Chapter Seven

THE TRUTH THAT SHATTERED THE PRIDE

The entire room went still.

“...Princess? Princess Rhea?”

Alpha Xerxes’s voice struck through the room and the air thickened with shock.

Natalie’s face turned white. Logan’s jaw clenched. Neither of them moved. They couldn't believe their ears.

Did he just call her a princess? her sister?

No. This couldn't be real.

"Is this a joke?!" Natalie snapped, her body stiffening. "Her full name is Rhea Griffith! She’s nothing but a filthy nobody from Crescent Fur Pack! Alpha Xerxes, you’ve been deceived……she’s a lying whore!"

Murmurs filled the air.

Xerxes turned to her slowly, his eyes like a glacier slicing through the air.

“Say that word again,” his voice came low and deadly, “and I will rip your tongue out and make my dogs fight over it.”

Rhea’s stomach twisted, fear gripped her . She knew the look in Xerxes’s eyes too well…..he wasn’t bluffing. He was capable of doing it.

But her being a princess? Natalie refused to accept it. Couldn’t accept it.

“She’s not who you think she is!” Logan stepped forward, desperate to hold onto control. “Her parents were James and Miranda Griffith—pack members. She had four older brothers. We all grew up together! She’s spent every breath in Crescent Fur Pack. There’s no way she’s your long lost sister!”

Xerxes barely glanced at him. Cold. Detached.

“I don’t owe you an explanation Mr man. What matters is this…..your mistress insulted the princess of Golden Claw Pack. And I demand an apology.”

Logan’s lips parted but no words came out.

If Rhea had still been a nobody, he could have scoffed at such a demand. But now? She wasn’t just royalty. She belonged to the powerful and most influential pack across the lands.

The way she stood. The quiet strength in her eyes. The soft edge of royalty in her voice. She wasn’t the timid wife he discarded.

She was a goddess cloaked in vengeance.

Something in his chest twisted. A glint of regret began to surge in his mind.

“Logan!!” Natalie’s scream snapped him out of his trance.

Her voice shook as she clung to his arm, eyes wide and glossy with fear.

He’d been staring at Rhea.

That wasn’t supposed to happen. Not again.

She clutched his sleeve tighter. “You’re not going to let her win, are you? You know she’s pretending! Don’t make your future Luna grovel to a liar……please…”

Logan inhaled deeply, and when his gaze dropped to Natalie, his face was blank.

“The Crescent Fur Pack has to attend the yearly convergence,” he said, voice clipped.

“What?!” Natalie’s eyes widened. “No!”

“It’s an apology, Natalie. Don’t make a scene here.”

Tears spilled down her face, hot and shameful.

Across the room, Rhea watched with cool detachment, a curl smile etched on her face.

Finally.

Finally, they were tasting the beginning of what they served her. The humiliation, false accusation.

This was justice...and it was only getting started.

She tilted her head slightly, eyes narrowing.

“Didn’t you hear, Natalie?” Her voice, laced with ice. “Alpha Logan needs to focus on diplomacy. So lower your head... and apologize. You do want to be his Luna, don’t you?”

Every gaze in the room landed on Natalie—Logan’s, Xerxes’s, the armored guards, everyone.

Her knees wobbled.

No way out.

Her lips trembled. Then……barely a whisper.

“I’m sorry, Princess Rhea.......”

“On your knees!!” Xerxes barked.

“I’m sorry, Princess Rhea!” she cried out louder, kneeling before Rhea.

Rhea let out a low scoff and shifted her gaze toward Logan. “Alpha Logan, control your woman. This isn't a circus.”

“I will,” he said quietly, not taking his eyes off her.

But before he could say more, Xerxes stepped forward, placing himself between them.

“Come, Rhea,” he said, wrapping a protective hand around her. “I have something new for you. A topaz hairpiece this time. The emerald’s a little too dull now, don’t you think?”

Rhea let out a soft laugh. “You spoil me, Xerxes. My jewelry shelf is full.”

“Then it’s time for a bigger one. A princess can never have too many treasures.”

The doors closed behind them with a heavy thud.

Logan stood still, staring at the shut space where Rhea had just disappeared.

The silence didn’t last long.

“Logan!” Natalie collapsed into his arms. Her nails clawed into his thighs, dragging herself closer, her sobs muffled against his leg. “Look what she did to me! She was always like this when she was Luna. You don’t know what I went through! She’s manipulating everything again, don’t you see? We have to expose her!”

Logan stared down at her blankly.

Her face used to make his heart melt.

Now it only made him feel...tired.

He exhaled sharply. “Xerxes said she’s his sister. That’s final.”

“But……..”

“I don’t want more trouble from you.” His voice dropped into a growl. “You were supposed to build bridges with the Golden Claw, not burn them. If you can’t handle even this…….how can I ever make you Luna?”

Natalie’s breath caught in her throat. Her fists clenched so tightly her skin tore at her palms.

“I didn’t mean to...I just...”

“Fix it,” Logan snapped. “At tonight’s gala. Offer Rhea your gift. Apologize again. Sincerely.”

“Yes…….” Natalie whispered, head bowed.

Then suddenly, Logan’s hand grabbed her chin and yanked it up.

She plastered a smile on, lips twitching. “What else do you need from me, my love?”

“I’m curious,” Logan said, eyes narrowing. “I rejected Rhea. I exiled her. So how the hell did she end up in the hands of rogues?”

He leaned in, a frown etched on his face.

“And more importantly...how did you know she was with the rogues?”

Natalie froze.

Every inch of her turned to ice.