been thinking about inviting you both back to live at the pack house. Your father actually—"

"Let’s talk about something else, Alfred," I interrupted, placing the flowers on the table.

I loved purple lisianthus almost obsessively. Even when I was no longer recognized as the Shadowpine Pack Alpha’s daughter, I would still buy a small bunch whenever I could afford them, arranging them carefully in our tiny apartment to make it feel more like a home.

But knowing these were grown by Silas, I couldn’t bear to look at them again. Brett had once brought me purple lisianthus every full moon. The memory made my chest ache.

Silas entered then, seeing me set down the flowers with cold indifference. The hurt in his eyes didn’t move me. Thea growled softly within me, remembering how he’d cast us out.

Accompanying my father were Brett and Vanessa. Thea immediately tensed at their scent,Brett’s distinctive musky mint aroma mixed with Vanessa’s similar honey fragrance.