Claimed by My Ex's Half-Brother

Lilith’s POV

I was finishing my performance at the jazz bar at midnight, the moon slowly climbing up the night sky. This was our routine,Clara sitting quietly in the corner, waiting for me to complete my work.

Finding a steady, long-term job as a werewolf with a criminal record and a young pup in tow was nearly impossible.But thankfully, my upbringing in the Shadowpine Pack had given me musical skills, allowing me to at least play piano in upscale venues to make a living.

The hourly rate of $100-200 barely kept us fed. Sometimes human patrons would leave tips; more often, I’d encounter wolves or humans with predatory gazes, staring, trying to get my contact information, even waiting for me after my shift.

It wasn’t a stable life, which is why I frequently changed venues. But at least I could keep Clara by my side.

Tonight,I’d noticed a slightly pot-bellied man with glasses listening to my performance for hours.When I was leaving with Clara in my arms, he suddenly blocked our path. As the night wind blew past us, Thea immediately tensed inside me, sniffing the air for danger.

"It’s okay," I whispered to Clara.

To my surprise, the man merely handed me a business card."Mrs. Hartwell, please don’t be alarmed. I’m from Umbra Capital Group of the Greystone Heights Pack. We heard you’re back in town and we’d like to collaborate with you."

"Not interested," I said coldly, holding Clara tighter against me. No matter what they offered, I wouldn’t get involved in that conflict again.

For the next two days, the man kept showing up near my workplace. Finally, on the third day, he disappeared.

***

The clock struck seven that night when a black sedan pulled up in front of us. Clara was shivering slightly from the cold, so I wrapped her in my coat, warming her with my body heat.

When Cassian stepped out of the car, I could barely contain my excitement and rushed forward to meet him.

"Is it really the lineage results?" I asked.

If Brett had sent his most trusted Beta to find me, the results must have come in. My heart raced wildly—this meant I could finally prove Clara was his biological daughter. It meant that after I’m gone, my little pup wouldn’t be left alone in this world.

In my excitement, I couldn’t help but kiss Clara’s forehead, tears streaming down my face. A few hot droplets fell onto her small face.

Clara looked up, her tiny fingers wiping away my tears, those big eyes full of concern. Even though her ears couldn’t hear, she could still sense my feeling.

"Mom, why are you crying? Are you sad?" she signed with her hands.

"No, baby," I shook my head and kissed her forehead again. "Mom is happy, just so happy!"

Cassian, who was about to open the car door for us, visibly froze.

"Lilith, what lineage test results?" he asked, his gaze falling on Clara. "Is Clara truly Alpha Brett’s child?"

This question had haunted us since my imprisonment. When I told Brett about my pregnancy, he adamantly denied any connection to the pup. Even as his best friend, Cassian had repeatedly advised him not to jump to conclusions, to trust me instead. But I don’t understand why Brett was so certain the baby wasn’t his.

I nodded with tears in my eyes, and Cassian let out a deep sigh.

The wind grew stronger now, and Thea growled restlessly inside me, urging me to find someplace warm. Cassian noticed too and quickly opened the car door. "Let’s talk inside, it’s too cold out here."

In the car, Cassian remained silent. I didn’t have the strength to speak either, just holding Clara who had fallen asleep somehow, staring at her small face.

I wondered if Brett would accept her, if he would love her as his own daughter. After I’m gone, Clara would be devastated, but at least she would have her father and the protection of a pack. Just like when I was little, though I only had my father, at least I had someone.

The car stopped at the hotel at some point. It wasn’t until Cassian turned around from the driver’s seat that he asked,"Lilith, you never sought out Alpha Brett all these years. Why suddenly now? Has something happened?"

With Clara still sleeping in my arms, I forced myself to speak through the pain, "Cassian, I have a terminal werewolf genetic disease. The Moon Goddess has already sent me dreams."

"I have no choice but to entrust Clara to Brett."

My face lifeless and grim. For werewolves, dreams from the Moon Goddess meant death was inevitable.

Cassian’s face instantly turned pale. We’re only a year apart, and he’s watched me grow up.

"How is that possible?" his voice trembled slightly. "You’re only twenty-nine..."

Before he could finish, Brett’s call came through. After Cassian answered, an icy voice came through the speaker, "Did you pick her up?"

Five minutes later, I walked into the hotel’s luxurious private room with Clara, holding her hand.This was where Shadowpine Pack and Blood Moon Pack held their gatherings. Five years ago, I was a regular here, back when the two packs only met for important celebrations.

The door swung open, and there stood Brett himself. When he saw Clara and me, his expression instantly hardened.His gaze lingered on me for a moment, transforming from cold to deeply disgusted.

Thea stirred restlessly within me, furious and confused by the hostility of my fated mate. The air grew heavy, making it difficult to breathe.

"Alpha Brett..." I barely started.

"Come in," he cut me off, turning back into the room.

Cassian and I exchanged glances. I had a strong feeling that Brett was extremely displeased with the lineage results. Was it because Clara and I had suddenly disrupted his happiness with Vanessa? Yet five days ago, he’d said that if Clara was his child, he would owe me an apology.

An inexplicable anxiety made my palms sweat. Clara keenly sensed my discomfort and looked up at me with concern, "Mom, are you feeling unwell?"

"Mom’s fine," I stroked her head and turned to Cassian. "Did Brett tell you anything?"

"He didn’t tell me a thing," Cassian replied, equally puzzled.

We entered with Clara, and all eyes in the room, about a dozen pairs, turned to stare at us. Everyone except Vanessa looked shocked to see us.

"Lilith?"

"Lillie?"

I saw my father Silas Hartwell, my brother Leo, and Vanessa’s mother Lexi.

"Alpha Silas, Leo," I greeted politely, ignoring Lexi.

I would always remember my father’s care in raising me. But Lexi was my mother’s best friend who got involved with my father shortly after my mother died in childbirth. She gave birth to a love child less than ten months younger than me. This meant that while my mother was pregnant, Lexi was already betraying her with my father.

Though it was my father who betrayed my mother, somehow the story became about my mother’s unfaithfulness. Even I was labeled "not biological." My hatred for my father wasn’t because he denied me with a falsified lineage test, but for his betrayal of my mother.

Clara, seeing so many strangers, cast timid glances around. I knew that after I’m gone, she would have to face these two-faced, cold members of the pack. Her path wouldn’t be easy, but at least she would have food, shelter, and an education. At least she would survive.

From today, I needed to teach Clara how to survive in this complex pack dynamic.

"Don’t be afraid, Mom’s here," I said. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

"Mom, who are these people?" Clara signed.

I kissed her forehead. "I promised you that as long as I’m alive, I’ll always be with you. I won’t break that promise. As for who these people are, I’ll explain when we get home."

The words "home" seemed to comfort Clara.

"Now, greet everyone politely." I knelt down, gently stroking her hair, giving her strength.

Clara nodded and looked at everyone present, "Hello everyone, I’m Clara."

Her polite greeting moved my father. After all, I was the daughter he’d raised for twenty-one years. Even after discovering I "wasn’t" his biological child, after his pain and struggle, he outwardly still wanted to maintain our relationship. And regardless of Clara’s bloodline, she was still a descendant of Shadowpine Pack.

Father examined Clara, who looked so much like me as a child, his gaze softening, "Clara, come to Grandpa."

Grandpa? Clara looked up at me in confusion.

Then father turned his complicated gaze to me, "Lillie, why didn’t you come home after your release?"

As if I didn’t want to!When I was imprisoned for the medical secret leak, he personally banished me from the pack.

Suppressing my hatred, I replied, "Alpha Silas, you were the one who said I could die out there for all you cared, and it wouldn’t concern Shadowpine Pack."

Lexi interjected, displeased, "How can you still hold a grudge against your father? He was just speaking out of anger. You have no idea how worried he’s been all these years with you going down the wrong path."

Father sighed heavily, "Let it go, Lexi. She won’t understand."

I ignored these hypocritical exchanges. Past grievances no longer mattered; I only cared about Clara’s future now.

I turned to Brett, who stood beside Vanessa, "Alpha Brett, you called me here today. Must be something important."

Brett stood up from his seat holding a folder, staring coldly at me. Veins bulged at his temples, filled with hatred.

"You want to know the lineage results, don’t you?" he sneered. "Let me show you exactly what they are."

He pulled the papers from the folder and violently threw them at my face.

The papers scattered, their sharp edges cutting my cheek. Some hit Clara, frightening her into my embrace.

Ignoring the pain on my face, I quickly knelt down to protect my startled daughter. She wiped the blood seeping from my cut with her small hands.

The lineage test results lay scattered on the floor. The last line pierced my heart like a dagger,[Based on the lineage analysis,Brett Lancaster is excluded as the biological father of Clara Hartwell.]