I slowly lifted my gaze to the polished obsidian mirror, taking in our reflection.
He stood tall and striking, his Alpha presence radiating like heat from a forge. I looked gaunt, hollowed out, my Omega scent thin and faded like autumn leaves.
"Resentful?" A brittle laugh escaped me.
"What right do I have to resent anything? I couldn't even protect my own pup."
His expression twisted, as if my words had struck a raw nerve beneath his skin.
"That was an accident!" His voice rose sharply, a growl threading through the words. "Why do you keep dragging it up? I've been trying to make it up to you!"
Make it up to me?
I was born into the Nightshade bloodline, one of the oldest and most powerful packs in the territory. Wealth and tribute tokens meant nothing to me—they were the most useless things he could offer.
I had no desire to argue anymore. I pushed him toward the chamber door.
"Selene, what do you want from me?"
"What do I want?" I met his amber eyes, my tone cutting through the air like a blade. "I want you to stay away from me."
In the end, he let go.
From that day on, he rarely set foot in my den chambers. The paper-thin pretense between us? Neither of us bothered maintaining it anymore.
When the pup turned one hundred nights old, the Blackwood Pack threw an extravagant celebration.
The venue was the sprawling moonlit grounds of the ancestral pack estate. The territory's elite had turned out in full force—every Alpha, Beta, and high-ranking wolf that mattered was there.
I wore a custom crimson gown woven with silver thread, cradling the pup swaddled in silk brocade, standing beside the Alpha Patriarch and the Elder Matriarch as guests showered us with congratulations and envious glances.
The Alpha Patriarch had named him Rowan Blackwood—a name wishing him strength rooted deep, like ancient trees that weather every storm.
Halfway through the Hundred-Nights Rite, the Alpha Patriarch took the ceremonial stage, his carved oak cane in hand, and lifted the speaking crystal.
The hall fell silent instantly.
"Tonight, on the occasion of my great-grandson Rowan's Hundred-Nights celebration, I have an announcement."
His voice rang out, strong and commanding, carrying the weight of generations.
"The Blackwood Pack has established a new territory venture specializing in premium pup-care goods and healer supplies. Current projections value it at one billion in trade rights and tribute allotments."
He paused, letting the figure sink in.
"Tonight, I'm giving this venture to my granddaughter-by-bond, Selene, as a gift."
Applause erupted like thunder rolling across the mountains.
I held Rowan close and dipped into a graceful bow, a polished smile fixed on my face. Gasps and whispers rippled through the crowd like wind through tall grass.
Every eye in the hall burned with envy.
A billion-value territory venture, handed over just like that. This was favor beyond measure.
I was about to step onto the stage to express my gratitude when—
The great hall doors slammed open with a deafening crack.
A woman in a white dress burst through, shoving past the pack guards, wild-eyed and frantic. Her scent hit me before I even saw her face—sharp, desperate, laced with fury.
Vesper.
She tore through the crowd like a wolf possessed, charging straight for the main stage.
"WAIT!"
The room froze. Silence crashed down like a guillotine.
Kael's face drained of color. He rushed forward to intercept her, his Alpha command bleeding into his movements.
"Vesper! What are you doing here? Stop this!"
She wrenched free of his grip, her claws extending slightly in her agitation. Her hand shot up, clutching a document, her bloodshot eyes locked onto mine. Her voice came out raw, ragged.
"I'm causing a scene?" She let out a shrill laugh that echoed off the stone walls. "Kael, look at her! She's holding MY pup, basking in the glory that should be MINE! She's the one who should be stopped!"
Vesper shook Kael off and pulled another document from her bag, thrusting it high above her head for all to see.
"Tonight, I'm going to show everyone exactly how the Blackwood Pack treats their own!"
She stormed onto the stage and snatched the speaking crystal from the ceremony master.
"Everyone, take a good look!" Her voice blasted through the crystal's amplification, echoing across the moonlit grounds. "This is a lineage rite! A scent-blood proof!"
The crowd held its breath, the tension thick enough to choke on.
"It says right here—marked in blood and witnessed by healers—Rowan shares my bloodline signature!"
Her voice cracked with triumph and fury, her whole body trembling.
"I am his birth mother!"
The great hall erupted into chaos.
Every pair of eyes swiveled toward me like wolves catching the scent of blood on the wind.
Suspicion. Contempt. Barely concealed satisfaction at witnessing a high-born Omega's fall.
My bonded family's faces drained of color. The Blackwood elders stared at me, their gazes sharp with unspoken accusations, their nostrils flaring as if they could smell guilt upon my skin.
Kael rushed onto the ceremonial platform, trying to snatch the lineage document from Vesper's trembling claws, his voice low and coaxing.
"Stop this madness. We'll speak in the private chambers, alright?"
But Vesper ignored him completely. Her eyes were bloodshot, wild with the feral gleam of a cornered she-wolf, fixed on me with raw hatred that made the air thick with her bitter scent.
"Selene! You thief! You stole my pup and you stand there playing the victim? Have you no shame before the pack?"
Her claw-tipped finger jabbed toward me as she screamed herself hoarse, her voice echoing off the stone walls of the great hall.
The gathering descended into pandemonium. Pack members shifted uneasily, some half-rising from their seats, others growling low in their throats at the breach of ceremony.
Kael lunged to cover Vesper's mouth, but she bit down hard on his hand, her teeth drawing blood.
"Kael, you have one choice now—reject the bond with her and claim me as your true mate!"
My pack liaison moved silently to my side, her footsteps soundless on the ancient floor, and set an antique black-lacquered wooden box at my feet.
I drew a deep breath, filling my lungs with the mingled scents of shock and judgment that permeated the hall. The pup had started fussing in my arms, sensing the turmoil around us, but I held him close as I walked slowly onto the ceremonial platform.
I took the lineage document from Vesper's trembling fingers. I didn't even glance at the damning words inscribed there.
Then I picked up the speaking crystal and looked out at the sea of faces below—shock, curiosity, judgment, all of it reflected in dozens of amber and gold-flecked eyes.
"She speaks truth."
My voice was steady as moonlight on still water. I even managed a faint smile.
"Everything she has claimed is accurate."
The chaos peaked. Whispers became snarls. Someone let out a sharp gasp that echoed through the vaulted ceiling.
At that moment, Aria stepped onto the platform and placed a heavy sandalwood box into my hands. The wood was warm, as if it held something precious within.
I opened it.
I looked into the speaking crystal, then out at those stunned faces—pack elders and visiting Alphas, Omegas and Betas alike—and spoke.
"Please. Bear with me a moment longer."
"Because tonight... I have a revelation of my own."
