I gripped the expulsion order tightly and turned to leave this suffocating place.
However, just as I took my first step, Shadowmoon Pack's Elder blocked my path, wearing a fake smile on his face.
"Aria, don't be in such a hurry to leave."
He adjusted his glasses, his tone carrying an undeniable authority:
"According to pack rules, leaving requires signing a statement to clear yourself of all responsibilities during your time here. Plus a confidentiality agreement to prevent you from leaking hunting routes and ally lists once you're out. You must also submit to a security check to ensure you're not carrying classified documents or contraband."
Previously, everyone knew I was Kieran's fiancée. Seeing how I could bring back rare prey and negotiate important alliances, they all treated me with respect.
Especially the Elder. Back then, to curry favor with me, he would humbly call me future Luna with downcast eyes.
Now, he looked down at me with his nose in the air, as if trying to reclaim his superiority from me.
I looked at this pathetic display and said coldly:
"Security check? What right do you have to search my body?"
The Elder's smile vanished instantly, his tone turning sharp:
"What right? Based on your filthy relationships with other wolves! The Alpha showing mercy by not torturing you is already generous. Don't push your luck!"
I scoffed and shot back:
"Filthy relationships? Do you have evidence? Just based on a few photos taken out of context?"
"Evidence?"
Ivy clicked over in her high heels, pointing at me:
"The evidence is right there! Who knows what secrets you're hiding on you? What if you leak them to enemy packs after you leave?!"
With her words, she signaled to two Gamma wolves.
Before I could react, the two Gamma grabbed my shoulders and confiscated my phone.
"Let go of me! This is illegal detention!" I struggled and shouted.
Kieran stood to the side, his face dark, showing no intention of stopping them.
The Pack Elder stepped forward and began searching my body.
When his hand touched my lower back, my whole body stiffened—there was a tattoo commemorating the day I first met Kieran, our secret.
He used to love gently tracing that tattoo, saying it was the mark of our love.
But now, he just watched coldly, his eyes showing no emotion whatsoever.
The Elder's fingers paused on the tattoo on my lower back. He looked up at Kieran and deliberately said loudly:
"Alpha, look at this tattoo on her body. Who knows what shameful secrets it might be hiding."
Kieran frowned and stepped forward. He only glanced briefly at my tattoo before looking away.
"A tattoo? Probably got it for that wild man. Disgusting." His tone was indifferent, as if looking at trash.
My heart plummeted.
He had actually forgotten the meaning of this tattoo, forgotten our sweet past together.
"Kieran, do you really not remember this tattoo?" I asked, my voice trembling.
He looked at me coldly, his eyes full of unfamiliarity and distance:
"Aria, you keep saying those photos were a misunderstanding. Then why did you secretly get a tattoo behind my back?"
His accusation made me feel utterly exhausted.
"I got this for you. It's the rose you gave me the day we first met."
He was stunned for a long time, unable to remember that day. His face went through a spectrum of expressions.
I forcefully broke free from the Gammas' restraints and snatched my phone back from him.
Kieran looked at me with complex emotions as I unlocked my phone, his lips moving slightly.
The next second, he grabbed my phone again, trying to search for evidence of my cheating.
When he saw the intimate selfies of me and my father, he flew into a rage:
"Aria, you're really something! The evidence is right here. What else do you have to say?"
"I told you, he's my biological father!"
"Give me back my phone!"
"This is robbery, slander, invasion of my privacy!"
Kieran raised his hand, let his Alpha wolf partially shift, and slapped me hard across the face. Then he forcefully smashed my phone on the ground.
