Chapter 3

"Blasphemy!"

The older captain of the guard next to Asher turned pale, his finger trembling as he pointed at me.

"Do you have a death wish? You dare speak the King's name as if you were his equal?!"

"She's trying to bring ruin upon our entire pack!" another wolf cried, backing away in fear.

"The Alpha King's wrath can burn for a thousand miles!"

"We're all going to die because of this crazy bitch!"

The crowd grew restless, panic spreading like a disease.

Everyone stared at me with a mixture of terror and fury, as if I were the harbinger of doom.

Cora hugged her child, a sly, triumphant glint in her eyes.

"Everyone, everyone!" she raised her voice. "I think I know what's going on here."

All eyes turned to her.

Cora put on a pained expression.

"Evelyn... it's her love for Asher that's turned to bitter jealousy."

"What do you mean?" the captain asked, frowning.

"Just think about it," Cora's voice was laced with false sympathy. "After being rejected by Asher, her life these past five years must have been miserable. Now, hearing how legendary the Luna Queen is, the envy and resentment have driven her mad."

She paused, her eyes feigning concern.

"She wants to ruin the Alpha King's reputation! She wants to drag us all down with her!"

"That makes sense!" one wolf exclaimed in realization.

"Jealousy has turned her into a madwoman!"

"Women like her are the most vicious. If they can't be happy, they want everyone else to be miserable!"

But Asher remained unfazed by their fury.

Instead, a cold, mocking smile twisted his lips as he turned to me.

“Evelyn,” he said, shaking his head with the air of a man scolding a foolish child. “You’ve completely lost it.”

“Do you realize who you’re talking to? I was hand-picked by the royals to welcome the Alpha King!”

“Across all the southern lands, only three Alphas received this honor! And I am the youngest!”

He tapped his chest, preening like a peacock in full display.

“My Silver Moon pack is now a favored ally of the Crown. The King himself has taken notice of my capabilities!”

“And you think insulting him in front of me is some sort of pathetic revenge? Is that it?”

I had to fight the urge to gag at the spectacle.

Cora was a master puppeteer, and these were her favorite strings to pull.

Five years ago, she’d used the same venomous whispers to turn me into a pariah.

And here she was, playing the same tired old tune.

As for Asher, he was just as gullible as ever, but with a new, nauseating layer of self-importance.

“But…” Asher’s tone abruptly changed, the anger dissolving into a magnanimous, almost divine, ‘generosity.’

From his suit pocket, he produced a small silk pouch and carelessly tossed it at my feet.

It spilled open, revealing a handful of dull, common energy crystals.

“For old times’ sake,” Asher declared, posing as if he were a god granting a mortal a boon, “I’m willing to offer you a final chance.”

The surrounding wolves looked on in awe.

“Such grace from our Alpha!”

“For her, crystals like these are a fortune!”

“A lesser man would have just cast her out!”

Asher soaked up their adoration, his ego swelling.

“These may be basic, but they’ll be enough. Rent a hovel in the outer rim. Set up a little stall as an herbalist.”

“You can treat surface wounds, mix a few pain potions. That sort of thing.”

Cora chimed in, her voice dripping with false helpfulness. “Only for the lowest Omegas, of course. No self-respecting wolf would let her lay a hand on them.”

“Indeed,” Asher sneered. “In your current state, it’s all you’re capable of.”

He crouched down, his face a mask of false sympathy.

“You should be on your knees thanking me, Evelyn. A chance like this, for someone like you? It’s more than you deserve.”

"Most useless wolves like you end up dying alone in the wilderness."

"But me? I'm still willing to give you a chance to live."

A chorus of praise rose from the crowd.

"The Alpha's heart is so vast!"

"She should be on her knees thanking him!"

"This is far better than what she deserves!"

I almost laughed.

This trash wasn't worth the crystal in one of my son Dotty's teething toys.

A single energy diamond from the royal vault could buy this entire pack's territory ten times over.

And this foolish ex-mate was using this trash to offer me charity.

I gently wiped the ugly 'C' from my neck.

The sacred mark glowed with silver light once more, as if the smudge had never been there.

Then, I looked up at Asher.

A faint smile touched my lips.

"No, thank you, Alpha Asher."

My voice was calm, but held a chill that could freeze a soul.

"I don't accept charity," I said, my voice dangerously soft. "Especially not from a stranger."

Asher's voice dropped to a low, dangerous rumble.

He lunged, his fingers digging into my arm. "You call me a stranger?!"