Velda's POV
I stared at Adelaide's composed face, my throat welling with a question, "Why hide those matters?"
Adelaide lightly flicked her ear tips, cedar pheromones blending with the crisp scent. "It's merely pack business, hardly worth mentioning. Nothing to talk about."
Confusion crossed Abbot's face, and he blurted out, "Dissolved mate bond? Why dissolve it?"
I lowered my gaze, releasing submissive pheromones laced with mint and feigned grievance. I said, "After the Bloodscar victory, Lycan Erasmus approved my joining to the Bloodmoon Pack and permitted me and Alpha Ulrik's bonding. Miss Davidson was upset, so she requested to sever her bond with Alpha Ulrik."
My words, while not the full story, weren't lies.
Naturally, I omitted the part about using merits to seek Lycan Erasmus's approval for the mate bond.
I wanted the Gamma wolves present to see Adelaide as domineering, defying the Lycan Erasmus's decree.
Adelaide met m
Adelaide's POVThis task demanded heaps of time and energy—no quick fix.Eyeing the stack of drafts on my desk, I knew it would take two or three months solo.A soft sigh escaped me—sure wish Craig were here.Craig had this razor-sharp observation and thinking. Glance at a doc, it was seared into his memory. When he wrote, it was like he had a muse whispering in his ear—quick and smooth.I'd been at this for days, eyes raw and burning, yet the plan was still not shaping up.Lance only popped by once after Cedric started talking, then vanished.Seems being a "Supreme Court chief judge" really shackled him. Must be tough learning the ropes from scratch.When he visited, he was spouting legal jargon—community service sentences, prison terms—like he was hexed.It broke my heart a little.I told him he didn't need to memorize every law. There were law books for reference, and his staff were well-versed.But he i
Third Person's POVSabrina snorted coldly, her face darkening. "What kind of Luna? She's just a she-wolf who's lost her mate. Even if she's from the Ironthorn Pack, so what? When I'm with Alpha Lance and become his breeder, she'll have to bow to me."Ulrik was stunned. "What are you saying? Become Lance's breeder? Are you mad? Lance is bonding with Adelaide. When has he ever wanted a breeder?"Sabrina replied proudly, "If Priscilla agrees, I can become Alpha Lance's breeder. Wanda said Priscilla is afraid of Madison and does whatever Madison says. If I get Madison to like me, she'll recommend me to Priscilla."Ulrik snapped, "You're crazy! Why would Madison like you? And how can you become Lance's breeder? People like them will just use you. Don't be fooled."But Sabrina was stubborn. "I don't care. I'm going to be his breeder. Even if I get used, it's okay as long as Wanda helps me.""You stop this nonsense. Do you know what Wanda is like?"
Third Person's POVAdelaide was Alpha Bentley's daughter of the Frostfang Pack, a decorated figure on the southern border, and Alpha Lance's future mate.Her position towered over Ulrik's."Ulrik, if you hadn't used your merits to ask Lycan Erasmus for our mating bond, where would you and Adelaide be now?" Velda's voice turned soft yet madly self-destructive.The question struck Ulrik's core.His facade crumbled, his face drained of color.Ulrik's wolf claws dug fiercely into his palm, and blood mixed with cedar pheromones dripped onto the carpet.He'd thought about this but never dared to deeply.He'd convinced himself that dwelling on it was pointless.Yet deep down, he knew that without Velda, he'd be living happily with Adelaide now, and his career would be smooth sailing.They'd have achieved merits together on the southern border battlefield, and he might have become the Ironclaw Army's deputy commander. Alp
Third Person's POVAs Rosmary thought more, she became more convinced. "Velda must have threatened Adelaide. Otherwise, with Adelaide's wealth, why would she bother to send someone to collect fifty thousand? She wouldn't care about fifty thousand, or even five hundred thousand."Ulrik snapped back to reality. "Don't worry. Velda can't threaten Adelaide," he said.Rosmary fretted, "Even if she can't threaten Adelaide, what if she purposely says something to upset her and badmouths you to the Ironclaw Pack? That could ruin everything."Ulrik shook his head, but inside, he was bitterly amused. He thought, "If Adelaide did intervene, it would mean she still had feelings for him."He even hoped she would.Then he jolted himself back to reality. What was he thinking?Adelaide and Lance's wedding was set. Even if she still had feelings for him, they were likely filled with resentment.After the messy dissolution of their mating bond,
Third Person's POVValentin waved his hand and said, "None of that matters now. What matters is that Adelaide doesn't want any unresolved accounts with the Bloodmoon Pack. We all need to move on, so, Alpha Ulrik, will you pay the fifty thousand or not? If not, I'll take this IOU to court."Ulrik had someone fetch a fifty-thousand-dollar check and handed it to Valentin on the spot.Suppressing his fury, he said, "Please extend my apologies to Adelaide. I hope she can be gracious and forget this incident."He didn't know why he was so angry.Technically, since Velda was the one who caused trouble at the Frostfang Pack, he should apologize to Adelaide, and he did feel sorry.But Adelaide's words—"she doesn't want any unresolved accounts with the Bloodmoon Pack"—sounded so cold, as if she was avoiding him like a venomous snake.When Valentin took the check, he detected remorse in Ulrik's pheromones.The Alpha's cedar scent, usually
Third Person's POVLost in thought, Valentin approached with the IOU and a pen, his tone cold. "Sign here."The $50,000 debt humiliated her.She glared at Adelaide, but fear washed over her when their eyes met.She signed hastily and stumbled away.Valentin filed the IOU and noticed Adelaide leaning against the corridor wall, her earlier coldness replaced by visible heartbreak."Don't be so upset," Valentin consoled. "Indifference is the best armor."Adelaide shook her head, her voice soft. "I'm fine. I was just remembering how lively the pack used to be."Valentin, too, fell into a melancholic silence.The Frostfang Pack endured, its status elevated, but few original members remained.Adelaide quickly regained her composure and headed back to her villa to be with Cedric.She worried he might have been frightened by the earlier commotion, especially since Velda had been screaming as she was dragged away.