Chapter 5: Revelation

Haliyah’s POV.

I ran my fingers over the rope I had cut from old supplies, checking the small lockpick I had fashioned in secret, and tested the window latch I had loosened. Everything was ready. I just had to wait for the right moment. I could almost taste freedom.

I exhaled slowly, steadying my nerves. It had taken me only a few days to memorize the pack guards’ patterns. I had counted their footsteps so many times, and traced the layout of every corridor, every door, every window in this prison I called home.

Five years of managing this pack had given me skills they never suspected I had— skills I intended to use to escape. I realized the pack would never let me divorce peacefully, not with everyone against me. The only way out was to run away and figure things out later.

“I’ve done everything I can,” I whispered under my breath. “All that’s left is to walk out of here.”

I was about to step toward the vent when the sound of heels echoed behind me. My pulse doubled. I didn’t need to turn around to know who it was.

“Haliyah,” came a voice I hated more than any punishment Raven could give.

I whirled around quickly, forcing my hands to relax so she wouldn’t see me panic. “What are you doing here?” I asked coldly.

“I see you’ve been busy,” she said, tilting her head like she was studying me, eyes glinting with amusement. “Trying to run away, are we?”

I kept my lips tight and said nothing. My silence only made her smile wider. She stepped closer, grinning like a predator enjoying the hunt.

“Don’t delude yourself. Divorce is not that easy. You really think it’s something you can just run toward? That a Luna can just leave her mate in this pack? You must be dreaming.”

I tensed, my fingers gripping the vent grate so tightly. “What are you talking about?”

“The pack’s rules,” she replied lazily, leaning casually against the wall as if she owned the place— which, in a way, she did. “A woman can’t just leave her husband, even one as flawed as Raven. Divorce requires Elder Council approval, and it’s not easy to get. For a woman to initiate it, there must be undeniable proof of your husband’s fault— violence, infidelity, major faults. And even then, it wouldn’t be instant.”

Infidelity. Major faults. That was exactly what Raven had done. But here she was, telling me I couldn’t leave, as if my misery was meaningless.

She crossed her arms. “Running now is useless. Do you really think you can escape without consequences? Do you really think Raven will just let you go?”

She was right. Even if I escaped the walls tonight, even if I crossed the forest and hid in another territory, Raven would still find me and drag me back. He was Alpha. His reach was long. His pride even longer.

And divorce? In this pack, a woman asking for divorce was almost laughable. They would call me ungrateful. They would never blame Raven. So running blindly would only make me look guilty.

I took a deep breath, trying to steady the storm inside me. Cassandra’s smirk didn’t frighten me, but it did make me realize I needed another plan. Brute force wasn’t enough. Impulse would get me caught. If I wanted freedom, I couldn’t act like prey. I had to think like a hunter.

Slowly, I loosened my grip on the rope hidden in my sleeve. I forced my hands to fall limply to my sides. My shoulders slumped, forcing my face to show defeat.

I lifted my eyes to her, letting just a spark of steel show through the mask of weakness.

“Then, what should I do?” I asked weakly.

Cassandra’s lips curved upward. She liked this. She liked seeing me small. If she wanted to see a broken Haliyah, fine. I would give her one. I would play the fool, appear fragile, and wait until I had the upper hand.

“Ah… that’s better. You’re finally being sensible,” she said with satisfaction, stepping closer. “Haliyah, you really shouldn’t fight anymore. Just accept reality. Raven is the Alpha. You don’t even have a wolf. You don’t have a child either. If he abandons you, what do you have left?”

She circled me slowly like a cat playing with a wounded mouse. I kept my eyes down, hiding the hatred inside them.

“Just stay obedient,” she continued. “Stop causing trouble. Maybe he’ll still keep you around out of pity.”

I swallowed hard and forced my voice to tremble. “I… I understand.”

Her cunning smile grew wider, then she nodded. “Good.”

Silence fell between us for a moment. Then suddenly, like she just remembered something amusing, Cassandra laughed.

“Oh, right. I almost forgot to tell you something,” she said casually, examining her nails. “Tonight is the Elder Council’s convention. All the elders from nearby territories will attend.”

My heart skipped a beat. That was the most important formal event of the season. Every year, the Alpha attended with his Luna. It was tradition.

She looked up at me with fake innocence. “I’ll be going with Raven tonight. As his date, of course.”

My ears buzzed as if I were underwater, everything muffled and far away.

“W-What did you say?” I stammered.

“Haliyah, don’t look so shocked,” she said sweetly. “You’re sick, remember? You’re still recovering. You can’t attend such an important event. It would embarrass Raven.”

I was the Luna. By right, that seat was mine. No matter what happened between us, officially, I was still his wife. And yet, he was bringing her openly? He wasn’t even hiding it? He wasn’t even pretending anymore? That event was my only chance to meet the Elder Council, but Raven gave my place to Cassandra so easily. I couldn’t help feeling even more disappointed. This was how easily he replaced me.

I forced myself to ask, “The elders… they know?”

“Of course.” She shrugged carelessly. “Raven already informed them.”

My heart sank further. So even the elders knew I wouldn’t be there. They probably thought I was useless. A Luna who couldn’t even show her face. How ridiculous.

“Don’t misunderstand,” Cassandra added lightly. “Raven didn’t want to embarrass you. He just thinks… you’re not suitable for these occasions anymore.”

If the Luna wasn’t suitable, then what was I? A decoration? Or just trash waiting to be thrown away?

She leaned closer. “You know, Haliyah… Raven never truly loved you.”

I lowered my head so she wouldn’t see my expression. My heart didn’t even hurt anymore. It just felt empty. I felt numb, as if cold ice was running through my veins.

“I think you already know that. He married you for your father’s power. Everyone knows that. He needed the Mooncrest pack’s support back then. Without your father backing him, Raven would never have become Alpha so smoothly.”

I didn’t know how to process her words. I didn’t even know whether to believe a liar like her or not.

“I thought maybe after marriage, he’d grow to love you,” she said mockingly. “But some things can’t be forced.”

I held her gaze. “So all these years…” I murmured.

My hands started shaking uncontrollably. Everything suddenly made sense.

“He was just using you,” she finished for me.

That was all I ever was? All those years I stayed by his side, all the humiliation I endured, all the nights I waited for him… It meant nothing. I felt pathetic.

“There’s one more thing. Should I tell you?”

My throat felt dry. “What thing?”

The corners of her lips lifted higher. “Do you really think your father’s death was an accident?”

My blood turned cold. “What do you mean?”

My heart began pounding wildly. I froze, my mind going blank as her next words shattered everything.

“Raven planned it…”