Samantha’s POV
The morning of my birthday dawned bright and cruel. The entire Blackraven mansion was draped in gold and blue banners, laughter echoed through the corridors, and servants rushed about carrying cakes, decorations, and gifts. But none of it was for me. Not anymore.
It was Hans’s birthday too—or rather, that was what the Alpha made it. My birthday had been swallowed by a child’s celebration, and I had been reduced to a mere guest in what used to be my own day.
When I entered the grand hall, all eyes turned to me. I could feel them, pitying, whispering, judging. Every she-wolf in the room knew. Every warrior had heard. That I was the rejected one. The Luna-to-be who was never claimed. The daughter of the wealthy Heaven Blossom Pack who had been used, discarded, and replaced.
But still, I held my head high. My long silver gown shimmered faintly beneath the chandeliers, and I carried myself with the pride of my bloodline. No one needed to see how my heart trembled beneath the calm façade.
Alpha Gabriel stood at the center of it all, his arm around Adrinna. She wore a crimson dress that clung to her body, her smile wide and radiant. She looked like she owned the world, and perhaps she did—mine, at least.
I walked toward the refreshment table, pretending not to notice the lingering stares. I poured myself some wine, just to keep my hands busy. The glass trembled slightly between my fingers.
“Samantha,” a soft, honeyed voice called.
I turned, and there she was. Adrinna Jordans, the woman who had stolen everything from me, approaching with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. Her scent filled the air, sweet jasmine, cloying, suffocating.
“Happy birthday,” she said cheerfully. “Or… should I say, happy Hans’s day?” She giggled, the sound grating on my nerves.
I didn’t answer. I just looked at her, waiting for her next game.
She leaned closer, her lips almost brushing my ear. “I heard you’re no longer able to bear a child,” she whispered, her tone dripping with false sympathy.
My heart skipped a beat.
“But didn’t you know?” she continued, her voice lower now, cruel. “Alpha Gabriel told me himself that he poisoned you. He didn’t want an offspring from you, Samantha. He said he’d rather never have a child than have one with you.”
For a second, everything went silent.
I froze, my breath catching in my throat. My vision blurred as her words sank in. Months ago, when the pack doctor told me I couldn’t conceive, I had fallen apart. Gabriel had comforted me then—held me in his arms and told me that it was fine, that he didn’t need children, that all he needed was me.
So it was him. He had done it. He had taken that away from me.
Adrinna wasn’t finished. “He doesn’t love you, Samantha. He loves your money. You’re just a convenient source of wealth. You’re nothing but a cash cow.”
Something inside me snapped.
Before I could even think, my hand moved on its own. Slap!
The sound echoed through the hall. Adrinna staggered back, her hand flying to her cheek, her eyes wide in shock. Every head turned our way.
“What’s going on?” Gabriel’s voice thundered as he pushed through the crowd.
He rushed straight to Adrinna, wrapping his arm around her protectively. She immediately began to cry, crocodile tears streaming down her face.
“She hit me, Gabriel! I was just talking to her nicely!” she sobbed.
I took a step back, shaking my head. “You liar! Tell them what you said to me!”
But Gabriel didn’t even look at me. His eyes were blazing with fury. “Samantha,” he said through gritted teeth, “have you lost your mind?”
“She provoked me!” I cried. “Ask her what she said—”
“Enough!” His voice boomed across the room, laced with Alpha command. My wolf whimpered inside me, forced into submission.
The guards approached before I could even react. Two warriors grabbed my arms roughly.
“Gabriel, what are you doing?!” I screamed.
He turned to the crowd, his expression calm but cold. “For raising her hand against a guest and humiliating our pack during a celebration,” he said, “Samantha will kneel and reflect on her behavior.”
“Reflect?” Adrinna whispered, feigning tears again. “Please, Gabriel… don’t hurt her. I forgive her.”
He glared at me. “Kneel on salt until the party is over. Maybe then you’ll learn humility.”
I gasped. “No—”
The guards forced me down, pushing my knees onto the rough grains of salt spread across the marble floor. Pain shot up my legs immediately, but the humiliation burned worse.
Dozens of eyes watched as I knelt there. Some were filled with pity, others with disgust. I heard murmurs. Someone’s phone camera clicked. My tears fell freely, splashing against the white salt that was already turning red from my scraped skin.
I wanted to scream. I wanted to shift, to tear through this nightmare. But my wolf was too weak, crushed under the weight of Gabriel’s Alpha aura.
And then—
“Everyone, please gather your attention!” The announcer’s voice echoed. “It’s time for a message from Miss Adrinna Jordans, on behalf of her son, Hans!”
All eyes turned to the stage. Adrinna climbed the steps gracefully, dabbing at her fake tears. I stayed where I was, trembling, blood dripping from my knees.
She smiled sweetly into the microphone. “Thank you all for coming,” she began. “I prepared a little presentation for my son.”
The lights dimmed. The screen behind her flickered to life. But instead of cheerful images of a boy’s birthday… a sound played.
Ah… Gabriel… don’t stop…
Gasps filled the hall. My eyes widened in shock.
The moans were unmistakable—hers and his. The recording played louder, echoing through the speakers for everyone to hear.
And then came Gabriel’s voice, “I’ll marry you soon, Adrinna. I promise. You and our son, Hans, deserve everything. Samantha’s just a stepping stone.”
The crowd erupted in shock and whispers. Wolves turned to look at me, horror and pity mingling in their eyes.
Adrinna covered her mouth, pretending to panic. “Oh no! I—I don’t know how that got played! I’m so sorry—”
But when her eyes met mine, she smirked. That small, satisfied curl of her lips told me everything. It wasn’t a mistake. She planned it. She wanted me destroyed.
I couldn’t even breathe. My world spun. Everything blurred. The sound of laughter, whispers, gasps, all melted into noise.
And then, suddenly, a strong hand grabbed my arm.
I looked up, startled. A man, tall, cloaked, unfamiliar, was beside me. His scent was different, powerful, foreign.
“Who—” I started, but he didn’t let me finish.
“Don’t say a word,” he murmured. His voice was low, commanding yet gentle. “Your brother sent me. I’m getting you out of here.”
Before I could react, he pulled me to my feet. The guards turned, but in a blur of motion, he struck them both down effortlessly. The crowd screamed, chaos erupting in the hall.
Gabriel’s Alpha voice roared, shaking the walls. “SAMANTHA!”
I turned once—just once—and saw him shoving through the chaos, his eyes wild, his aura dark with fury. But I didn’t stop. I didn’t look back.
The stranger wrapped his arm around my waist, his speed blurring everything around us. We dashed through the hallways, through the open doors, into the night. The cold air bit into my skin, but I didn’t care.
I closed my eyes, my body trembling, my heart breaking. I let myself lean into his warmth, too numb to speak.
Behind us, I could still hear Gabriel’s distant voice, furious, desperate, echoing through the night.
But I didn’t look back.
I was done with him. Done with Blackraven. Done with the lies.
