Chapter 4

Three nights later, I entered the grand ballroom. My gown was a deep, midnight blue Zane had designed for me. It was deceptively simple, the fabric seeming to drink the light, its elegance whispering of true power, not shouting for attention.

The ballroom was magnificent, glittering under crystal chandeliers.

The guests were dressed in their most expensive gowns and jewels.

Everyone was waiting to see the legendary Alliance Chairman and his Luna.

I had just entered the hall when I heard a familiar voice.

"Well, look who it is."

Silas emerged from the crowd, a smug smile on his face.

He looked undeniably handsome in a custom black tuxedo.

Beside him, Jenna was a spectacle of jewels in a flashy, expensive red gown.

"I knew you'd crawl back," Silas sneered, blocking my path. "Finally came to your senses?"

He looked me up and down, then frowned. "But that dress... it's a bit plain, isn't it? For an event like this, you should have worn something more glamorous. After all, everyone here is Alliance elite."

I ignored his critique and started walking toward the head table.

Silas immediately blocked my path, his face turning ugly.

"Where are you going?"

"The head table," I said calmly.

"Are you crazy?" he hissed. "That's for the Chairman and his mate!"

"I know."

I tried to walk around him, but he stood firm.

Just then, Jenna noticed the commotion.

She saw the pendant on my chest and shrieked.

"She's wearing that fake pendant again!"

Her voice was loud, drawing the attention of guests nearby.

More and more people started to gather.

Jenna lunged into the spotlight. "Look at her!" she shrieked, pointing at me. "She's wearing a fake! An insult to our Supreme Luna! An insult to the entire Alliance! Seize her!"

The ballroom erupted.

"What? Someone dares to impersonate the Chairman's wife?"

"How bold!"

"Is that Alpha Silas's date? This is a capital offense!"

Amid the murmurs, Silas's face went pale.

He realized things were getting out of hand and immediately distanced himself from me.

"Everyone, I have no connection to this woman!" he announced loudly. "I don't know why she is here! Her actions have nothing to do with me!"

Hearing that, a cold laugh rose in my chest.

This was Silas's true nature. When it mattered, he would only ever protect himself.

"If we have no connection, then move," I said.

"No!" Jenna lunged forward, her face twisted with rage. "You bitch, today you're going to learn some respect!" She reached for the pendant on my chest. "Take this fake thing off!"

The chain snapped.

Jenna snatched the Heart of the Alpha from the floor and held it up triumphantly.

"See this? Trash like this deserves to be destroyed!" she shrieked, making a show of smashing it on the ground.

In that instant, the light in my eyes died.

All emotion drained away, leaving only a bone-chilling cold.

"Pick it up. Give it back to me. Or you're finished."

Jenna froze for a second, stunned by my tone, but jealousy quickly took over. She sneered, "Me? Finished? Who do you think you are, daring to threaten me?"

The guests started whispering, convinced I had lost my mind. A pathetic rogue, threatening an Alpha's mate at the Alliance banquet.

At the sight of this, all the color drained from Silas's face.

He rushed forward and grabbed my arm, his voice a low, furious whisper driven by fear.

"Caliana, have you done enough?! Don't make this worse! The Chairman is about to arrive, do you want to die? This will end badly!"

He tried to drag me away, desperate to distance himself from me before disaster struck.

Looking at his face, filled with terror and selfishness, the last lingering fragment of what we once were turned to ash.

I ripped my arm from his grasp and locked eyes with him.

"The one who's finished... is you."

At that exact moment, the temperature in the ballroom plummeted to freezing.

A power so immense it made every Alpha's knees tremble and lesser wolves collapse in fear swept in from the main entrance.

Time seemed to stop.

Every horrified gaze snapped to the entrance.

My mate, Zane, the Alliance Chairman, stood there. In his arms, he held our three-year-old son.

At the sight of Zane, Silas's pupils contracted, and the blood drained from his face. All his arrogance and pretense crumbled in the face of absolute power, leaving only raw, primal fear.

He stumbled backward, putting as much distance between us as possible, muttering, "I... I can't save you... Just die."

He had completely given up on me, certain I was about to be torn to shreds by the enraged Chairman.

Zane's icy gaze swept across the room, finally landing on me. His brow furrowed slightly.

But in the next instant, the child broke free from his father's hold. Before anyone could react, he ran and threw himself into my arms.

"Mommy!"