A Broken Kitten Figurine, A Broken Unborn Pup Chapter 06

A Broken Kitten Figurine, A Broken Unborn Pup Chapter 06

The basement level of the Stagford Pack Administration Office served as the locker room and shower facility for wolves returning from boundary runs or shifts.

I grabbed a spare set of clothes from my locker to wash away the lingering stench of coffee.

Just as I finished changing and reached for the hair dryer, a tiny figure crept into the room.

I cracked the changing stall door open slightly.

Zoe didn’t see me.

She was cradling her pastel-yellow thermos, scanning the empty locker room.

Finding no one, she let out a tiny sigh, stood on her tiptoes, and carefully placed the thermos right next to the hair dryer.

I pushed the door open and stepped out. “Zoe?”

She flinched violently, spinning around. Seeing me looking at the thermos, she quickly shoved it toward me.

“Mrs. Dawn said wet clothes make people catch colds,” she mumbled, staring at her shoes. “You need to drink warm milk.”

With that, she spun on her heel to run.

Before I could process the gesture, the little girl stopped at the threshold, turning back slowly.

She kept her head lowered, her tiny leather shoe tracing patterns on the floor tiles. “Do you… absolutely hate me now?”

“Even if I tell you I didn’t mean to push you, you won’t believe me, right?”

The room fell into a heavy silence.

I spoke softly, “But I heard you ask Mrs. Dawn how to make my pup disappear,

Zoe. That is a fact.”

Her tiny fists clenched hard at her sides. “Fine! Think whatever you want! I’m just a bad kid, okay!”

She bolted out of the room, but the slight crack in her voice lingered in the empty space.

My eyes drifted to the thermos.

Unbidden, the memories of that horrific day flooded back into my mind.

After discovering the pregnancy, my morning sickness had been severe. It was so intense that the pack healer had to check on me daily at the Pack House.

I had been entirely depleted, confined to my bed for a week.

Every day, Mrs. Dawn would prepare my meals and bring the tray up to the second floor.

That afternoon, she had forgotten to bring a spoon.

Feeling a rare burst of energy, I decided to walk downstairs myself.

As I approached the door, I caught Zoe’s voice drifting from the hallway.

“Is she throwing up again?” Zoe had asked.

Mrs. Dawn let out a heavy sigh. “Yes. Luna Tessa’s morning sickness is far too severe. If this keeps up, her body will waste away entirely.”

Zoe fell silent for a moment. “Is there any way to make the… the thing in her belly disappear? I didn’t like it anyway. It’d be better if it just vanished.”

My heart stuttered, and my hand accidentally pushed the door open.

Hearing the click, Zoe turned and ran toward me. “Why are you out of bed? Are you feeling sick again? Do you want me to help—”

The moment she reached out, I instinctively shielded my stomach and snapped back a step.

She froze instantly, staring at me with wide, wounded eyes.

A few seconds later, a look of bitter understanding washed over her little face.
“Mommy was right. Your kindness to me was all an act.”

“Now that you’re having your own pup, you don’t even want to pretend anymore, do you?”

Tears welled in her eyes. “You used to tell me I was a good girl. Why are you hiding from me now? You’re just like everyone else—you think I’m evil and want to hurt you!”

“Tessa, I hate you! I hate you more than anyone!”

“I’m going to find my mommy!”

She turned and sprinted toward the stairs.

A torrential storm was raging outside, and panic seized me. I rushed after her, trying to catch her arm. “Zoe, wait! That’s not it! I don’t—”

“Don’t touch me!” she screamed, flailing blindly.

Her small hands shoved against me with surprising force.

With no ground to stabilize me, I lost my footing and tumbled backward into empty air. My hand scrambled blindly, missing the banister entirely as I plunged down the steps.

Before darkness claimed me, I saw Zoe rushing down toward me in utter terror, tripping over her own feet along the way.

“Big Sister!” she had cried out. “Big Sister Tessa!”

Shaking myself back to the present, I unscrewed the cap of the thermos. A cloud of warm, sweet steam drifted into the air.

There was a slight smudge of milk on the rim.

She must have warmed it and poured it into the bottle all by herself.

Until today, I had firmly believed that even if Zoe hadn’t meant to push me, she truly desired the destruction of my unborn pup.

That was the root of my coldness toward her.

Now, I found myself questioning everything.

Why did a five-year-old girl want my pup to disappear so badly?