Chapter 5

Only an Alpha could achieve that kind of explosive speed.

Then came several dull thuds as the wolves were all sent flying backward.

"How dare you lay hands on my she-wolf?"

That familiar voice made my heart skip a beat.

I looked up to find Claude standing protectively in front of me.

The cursed chain was now wrapped around his left arm. Its sharp barbs had torn through his suit jacket, and blood dripped from his fingers onto the concrete floor.

It was a shocking sight, to say the least.

"A-Alpha Claude, what brings you here?"

Dad's and Linda's legs gave way, and they dropped to their knees with a thud, trembling.

Claude's oppressive air swept over everyone, terrifying them so much they didn't dare lift their heads.

He swept his gaze across the group like a conqueror. "Go back and tell your Alpha that if he dares provoke us again, we won't hesitate to raze Blackwater pack to the ground. And you two!"

His eyes locked onto Dad and Linda. "If I ever catch you scheming like this again, you're out of the pack for good."

"O-Of course. There won't be a next time." They scrambled away on all fours, fleeing as fast as they could.

The room fell silent.

Leaning against the wall, I watched the tall figure before me, my heart pounding uncontrollably.

Ten years ago, I'd been just as helpless, watching him descend like a savior to shield me from all the cruelty.

For a moment, I wondered if maybe there was still a tiny part of him that cared for me.

But then I heard him impatiently say, "Heather, learn to handle this kind of trivial nonsense yourself from now on. I'm busy—I don't have time to clean up your messes."

When I didn't respond, he straightened his sleeves. "Now, come home with me. Don't make me ask twice."

With that, he headed downstairs without so much as a backward glance.

"Claude!" A figure emerged from the car.

Victoria's eyes reddened the moment she spotted the blood on Claude's sleeve.

"How did you get hurt?" She held Claude's arm with concern. After confirming he wasn't seriously hurt, she let go in a huff and turned her head away.

"You promised to spend my birthday with me today, but you broke your word for Heather. What does she have that I don't? Why, after everything she's done to challenge your authority, can you still not let her go?"

I reached the bottom of the stairs just in time to witness this scene.

Claude pulled the sulking Victoria into his arms, a flicker of helplessness crossing his face.

"Alright, stop overthinking this. She can't compare to you in any way. In fact, you're the most important she-wolf to me. As far as I'm concerned, she's nothing more than a useful hunting dog."

My suitcase thudded to the ground.

Claude caught sight of me standing in the shadowed corner, and for a brief moment, bewilderment flickered in his eyes. He instinctively let Victoria go and opened his mouth to speak, yet no words came out.

I refused to go back with Claude.

According to the plan, I'd leave his territory completely the day after tomorrow and head into human society.

After seeing Victoria off, Claude returned to my place.

"Are you angry?"

I turned my head away, avoiding his gaze. "No."

"I only said that earlier because Victoria was emotionally unstable at the time," Claude explained unprompted, his tone flat. "You know how she's always been. If she doesn't get her way, she tends to take it hard."

I didn't respond, as I was tired of hearing the same excuse again.

Seeing me silent, Claude assumed I'd taken it in, and his tone softened. "Besides, I've already made it clear to Victoria that I won't be with her. So, you don't need to be jealous of her.

"To me, she's just a child—a little sister. She'll never be a threat to your position."

I looked up and met his deep eyes.

He was gazing at me with an unusual seriousness I rarely saw.

Maybe I had overthought things after all.

Just as I was beginning to question whether I'd been too hasty, my phone vibrated.

I opened it and saw a message boldly flashing in the pack forum's push notifications.

"Congratulations! The "Moonwing Pack Border Defense Spell", proposed and authored by Ms. Grimm, has officially passed the Council of Elders' review. Tomorrow, in collaboration with the pack priest, a demonstration of the defense spell will be held."

Attached below was a message, "A belated birthday gift from Claude."

In that moment, my mind went completely blank.

That defense spell was the fruit of my labor, something I'd spent three whole years completing. I'd visited border defenses across the pack's territory, run thousands of sand table simulations, and even risked ambush by Rogues and vampires.

Yet now, it was being credited to Victoria?