Chapter 4

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The moment the words leave my mouth, it feels like I am being split in halve with a sword. My body trembles, my chest tightening so hard that it is difficult to draw air.

I cough up blood again, my body failing as I slump to the ground. Julian is obviously still in pain, but he is a powerful wolf, so he can endure it.

They ignore me and carry on with the ceremony. Julian is crowned Alpha, and I am in dire shock when he names Elena his Luna.

She steps out of the crowd, her shoes making sharp, echoing clicks against the marble. Stopping right beside me, she crouches down, a low, menacing laugh rolling at the back of her throat, “Oh. Poor thing. To think that you actually believed you will become Alpha. Tsk tsk, pity.”

I am already so weak. The pain from the bond severing, the betrayal playing before me now weighs heavily, pressing down against my chest.

Still, I clench my jaw, refusing to let a single tear drop. Julian doesn’t just name her his Luna; he marks her right there in front of everyone, declaring her his chosen mate.

The crowd cheers, happy for them, totally forgetting about me slumped in the corner, fighting a silent battle against the pain ripping through my soul.

I reach for my necklace, slowly touching it, praying deep in my mind for a miracle to happen. Yet, nothing happens.

Then, Elder Vagner’s voice thunders through the hall once more.“ Now that we have a new Alpha and Luna, It is time to rid the pack of evil,” he sneers. “Ayla Reed was so desperate to rule this pack. And out of that desperation, she murdered her own parents.”

A sad, broken laugh escapes my lips. They steal my throne, and now they frame me.

‘I’ve always said it, she is cursed! So evil!’ someone yells from the crowd.

‘Someone that beautiful shouldn’t exist, I’ve always known there was something off about her.’Another follows.

‘Behead her! she doesn’t deserve forgiveness.’

How did I not see all of this? how did I not see the signs? Now I have lost everything.

Then, I heard him. The one man I was willing to sacrifice everything for. “Since she was the former heir of the Shadow Blade Pack, I’ll be lenient with my judgment,” Julian says, turning around to face me. “You have been demoted to an omega slave. You shall serve everyone in this pack for the rest of your life.”

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Lucian’s POV

“Mmmm,” I groan as satisfaction washes over me, the delicious energy of deceit filled human souls absorbing directly into my veins. Shifting back into my human form, I look down at the floor. The bodies were already gone, reducing to brittle skeletons.

“Dispose of them,” I order my assistant as I walk out of the underground chamber, heading back to my suite.

Having lived centuries in total Isolation from all pack politics and other supernatural bullshit, I have managed to keep my real identity hidden, only but a trusted few knows what I really am.

“Master Vane.” My housekeeper greets the moment I step into the master suite.

“What is it, Vera?” I ask, stepping into my walk-in closet, and draping a black, silk shirt over my naked shoulders.

“The mansion is short-staffed. I intend to recruit more servants, I need your permission for that,” She explains, keeping her gaze to the floor respectfully.

“Do as you please, Vera. Remember to strictly warn them never to wander into places they are not supposed to.” She bows respectfully, walking out of the room.

It is past midnight, I always feed at midnight — a centuries old ritual, and the only thing that keeps my demonic side tightly in check.

I sit down at my mahogany work desk, going through files and company reports. A soft knock echoes on the door before my assistant steps in.

“Master.”

I lift my head up. “Is it done, Caleb?”

He nods, carefully dropping a stack of surveillance photos on the desk. “Mr Thomas is indeed involved in the smuggling. I discovered too late, my apologies.”

I scoff. My jaw tightening as I scan the photos. He actually dares to steal from me.

“If I had known earlier, you could have added him to the group I just fed on,” I mutter, a dark smile touching my lips. “A soul like his is always full of deceit, just the kind I love.” I toss the photos aside. “What about his family?”

“They are currently in my custody, Master.”

I lie back in my seat, a gritty smirk playing on my face.

“What is your opinion, Caleb? Do we let them go? Or should I absorb their souls too?”

Ayla POV

The guards brutally shove me into the maids quarters, a small, untidy room, laughing as they slam the door shut.

Bruised and alone in the dark, I let out a soft, broken laugh, my heart burning with hatred and vengeance. The intense pain in my body had reduced to a dull ache: thank goodness I accepted the rejection, else the pain would have killed me by now.

The pain of betrayal still piercing through every bone in my body. I stay in the room until it is dark, the celebration noises had died down and the mansion had become quiet.

The guards all leaves their posts, still drowning in the mood of the ceremony. I slowly drag my bruised, weak body off the ground and head to the kitchen, grab a knife before walking to Julian’s room.

Every step I take is filled with undiluted, pure rage. They think I am weak. I’ll show them weak. As I draw closer, soft muffled sounds echo in the hallway—the intensified sound of skin slapping against skin, followed by loud, breathless groans.

“Aahh… ohh… just like that… deeper,” Elena’s moans echoes through the heavy iron doors.

I slowly push the door open and walk in. Elena is straddling Julian, riding him so fiercely as he is buried balls deep inside of her, his hands locked onto her hips, their bodies rubbing against each other.

My sudden entrance catches them off guard, before they can even react, a surge of adrenaline tears through my entire body.

Gritting my teeth, I Lunge forward taking them by surprise. I drag Elena off him, throwing her across the room. She hit the wall, slumping to the floor unconscious.

Before Julian can even react, I bring the knife down, slashing it deep across his face. He screams in pain, holding his face as crimson liquid streak through his fingers.

“Die, you bastard!” I yell in rage.

Aware that the guards will come any moment, I dart to the window, jump down, tearing past the iron gates, ignoring the intense pain in my body, and running wildly into the woods.

I keep running for a long time until my lungs burn. Suddenly, I hear sounds of heavy footsteps behind me. I don’t look back, increasing my pace until I reach the dead end of a cliff, coming to a halt. I turn around to look at the massive number of Guards holding blazing tourches.

Elena steps out from the crowd, wiping a drop of blood from her lips, a low menacing laugh escaping her throat. “Oh, darling. I never knew you had it in you,” she mocks, her smile widening in triumph. “You actually attacked your lovely mate.”

“Why?” I choke out, my heart twisting in agony. “Why did you treat me like this?”

“Please, Ayla. I’ve always hated you.” She chuckles, a dangerous glint flashing in her eyes. “You were spoilt from childhood, even though you were wolfless, you had everything. Status. Beauty. A loving family. So I decided to take everything from you. One. By. One.”

I blink hard as the truth was beginning to dawn on me. “You… you killed my family?”

“Take a wild guess.” She laughs, a low chuckle that made the leaves rustle, “Did you think I’d let you run tonight and come back later in future to take back your throne?” Oh, think again darling.

“You betrayed me.” I whisper, tears blurring my vision.

“I’ll tell you a little secret before I send you off,” she says, grabbing my shoulder roughly, and pulling me closer to whisper in my ears. “It was me, All of it. The plots, everything. Julian was the one you saw that night—he murdered your mother the night after he found out you were his mate. The murder attempt on your life before your father’s returning? That was Julian. As for your father… well, I just gave him a little poison to speed things up.”

I freeze, my breath catching completely in my throat. Before I can utter a word, I feel a sharp sting on my stomach, my breath hitches as I look down, gasping. Elena has stabbed me with a knife, the same knife had used to injure Julian.

“Goodbye, Ayla.”

she shoves me hard, my legs leaves the ground as I fall off the cliff, her confession still lingering and buried deep in my head.