Chapter 4By Day, By Night

Worried sick about my sons, I only managed to doze off near dawn, slumped against the headboard.

"Hurry, hurry…"

"Find it…"

"Check over here…"

"You go that way…"

The commotion outside the villa jolted me awake.

Bang, bang, bang!

Someone was pounding on the main gate. The cleaning lady rushed to open it.

For years, I hadn't even kept a personal maid, all to protect my sons' secret. I rose, checked my reflection—I looked presentable enough—and pulled back the curtains to see what was happening.

"My Lady," the head of security said, bowing low as he led a team of guards into the courtyard. "Last night, a black cat broke into the master's study and scratched him. We are under orders to find the creature. We ask for your cooperation."

His words sent a chill down my spine.

My hybrid son had scratched Damian?

Damian was the one who had hurt my sons?

Even a tiger won't eat its own cubs, but Damian… he had injured both of them in one night. My heart shattered.

"My Lady, if you would please allow us, we will be thorough but careful not to damage any of your belongings," the captain said, bowing again.

"Captain, please, do as you must," I murmured, still lost in a fog of grief over Damian’s cruelty.

I sat in the garden pavilion, watching numbly as the guards finished searching the main house and moved towards the side wing where my sons slept. I felt like I was forgetting something important. My head throbbed from lack of sleep. I just couldn't place it.

"Young Master, please open the door. We're here to conduct a search," the captain announced, his hand on the hilt of his sword as he bowed toward the door.

Wait. A black cat?

My younger son was still unconscious. He couldn't transform back into a human!

If they burst in there now, it would all be over.