Chapter 7

Esmond's POV After I finished speaking, the other end of the phone fell silent, except for the faint sound of sobbing. I felt a wave of irritation. "Mr. Dalton, are you asking where I am so you can force me to go to the hospital and get an abortion?" I answered her with silence. "Where are you, exactly?" My knuckles turned white as I gripped the phone, and the reflection in the floor-to-ceiling window showed my distorted face. Hazel's sobs crackled through the line. "If you don't want this child, I'll raise it on my own. He'll never know who his real father is..." The tip of my pen dug into the solid wood desk, leaving a dent. I listened to her fake, choked sobs and let out a cold laugh. "Need I remind you how many condoms we went through last month during your heat? The pregnancy rate between non-mates is only 3%. You must be really special." "Mr. Dalton!" she suddenly shrieked. "How can you insult me like this?" I loosened my tie and undid the top two buttons of my shirt. The cold glow of moonlight seeped through my fingers. "Last chance—three seconds." "I don't need your pity!" The sound of shattering glass came through the phone. "I'll raise him alone, even if I have to sell blood in some back alley..." Before she could finish, I hung up. "Jason," I immediately mind-linked Jason Schneider, not caring that it was the middle of the night. As the son of the Beta, he was destined to take over that role and assist me in leading the Ironclaw Pack. That's why I trusted him. "I'm here. What's up?" Jason's voice echoed in my mind. "Track Hazel's location." The day Camellia found out about my affair, I discovered Hazel was behind it. I kicked her out of the company immediately. But I never expected her to have a backup plan. That child couldn't be born. If it was, everything between me and Camellia would be over. By the time Jason sent me the coordinates half an hour later, I was already grabbing my car keys. Moonlight filtered through the curtains, outlining the figure standing by the bedroom window. Camellia's silk robe rippled in the night breeze. Her lashes cast fragile shadows under her eyes as she watched me start the engine. The steering wheel creaked under my grip. "I'll be back when it's done." I slammed the accelerator and sped into the night, her silhouette shattering into a thousand fragments of moonlight in the rearview mirror. I didn't expect Hazel to be living in a densely populated residential area. When I pulled up to her building, there were drunk people causing a scene on the street. I called Hazel again. Her voice trembled with a mix of fear and defiance. "I can't see you tonight. You'll hurt me." I hung up, slamming my hand against the steering wheel. The sharp honk drew the attention of the drunkards nearby. I took a deep breath, forcing myself to stay calm. As the future Alpha of the Ironclaw Pack and the heir to the Dalton family, I couldn't afford to get into a brawl with some drunks and end up on the front page of the Los Angeles Times. Alpha Drogo would have my head. The next day, Hazel knocked on my car window. I glanced at her carefully applied makeup and opened the door. I drove her to a steakhouse. After we ordered, Hazel slid a tablet across the table. Her bare face made the dark circles under her eyes even more noticeable. "Please, just look at the ultrasound. The doctor said it's a strong Alpha boy." I stabbed my fork into the medium-rare steak, watching the blood seep out. "Did you poke holes in the condoms or something?" The chandelier's light cast a web-like shadow over her pale face. A tear fell onto the linen tablecloth, leaving a dark stain. Her trembling fingers grabbed my sleeve. "That night... you lost control during your rut..." "Should we check the hotel surveillance to see who climbed on top of whom?" I shook her off. "Be at St. Mary's Private Hospital tomorrow at 10 a.m." I felt someone's gaze on me, but when I looked up, no one was there. "Esmond!" I turned and saw Eugenia standing at the restaurant entrance. I frowned. I barely remembered her. Then my eyes shifted, and I saw Camellia standing by the carved pillar. Her mint-green suit made her look like a dew-covered lily of the valley. We locked eyes across the room, the chandeliers between us. Her gaze flicked to Hazel's hand on my wrist, and she smiled—a cold, mocking smile. Damn it. I stood up to go after her. "Don't leave!" Hazel lunged at me, knocking over a glass of red wine. It soaked the tablecloth and dripped onto my pants. "The baby needs a father..." I looked up just as Eugenia pulled Camellia away. I clearly saw her lips form the word "b*stard." Hazel's quiet sobs only made my mood worse. "Keep it?" I slapped a black card onto the wine-soaked tablecloth. "Ever heard of prenatal wolfsbane infection?" Her pupils shrank to pinpricks. "Or maybe an accidental fire?" I leaned closer, wiping the wine from her lips. "Los Angeles sees a dozen pregnant women disappear every day. They don't even make it to page four of the Times." The sound of her teeth chattering pleased me. Finally, her manicured fingers reached for the black card.