Nivella's POV
The moment I returned to the pack estate, I went straight to Razen’s study. It was the one place he always kept off limits, saying it held matters of power and territory that I should not touch.
I pushed the door open and stepped inside. My eyes moved across the room, alert. Then something caught my attention. A steel safe hidden behind a tall shelf.
I stared at it for a moment, then walked closer. The lock glowed faintly under the dim light. I thought for a second before entering Navielle’s birthday.
A soft click followed. It opened.
A bitter sound left my lips. So he used her birthday as the code, while he could barely recall mine, always forgetting my birth day and our mating anniversary.
Inside were stacks of documents. Healer records. Payment slips. Transfers made to the moon healers.
I flipped through them, my blood rising with every page. It was all there. Proof of everything he had done. How he silenced the healers. How he arranged it all so Sven’s death would look like an attack from rogue wolves.
Then I found it. The ritual record. Navielle’s name marked as the receiver. Sven’s name written as the offering.
My vision blurred as fresh tears filled my eyes. Not just grief this time, but anger.
He took everything from me. My pup. My trust. My life.
I stared at the papers, my thoughts racing. I couldn’t face him yet. Not until I was ready. This was not just pain anymore. This was war. And I needed to be ready for it.
I took out my crystal communicator and captured every page. When I finished, I locked the safe and walked out.
I headed to the bedroom, my chest heavy with the choice I had to make. I had dreamed of this pup. A second chance after losing Sven. But how could I bring a pup into a world built on lies and betrayal?
I picked up my crystal communicator, my fingers shaking as I called the healer’s clinic.
“Hello, Moonpine Healing Hall. How may I assist you?”
“I want to schedule… a termination,” I said softly. The words hurt, but I couldn’t bring a pup into this darkness.
“Of course. Can you come tomorrow morning?”
“Yes,” I answered, my voice empty.
“Name?”
“Nivella Bloodwyn.”
I used my birth name. If I said Blackspire, they would know I belonged to the Alpha bloodline.
There was a short pause.
“Understood. We will see you at ten in the morning,” the woman said before ending the call.
I held the crystal communicator tightly and took a slow breath, trying to steady myself.
“Where are you going?” Razen’s voice came from behind me, and I stiffened. I didn’t notice when he entered.
I slipped the crystal communicator into my pocket and looked at him with cold eyes. “Just going for a healer check,” I said, my tone distant.
Razen tilted his head slightly, his brows drawing together. “A check? Are you not fine?”
“I am fine,” I replied shortly, walking past him toward the wardrobe to change into my night clothes.
His gaze stayed on me, sharp and searching. “Nivella, is something bothering you?”
I paused, then looked back at him. “Nothing is wrong, Razen,” I said with a faint, bitter smile. “Everything is exactly how it should be.”
He studied me for a moment but didn’t press further. “I will join you soon. I need to wash up.”
As soon as the bathing room door closed, his crystal communicator lit up on the bedside table. I glanced at it, then at the closed door. Without hesitation, I picked it up and entered Navielle’s birthday. It unlocked.
My breath caught as I scrolled through his messages. Then I saw her name. Navielle with a heart mark.
I opened it, and my stomach twisted.
Navielle: [I already miss you. When will we meet again? I will tell Keegan I am going to visit my sister.]
Razen: [Tomorrow, my love. I will tell Nivella I have Alpha duties to handle.]
Tears slipped down my face as I kept reading.
Navielle: [I am tired of hiding. I want us together.]
Razen: [Soon. Once I take my place as Alpha King of Blackspire Pack, I will claim you fully. No one will stand between us again.]
I covered my mouth, trying to stop the sound that almost broke free.
From their messages, they had been together every time she came to visit me. All those times she said she missed me. It was all a lie.
My mate still loved his first mate. My own sister.
I locked the crystal communicator and set it back, my hands trembling with anger.
My sister… my mate… they had been lying to me all along.
Navielle had once been with Razen. Then she left the pack to train in distant lands, where she met Keegan and became his mate.
Razen was shattered when she left. And in that pain, he turned to me. What began as quiet talks under the moon slowly turned into something more. Moons later, he said he loved me. A winter after that, we were mated.
I never knew it was all false. Even after seven winters, his heart still belonged to her. I was nothing more than a stand in, someone he would cast aside once he could take her back.
The bathing room door opened, and Razen stepped out with a cloth around his waist. His eyes held concern as he looked at me.
“Are you sure you are alright?”
I forced a smile, though it never reached my eyes.
“I am fine, Razzy.”
