Irene's POV
The answer had been in my mother's diary all along.
I sat in my room, the worn leather journal spread open before me, reading the same passage for the fifth time. My heart pounded harder with each word. The candlelight flickered, casting dancing shadows across the yellowed pages.
The formula for faking pregnancy symptoms was detailed across two pages. Moonpetal. False root. Shadowmoss. Combined in specific proportions, brewed under a waning moon. The effects could last for months if the doses were maintained properly. Swelling. Scent changes. Even the fatigue and nausea that came with carrying a child.
My mother had documented it as a warning to future generations. A record of deceptions that had threatened Packs in the past. She wrote about a she-wolf from a neighboring te
