Chapter 4

I stood in the doorway, my eyes fixed on Sophia’s coat hanging from the staircase banister.

Right where Gale used to love to slide down.

Footsteps sounded from upstairs.

Adrian descended the stairs gracefully, with a disheveled Sophia trailing behind him.

When they saw me, Adrian's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Elena, you're back." His gaze swept over me. "Your scent… it's different."

He studied me, a flicker of confusion in his eyes before they iced over once more.

He straightened the cuffs of his shirt.

"Never mind. It doesn't matter. There's something I need to tell you."

I clutched the bundle in my arms tighter.

"Tomorrow afternoon at two is my official mating ceremony with Sophia," Adrian announced calmly. "The pack Elders will preside."

"Mating ceremony?" my voice was a rasp.

"That's right," Sophia said, linking her arm through Adrian's, her face glowing with triumph.

"We'll be formally bonded before the altar of the Moon Goddess. You're welcome to come. Though…"

Her eyes landed on the bundle in my arms with disgust.

"And what is that? Are you dragging that filth into my home now?"

I carefully placed the bundle on the coffee table.

"Gale is dead." My voice was quiet, but it echoed in the silent living room.

Adrian paused his cuff-adjusting for a second, then continued.

"Elena, this act of yours is getting more and more pathetic."

"Acting?" I couldn't believe it. "My son is dead!"

"Enough," Adrian said, his gaze cold. "Are you still sticking to that lie? How could my bloodline not have regenerative abilities?!"

"He's really dead!" I screamed. "Head trauma! He bled out!"

"Then why are you here?" Sophia sneered. "If he were really dead, wouldn't you be busy burying him?"

She had a point.

If a child truly died, what mother would come home so quickly?

"Elena," Adrian shook his head. "I can't believe your stubbornness. You've become a pathological liar."

"It's not a lie!" I lunged for the bundle, wanting to unwrap it and show them.

But Adrian grabbed my wrist.

"Elena, drop the act," his grip was like iron. "I'm not changing my mind because of your threats."

"Sophia will be my one and only Luna." Every word was a dagger in my heart. "Pack your things. Be out of here by tomorrow."

"This is our home!"

"No, this is property of the Blackwood pack," Adrian corrected me. "You were merely a temporary resident."

Sophia smirked.

"Elena, don't be so tasteless. You've enjoyed a life that wasn't yours for eight years. You should be grateful."

"I gave everything for this family!"

"Gave?" Adrian scoffed. "What did you give? You spent my money, lived in my house, and used my status to show off."

"I suppressed who I am for you!"

"That was your choice."

I looked at this man, the man I had loved for eight years.

The way he looked at me now, it was like he was looking at a crazy stranger.

"I told you, Gale is really dead," I tried one last time.

"Elena," Adrian's voice turned dangerous. "If you repeat that vicious lie one more time, don't blame me for what happens next."

"Slander?"

"Making up your child's death to get sympathy, what else would you call it?" Sophia stood up. "Adrian, don't waste any more time on this woman."

I looked at the bundle on the table, which seemed to radiate a cold stillness.

No one believed me.

Even my son's death was just a performance in their eyes.

On the back of my neck, the fake mark, battered by the raw power of my unleashed royal blood, began to flake away like dead skin, revealing the pure, unblemished skin beneath.

"I'll go," I said, struggling to my feet. "But you will regret this."

"Regret what?" Sophia laughed. "Regret getting rid of a nuisance like you?"

I walked toward the door.

"Just you wait."

————

Adrian's POV

The next afternoon.

The Blackwood pack's mating ceremony was held at the ancient altar of the Moon Goddess.

The Elder's voice boomed, reciting the sacred vows as every pack member watched the holy moment.

The statue of the Moon Goddess looked solemn in the candlelight.

"Adrian Blackwood, do you willingly accept Sophia as your mate…"

The ceremony was proceeding smoothly.

But Adrian couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.

Elena's behavior yesterday…

He had assumed she was just struggling to accept his relationship with Sophia and was acting out for his attention.

But today, she was nowhere to be seen.

He had planned to wait until this was over, until he had the full power of an Alpha, to go and explain everything to Elena.

The mark was fake, but his love for her, he told himself, had never been.

A wave of panic suddenly washed over him.

"Where is Tyler?" He suddenly remembered telling Tyler to go help Elena last night, but he'd never heard back.

The mind link wasn't connecting.

He sent Tyler a text.

Go check on Elena and Gale. See what they're doing.

The ceremony continued.

"And now, the couple will exchange vows…"

Just then, Tyler burst into the ceremonial grounds.

He was pale, his forehead beaded with sweat.

"Alpha!" he cried, rushing to Adrian, his voice trembling. "Something's happened!"

Everyone stopped and stared.

"Gale… Gale is really dead!" Tyler's voice was practically a shout. "I just confirmed it with the hospital!"