Samantha’s POV
The dining hall smelled faintly of roasted meat and freshly baked bread, but even that comforting scent couldn’t disguise the bitterness in the air. I sat quietly, across from Alpha Gabriel, while Adrinna Jordans fed her son small spoonfuls of soup as if she owned the place. Her laughter rang through the hall, light and taunting, and when my eyes met hers, she didn’t even have the decency to look away.
She tilted her head slightly, her long neck in full view, bare and marked with hickeys. My stomach churned. The mark of my mate was supposed to be there, but instead, there were only reminders of her nights with him. She was flaunting them, every purple bloom a slap to my pride.
Gabriel didn’t seem to mind. He was focused on cutting Hans’s meat, smiling gently as the boy thanked him. My gaze lingered on that image, a father’s tenderness, the kind I once thought would be shared between us and our future pup. Foolish.
Adrinna’s voice broke through my thoughts. “Samantha, could you pass me the juice on your side?” Her tone was sweet, dripping with false innocence.
I glanced at the pitcher, then back at her. “You have arms, don’t you? You can reach it yourself.” My voice came out sharper than I intended, but I didn’t care.
For a moment, silence blanketed the table. Then Gabriel slammed his fork down. “Samantha.” His tone was warning. “Can’t you do a simple favor without being difficult?”
I clenched my fists beneath the table, feeling my wolf stir inside me, hurt, humiliated, ready to snarl. But instead, I swallowed the anger, picked up the pitcher, and poured the juice into her glass. Adrinna smiled, smug and victorious, her eyes gleaming with mockery.
“Thank you,” she said sweetly, like poison wrapped in silk.
I wanted to throw the glass in her face.
Gabriel leaned back in his chair and looked at me again, his expression shifting from irritation to cold calculation. “By the way, Samantha. Has Heaven Blossom Pack sent the funds yet? We need additional budget for Hans’s birthday celebration.”
For Hans. Not for me when it was my parent’s money.
My jaw tightened. “You’re asking me about money again?”
“It’s for the pack,” he said simply. “You know Blackraven isn’t as wealthy as Heaven Blossom. If you could just ask your parents—”
I laughed bitterly, cutting him off. “No, Alpha. There will be no more money. I’ve already told my parents to stop funding Blackraven Pack. You have enough assets and businesses to sustain yourself. You don’t need their help.”
The table went quiet. His expression darkened instantly. “What did you say?” His voice dropped an octave, dangerous and sharp.
“You heard me,” I replied, keeping my gaze steady. “No more money.”
The next second, his palm slammed against the wooden table, the sound echoing through the hall. Hans jumped in his seat, and Adrinna gasped softly, though her lips twitched upward in hidden amusement.
“Do you have any idea what you’ve done?” he growled. “You’re cutting off the lifeline that supports this pack. That supports you.”
I stood slowly, forcing my voice to stay calm. “Maybe it’s time you learned to stand on your own without bleeding my parents’ generosity dry.”
Gabriel’s eyes burned with fury. He pushed his chair back so hard it scraped the floor. “You’re unbelievable,” he spat, and stormed out of the hall. Adrinna hurried after him, carrying Hans in her arms as if afraid I might harm them.
But I just stood there, shaking. My nails bit into my palms as I tried to steady my breathing. My wolf whimpered inside me, confused and wounded. How did it come to this? How did the man who once swore to love me above all turn into this stranger who only saw me as a bank connection?
Hours later, the mansion buzzed with noise. Visitors, mostly other Alphas, had come to see Gabriel. Laughter echoed from his office, deep and loud. I passed through the corridor quietly, heading to my guest room, but as I neared the office, their words floated to me, sharp as claws.
“I heard the wedding with Samantha was canceled,” one Alpha said, chuckling.
“Canceled?” another barked a laugh. “Man, Gabriel wasn’t even planning to attend that wedding in the first place.”
Their laughter roared louder. My breath hitched.
Then Gabriel’s voice joined in, lazy and proud. “That whole wedding preparation was worth it. Heaven Blossom sent hundreds of thousands before the event. It was easy money.”
I froze. My blood turned to ice.
“So, you never planned to marry her?” another Alpha asked.
“Why would I?” Gabriel replied, his tone dripping with arrogance. “She’s just leverage. Her pack is rich, and I needed the funds for Blackraven’s expansion.”
The room erupted in laughter again, but my heart was already breaking apart.
And then I saw it, through the small crack of the slightly open door. Adrinna was sitting on his lap, her hands roaming over his chest as she kissed his collarbone. His friends didn’t even look surprised.
I bit my lip so hard I tasted blood.
Adrinna’s voice purred. “But what now, darling? I heard Samantha stopped her parents from sending money.”
Gabriel smirked. “If she still wants to eat and live peacefully here, she’ll change her mind soon. I won’t spend a single penny on her stay in my pack.”
A cruel laugh followed.
That was the moment something inside me snapped.
I pressed a trembling hand over my chest as tears spilled down my cheeks. My wolf howled inside me, hurt, humiliated, and furious. Every word I had heard cut deeper than any blade. The love I once protected, the loyalty I held onto despite the betrayal, all of it suddenly felt foolish.
I staggered away from the door, every step heavier than the last. My vision blurred, my throat tight. The truth was out. All this time, I wasn’t his Luna. I was his pawn. His source of wealth. His convenient connection to a powerful pack.
When I reached my room, I collapsed against the bed, letting the sobs finally escape. My mind played back every moment we’d shared—his promises, his warmth, his laughter when we used to talk about our future. None of it had been real.
