Finn’s POV
The car ride home was hell.
Celestia hadn’t stopped screaming since we left Silverpine Academy. Her voice was like acid, burning through my skull with every syllable.
"Did you SEE her?" Celestia twisted in the passenger seat, her green eyes blazing with fury. "That pathetic little bitch actually had the nerve to threaten ME?"
I kept my eyes on the road. Said nothing.
"And YOU." She jabbed a finger at my face. "You just stood there like a useless statue! You let that Shadow Moon whore humiliate me in front of everyone!"
"What was I supposed to do?"
"SOMETHING!" She slammed her palm against the dashboard. "Anything! But no, you’re too weak. Too pathetic. Just like you’ve always been."
In the backseat, Lilith snickered.
Celestia’s head whipped around.
"What’s so funny, you little monster?"
"Nothing." Lilith crossed her arms. That bratty smirk on her face. "Just funny watching Daddy get yelled at. Like a dog."
"Lilith!" I snapped.
"What? It’s TRUE." She shrugged. "You always let her boss you around. It’s embarrassing."
Celestia’s face went purple.
"How DARE you speak to your father like that, you ungrateful little—"
"Oh please." Lilith rolled her eyes. "You’re not my mother. Stop pretending you have any authority over me."
"I’m the one putting a roof over your head!"
"Your PARENTS are putting a roof over my head." Lilith’s voice turned sharp. Cruel. "You’re just a gold-digger who got stuck with a broke husband. Everyone knows it."
Celestia lunged toward the backseat.
I grabbed her arm. Yanked her back.
"STOP IT! Both of you!"
"Let go of me!" Celestia struggled against my grip. "I’m going to teach that little bitch a lesson she’ll never forget!"
"I’d like to see you try!" Lilith laughed. "What are you going to do? Hit me? Go ahead! Then I’ll tell everyone at school what kind of monster you really are!"
"You wouldn’t dare—"
"Try me!"
The car swerved. I jerked the wheel back. My heart was pounding so hard I could barely breathe.
"ENOUGH!" I roared. "One more word from either of you and I swear to God—"
"You’ll what?" Celestia sneered. "Leave? With what money? You can’t even afford gas for this piece of junk car."
Lilith burst into mean laughter.
"She’s got you there, Daddy."
I wanted to crash the car into a tree. Just end this nightmare once and for all.
But I didn’t.
I kept driving. Kept gripping the steering wheel until my knuckles went white. Kept swallowing the rage and the shame and the endless, crushing humiliation.
This was my life now.
---
Felix had been quiet during the fight. Too busy playing games on the cheap tablet Celestia’s parents had bought him.
But now he looked up. His round face scrunched with confusion.
"Mommy? Why is that girl so mean?"
"Because she’s trash, sweetheart." Celestia’s voice transformed instantly. Honey and warmth for her precious son. "Just like her mother. Some people are just born rotten."
"I’m not trash!" Lilith kicked the back of Celestia’s seat. Hard. "YOU’RE trash! A fake, gold-digging, husband-stealing piece of—"
"LILITH!" I slammed the brakes.
The car screeched to a halt. Everyone lurched forward.
Silence.
I turned in my seat. Stared at my daughter with cold eyes.
"One. More. Word."
Lilith’s jaw clenched. For a moment, I thought she might actually shut up.
Then she opened her mouth.
"You’re pathetic," she spat. "Both of you."
The words hit like a knife to the chest.
Celestia laughed. Sharp and cruel.
"See? Even your own daughter knows what a failure you are." She patted my cheek. Mocking. "Don’t worry, darling. We all figured it out years ago."
I started driving again.
What else could I do?
---
Celestia’s parents’ house sat at the edge of wolf territory. Close enough to the human world that her human parents could live comfortably. Far enough that nobody important would see me here.
Hiding like a rat.
Three years ago, when Felix was born and my family’s empire collapsed, Celestia had given me a choice.
"The baby needs a father," she’d said. Her voice cold. Calculating. "But I’m not raising a child in poverty. So here’s the deal. You marry me properly. Move into my parents’ house. Do whatever they say. And maybe—MAYBE—I’ll let you use my family’s connections to rebuild."
An ultimatum. Wrapped in silk.
I’d had no choice. My parents were in prison. Our assets were frozen. I had nothing. Was nothing.
So I’d become a live-in son-in-law. A kept man. A beggar in an expensive house that would never be mine.
Every day was a reminder of how far I’d fallen.
"Finally."Celestia’s mother appeared in the doorway. Gray hair pulled back severely. Eyes that looked at me like I was mud on her carpet. "You’re late."
"Traffic," I muttered.
"Grandma!" Felix ran toward her. Arms open wide. "I want cookies! You promised!"
"Of course, my darling boy." Margaret scooped him up. Covered his face with kisses. "Grandma made your favorites. All for you."
Lilith walked past them without a word. Her shoulders hunched. Her face stormy.
"No greeting?" Margaret called after her. "No ’hello, thank you for letting me live in your house rent-free’?"
Lilith stopped. Turned slowly.
"Hello, Margaret." Her voice was ice. "Thank you for reminding me every day that I’m not welcome here. Really appreciate it."
Margaret’s face went red.
I stood in the kitchen, staring out the window at nothing. My reflection stared back. Tired. Old. Defeated.
When had I become this person?
"Finn."
Celestia’s arms slid around my waist from behind. Her chin rested on my shoulder.
"I’m sorry about earlier." Her voice was soft now. Sweet. The complete opposite of the screaming harpy from hours ago. "You know I don’t mean the things I say when I’m angry."
Yes, you do.
"It’s fine."
"It’s just..." She sighed dramatically. "That girl. She brings out the worst in me. Every time I look at her face, I see Aria. And I just..."
"I know."
"When are you going to fix this, Finn?" She turned me around. Made me face her. "I can’t live like this anymore. Sharing a house with that little monster. Having her undermine me at every turn."
"You said you were working on deals. Connections." She poked my chest. "You said things were going to change. So when? When am I going to get the life you promised me?"
"Soon."
Then I pulled her close. Wrapped my arms around her waist. The way she liked.
"Listen to me." My voice dropped. Conspiratorial. "I have a plan. It’s going to take a few more months, but once I’m back on top—once I have money and power again—everything will change."
"Including the Lilith situation?"
"Yes." The word came out easier than I expected. "Including Lilith."
Celestia pulled back. Looked at me with hopeful eyes.
"What are you saying?"
"I’m saying..." I cupped her face. Stroked her cheek with my thumb. "When I’m back on top. When I have money again. When nobody can question my decisions."
I smiled. Cold. Calculating.
"We’ll send Lilith back to Aria."