Chapter 2

The next instant, something ruptured inside me.

A wet, choking sound tore out of me.

I retched violently, spewing a mouthful of blood. My body drained of all strength in an instant, and I pitched forward.

Caine staggered too, stumbling backward.

The mate bond had not been severed.

The light on the Moon Goddess's altar dimmed, fading away piece by piece.

Because of my forced resistance, a power like thorns dipped in venom tore through me, shredding everything inside.

Sera looked at me, a mocking smile curling her lips.

She pressed close to Caine and pouted, "Evelyn just won't give up, will she, Alpha? I'm your true mate. What kind of sorcery is she trying to pull?"

Something was wrong.

The Moon Goddess's power had clearly been responding to me, but at the very moment it was about to succeed, it had suddenly redirected toward Sera.

Sera's mate bond was fake.

But I still didn't know exactly why.

I studied Sera carefully. But she wouldn't meet my eyes.

But Caine, having heard Sera's words, turned to me with fury in his eyes.

He stepped forward and seized my chin. "Evelyn, hand over all pack affairs to Sera before sunset. Once the handover is done, you leave immediately. I'm letting this go because of your past service. There won't be a next time."

In that instant, the agony inside me was crushed beneath something far larger.

I gazed at him. The mate bond surged, and Caine's breathing grew heavier.

But he shoved me away.

I reined in my restless wolf, lifted my gaze, and answered evenly, "Fine."

The moment the word left my mouth, several pack stewards crowded around me:

"The winter provisions ledger, the alliance roster for the three southern packs, the western patrol rotation. You must hand all of it over to Sera."

"And the trade terms for the northern route, plus the hunting ground allocation we just negotiated with Silver Mane last month."

"Don't forget the pup academy roster. Make sure every pup's awakening timeline and bloodline rank are sorted out, so Sera doesn't have to redo the work."

I laughed when they finished.

"None of this falls under my responsibilities, does it? What exactly are you asking me to hand over?"

Dallas said, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world, "You've been doing all of it, so of course you have to hand it over."

"So you do know I've been the one carrying everything."

That was right. Every task in the pack had someone assigned to manage it.

But because I carried Alpha blood, I was naturally sharper and more capable than the rest. Whenever they couldn't handle something, they came to me for help.

Over time, no one ever thought to take their responsibilities back.

Not because they trusted me.

Because they couldn't function without me.

Yet now, just as I was about to rise to a position of power, they wanted to push me out.

The mood in the room turned heavy.

Elder Thorne stepped forward. "Enough, Evelyn. Don't play the victim. You made sure everything went through you so you could strip everyone of their authority and keep Frost Fang in your grip — isn't that it? Hurry up with the handover. The Alpha said you leave before sunset. Don't even think about stalling."

The forced rejection had injured my wolf, and my body was already at its limit. Too tired to argue with these people any longer, I led them to the stone vault.

Both walls of the vault were carved with rows upon rows of niches, every one of them stuffed with scrolls.

These were five years' worth of records I had painstakingly organized.

"Everything the pack needs is here. I've sorted each row by category. Take whatever you need." I handed the key to Sera. "This is the key to the vault."

"Good heavens! There's so much of it!"

"She must have done this on purpose. Otherwise, how could one person possibly handle all of it?"

"Exactly. She wanted us to think we couldn't survive without her. Typical outsider wolf, cunning as a fox."

Looking at their self-righteous faces, I nearly laughed out loud.

They probably had no idea how much energy it took to compile all of this, still less that I slept no more than four hours a night and sometimes not at all, just to have the next day's patrol schedule ready before dawn.

I let out a quiet laugh and turned to leave.

Sera stepped in front of me, blocking my path. "Evelyn, the Luna ceremony is about to begin. You're still one of Frost Fang's subjects, after all. Surely you should stay and watch the Luna receive her moon crown before you go?"

"By all means." I stepped back, leaned against the stone wall, and crossed my arms. "I'm curious to see how long that crown lasts on your head."