Fianna's POV
Valeska moved closer to Bastien, lowering her voice.
"But Bastien... what if Fianna discovers the truth? Aren't you afraid of what she might do?"
Bastien let out a cold laugh.
"Fianna? You're joking. Without me, she's nothing. She abandoned her clan and turned her back on her family for me. Now she has no one. She has no power. If she causes trouble, I'll throw her out of my territory and leave her with nothing."
Valeska laughed softly.
The velvet gift box slipped from my fingers and landed on the floor.
Neither of them noticed. They were too lost in each other.
Valeska had been there the night Danica suffered her first heart failure. She even stayed beside me in the Moon Healers' Hall.
She also brought me food when I forgot to eat and told me Danica was the brightest light in her life.
A bitter laugh rose in my throat as I remembered her words.
"Danica will always live inside me."
She hadn't lied.
Tears blurred my vision as I stumbled backward, struggling to breathe.
My entire world had broken apart in a single moment.
I picked up the gift from the floor, tears streaming down my face as I quietly walked away.
By the time I reached the living chamber, my legs gave out.
I collapsed onto the couch and burst into tears.
The sobs wouldn't stop.
My chest ached. My throat burned.
Then my crystal communicator vibrated.
It was a picture Valeska had posted on MoonGram.
In the photo, she stood smiling beside a man while his hand rested gently on her stomach.
That man’s face wasn't visible, but I recognized the watch immediately.
That was the same watch I had given it to Bastien during our last mating anniversary.
In the picture, he was kissing her belly.
"Only a few more weeks until we meet our little blessing."
A heart symbol followed the message.
I stared at the image until everything became blurry.
Yeah… that was my mate…
And that was my daughter's heart beating inside my best friend's chest.
My mate's mistress.
I hurled the gift box against the wall and screamed until my throat felt raw.
My stomach churned.
I rushed to the bathroom and vomited until my throat stung.
I wanted to tear my own skin apart.
I sank onto the cold stone floor, trembling as tears rolled down my cheeks.
This was my fault.
I should have read the agreement. I should have checked what I was signing. But I had trusted Bastien completely.
Bastien called me a nobody. He believed I had no one left.
But he couldn't be more wrong.
I grabbed my crystal communicator and called a number I had sworn never to use again.
"Father, I'm ready to accept whatever mating alliance you choose for me. Come get me in five days, after I complete my bond severance."
I tried to keep my voice steady.
"Bond severance? I thought you were madly devoted to Alpha Bastien Ashbourne. Why have you changed your mind?"
"He murdered my daughter," I said. "And I want him to suffer for it."
My father's voice instantly turned sharp.
"I had always warned you. Bastien was never worthy of you. He even isn't fit to stand in your shadow."
A bitter laugh escaped me.
"I know that now. Soon enough, he'll understand it too."
My father's voice grew colder.
"Then return home, Fianna. Your brothers have been waiting for you. And Bastien will learn the price of making enemies of the Wolfhart Clan."
A tear slipped down my cheek as I thought of my seven brothers.
They were protective, loud, and quick to fight.
But they had always loved me.
And I had thrown them away for Bastien.
Every one of them warned me. All seven.
They told me Bastien was trash. But I shouted at them to stay out of my life.
The day I chose Bastien, I slammed the gates in my father's face.
"Tell them I'm coming home," I whispered.
I ended the call and looked around the pack house one final time.
In five days, I would be gone.
But before that, Bastien would pay.
He stole my daughter's heart to save his mistress. Now I would destroy everything he cared about, piece by piece.
It wasn't merely a threat. It was a mother's oath.
Bastien would finally learn what happened when someone crossed a Wolfhart.
Because my father wasn't just any Alpha.
He was Jorge Wolfhart, High Alpha of the Wolfhart Pack, ruler of the strongest wolf kingdom in the western territories.
