Melissa’s POV
The morning sunlight streamed weakly through the blinds, but it didn’t warm me. My hands were still trembling from the night before, from Elder Francine’s cold eyes, her cruel threats, and the heavy envelope that sat on my table like a curse.
That money was supposed to buy my silence. To make me forget the humiliation, the loss, and my mother’s death.
I told myself this would be the last day I’d ever step foot near anyone from the Redmoon Pack. I would go to the yacht party, keep my head down, pretend to smile, and by nightfall, I’d be gone. For good.
But fate had other plans.
When I arrived at the dock, the ocean stretched endlessly before me, silver under the morning sun. The Redmoon yacht gleamed like pride itself, tall, immaculate, and dripping with gold embellishments. It reminded me of them: beautiful on the outside, rotten on the inside.
“Melissa Quinn,” one of the guards at the entrance said coldly. “You’re on the guest list. This way.”
I forced a smile and nodded, stepping onto the deck. Laughter and clinking glasses filled the air. Wolves in elegant dresses and suits mingled, their conversations light and carefree. The scent of wine mixed with the salty air, but all I could smell was deceit.
Every gaze that landed on me was sharp. Whispered murmurs trailed behind my back.
“That’s the omega, isn’t it?”
“The one who dared to file a case against Lady Alicia?”
“Why is she even here?”
I bit the inside of my cheek and kept walking. I’d endured worse.
Then I saw him. Alpha Cyrus stood near the railings, dressed in a crisp white shirt and black slacks, his posture commanding as always. His silver eyes scanned the crowd, the same eyes that once looked at me like I was the center of his world. Now they looked past me like I was nothing more than air.
And beside him… Alicia.
Her golden dress shimmered like liquid sunlight. Her hair cascaded down her back in soft curls, and her smile was sweet enough to fool anyone who didn’t know the venom behind it.
She noticed me. Of course she did. Her lips curved into a smirk that didn’t reach her eyes. She whispered something to Cyrus, and he nodded, distracted by the guests approaching him.
Then she walked toward me.
“Oh, Melissa,” she said sweetly, her voice soft and melodic. “You came. I was worried you’d be too ashamed to show your face after what happened with my dear future mother-in-law.”
I met her gaze evenly. “I’m not ashamed, Alicia. I’ve done nothing wrong.”
She giggled, covering her mouth delicately. “You poor thing. Always trying to sound brave.” She leaned closer, her perfume chokingly sweet. “Do you ever think about your mother?”
My stomach tightened. “Don’t.”
Her smile widened. “No, really. I do. I think about her every day. Especially that night.”
My heartbeat quickened. “What are you talking about?”
Her eyes gleamed. “How she screamed before she fell.”
The words hit me like a blade. “You—”
“I pushed her,” she whispered, voice dripping with triumph. “She got in my way. You both did. I didn’t mean for her head to hit that hard object… but oh well, accidents happen, don’t they?”
The deck spun around me. The world blurred. My wolf snarled beneath my skin, furious, grieving.
“You killed her,” I breathed, disbelief and rage colliding inside me. “Not accidentally. You meant to kill my mother.”
Alicia tilted her head, feigning innocence. “Oh, darling… I thought you already knew.”
My hand moved before my mind caught up.
SLAP!
The sound cracked through the air like lightning. Alicia’s head snapped to the side, her cheek blooming red. Gasps rippled through the crowd.
“Melissa!”
That voice, that deep, commanding voice, froze me. Cyrus.
He stormed forward, his aura thick and suffocating, his silver eyes glowing faintly. “What have you done?”
“She admitted it!” I shouted, my chest heaving. “She killed my mother, Cyrus! Not accidentally. She said she—”
Alicia let out a sob, running to him like the helpless damsel she loved pretending to be. “I didn’t! She’s lying! She’s jealous and hates me because you chose me!”
He caught her in his arms, glaring at me as if I were a stranger. “You dare strike my savior?”
“Your savior?” My voice cracked. “She’s a murderer!”
“Enough!” His roar silenced everyone. “Melissa Quinn, you’ve caused nothing but disgrace since the day you entered my pack. You’ve disrespected my mother, attacked my savior, and humiliated me before my people!”
“I saved your life!” I screamed, tears spilling down my cheeks. “You were nothing but a broken, lost wolf when I found you! Everything you are now—you owe it to me!”
He didn’t even flinch. “You will apologize to her.”
“Never.”
His jaw tightened. “Then you will be punished.”
I laughed bitterly. “Punished? For slapping the woman who killed my mother?”
He turned to the pack members around us. “Each of you—two slaps. Let her understand what happens when someone raises a hand against the Alicia.”
I stared at him, unable to breathe. “You can’t be serious.”
“Do it,” he ordered coldly.
The first warrior stepped forward hesitantly. Slap. My cheek stung.
Another came. Slap. Then another. And another.
Each blow burned hotter than the last, but I refused to break. My wolf howled inside, desperate to fight, but I kept her leashed.
Alicia watched, her lips curved in a small, cruel smile.
When the last slap fell, I stood tall despite the pain. My face burned, and my vision swam.
Cyrus stepped closer, his voice cold and final. “Leave, Melissa. Before I make sure you regret ever setting foot in my pack.”
I met his eyes one last time. “I already regret meeting you.”
Then I turned away. I didn’t wait for the guards to escort me. I didn’t look back at the pack members’ pitying faces. I walked off that yacht with my head high and my heart shattered, the sound of waves crashing against the hull echoing behind me like applause for my final act of dignity.
When I reached the dock, I wiped the blood from my lip and whispered into the night, “This is your last victory, Alicia. Enjoy it. Because one day… I’ll return. And you’ll beg for the mercy my mother never got.”
That night, I packed everything I owned — which wasn’t much. The broken jade bracelet, a few old clothes, the letters Cyrus once wrote me before he remembered who he was. I tied them together, left the Redmoon Pack territory, and didn’t look back.
