Chapter 4

I decided to force a rejection of the mate bond with Gideon.

I never wanted to be tied to him again, nor did I want my Mia to have a father like him.

But when I went to the Elders' Council, the Head Elder looked at me strangely.

It was a look of pity, mixed with mockery.

He sighed and said, "Scarlett, actually, Gideon already rejected the mate bond with you two years ago."

"He also held a bonding ceremony with Valerie long ago. Valerie is our true Luna."

He tossed a document stamped with the Alpha's seal in front of me. It had my signature on it.

Two years ago...

I remembered. That day, Gideon brought home a stack of papers and hugged me tenderly, saying it was a special trust fund set up for Mia.

"Sign it, and our pup will be completely secured for the future," he had said.

I hadn't even read it. I just happily signed my name.

It turned out, it wasn't asset protection at all. It was a severance paper kicking me out of the pack!

He had betrayed me two years ago, severed our mate bond, and even let another woman take my place!

He lied to me. Deceived me. Kept me under his control like a prisoner, while I didn't even know I could have rightfully left.

He held a bonding ceremony with Valerie.

And I... in their lives, I was just a shameful shadow.

I grabbed the document, stood up, and stumbled out.

I didn't know if I should feel happy. Even though I was deceived, I guess my goal was accomplished.

When I returned to the manor, the sun was about to set. My mind was numb, my body screaming in protest, and my wolf hanging by a fragile thread.

Gideon was sitting on the living room sofa with a glass of whiskey.

He looked up.

"Where have you been?" he asked.

"I know everything," I said, holding up the paper. "You haven't been my mate for two years."

Gideon only froze for a second before his expression returned to calm, not showing a hint of guilt for being exposed: "So you know."

"And? What do you want to say?"

"And?" I threw my head back and couldn't help but laugh out loud. I laughed until tears fell down my face. "Since we have had nothing to do with each other for so long, why didn't you just kick me out?! Let me make room for your precious Valerie?"

Gideon stood up, his eyes turning dark.

"Kick you out? That would be letting you off too easy." He stepped toward me, like a viper locking onto its prey. "You betrayed me, forged the DNA, and tried to kill Valerie. You must pay for your sins for the rest of your life."

"I told you I didn't do it!"

"Shut up!" He grabbed my throat and slammed me against the wall. "You think you can leave me? Let me tell you, even if you die, you will die here!"

I didn't have the strength to argue anymore.

My sins? My only sin was meeting Gideon and becoming his mate.

He suddenly let go, grabbed something from the sofa—a velvet gown as red as blood—and threw it at me.

"Put this on," he ordered coldly. "There's an alliance banquet tonight. You will attend, and bring that little bastard with you. People will ask."

Hearing Mia's name, my heart felt like it was being ground into meat.

He didn't even know that the biological daughter he kept calling a "bastard" had taken her last breath in the early hours of the morning.

"She's not going, and neither am I." I stared at the red dress, my eyes completely dead. "I will never wear something so bright. My pup..."

"Enough!"

"I wasn't asking for your opinion," Gideon interrupted impatiently. "You'd better not make me dress you myself."

He stormed off.

I slumped to the floor, staring into space for a long time, before finally changing into the red dress.

I looked at the woman in the mirror—deathly pale face, dress as red as blood—like a vengeful ghost crawling out of hell.

I walked to the bed, picked up my phone, and dialed that number.

"Father, it's me."

"Scarlett. The seven days aren't up yet."

"I can't wait seven days." I watched the pouring rain outside the window. "Tomorrow... tomorrow I will disappear completely. I can't wait another second."