The Vicious Vixen: Mother To The Panther Lord’s Pups Chapter 02
The Rot in the House
The heels belonged to Isolde Nightfall.
She appeared at the end of the hallway. Blonde. Sharp cheekbones. Dressed head-to-toe in designer clothes.
Darian’s sister-in-law. His dead brother’s mate. The woman who had run this house for years.
She looked me up and down with open disgust.
“So,” she said. “You’re the replacement.”
Behind me, Liora pressed closer to my leg. Cassian had not moved from the hallway.
Isolde looked at Liora, and her smile thinned.
“Pups. It’s past your bedtime.”
Neither pup moved.
Isolde’s smile tightened. She stepped forward, grabbed Liora’s arm, and pinched hard.
Liora flinched, her whole body going rigid, but she didn’t make a sound.
She had clearly learned not to cry.
My hand shot out and caught Isolde’s wrist.
I didn’t squeeze. The grip alone made her stop.
“Don’t,” I said.
Isolde yanked her hand back. “Excuse me?”
“She’s shy. It’s her first time meeting me. There’s no reason to hurt her.”
“I didn’t hurt her. You’re seeing things.” Isolde’s voice stayed smooth, but her jaw was tight. She looked down at Liora. “Tell her, sweetheart. Did I hurt you?”
Liora shook her head fast. Too fast.
I remembered that.
“It’s late,” Isolde said, turning on her heel. “The pups can show you around tomorrow. If you need anything, ask the staff.”
She walked away without looking back.
I stood there in that dark hallway with two pups I’d known for less than five minutes.
Liora was still gripping my sleeve. Cassian still hadn’t said a word.
I crouched down. “Let me see your faces. Both of you.”
Liora looked up first. Round cheeks, but too thin. Dark circles under her eyes that no five-year-old should have.
Cassian took longer.
When he finally raised his head, I saw a fading bruise along his jaw, half-hidden by his hair.
I touched their cheeks, one then the other.
“Listen to me,” I said. “Both of you. If anyone in this house hurts you, anyone, you tell me. Not tomorrow. Not later. Right then. Understand?”
Liora nodded. Tears stood in her eyes.
Cassian stared at me, waiting for the lie.
I didn’t blame him. Every adult in his life had already failed him.
The next morning, I learned the full picture. Nightfall Hall had three wings.
Isolde controlled the west wing. Octavia, the old Lady Nightfall, occupied the east wing.
Darian’s pups had been shoved into two small rooms in the back, near the service entrance.
Isolde had a nine-year-old son named Lucien.
The household spoiled him and called him their golden boy.
The staff followed him around. Cassian and Liora avoided him at all costs.
The staff avoided me too.
They took orders from Isolde. They’d been taking orders from Isolde for years.
That evening, I found Cassian’s room. Bare walls. A mattress on the floor. One thin blanket.
This was the richest House in the Northeast.
I opened every closet in that wing. Empty.
The pups had three outfits each. All too small. All worn through.
I closed the last closet door.
This house was going to change. And every soul in it would learn my name.
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