Chapter 4

The moment Lilith heard that I wanted to summon the elders, her body trembled with excitement.

It was exactly what she wanted.

In my previous life, she had done the same thing.

Caught at the scene, with witnesses and what appeared to be overwhelming evidence, Ronan had committed a major taboo.

The elders ordered him expelled from the pack.

My aging parents couldn't bear the blow. Their hair seemed to turn gray overnight.

In the end, they had no choice but to acknowledge Lilith as family in order to protect Ronan.

Recalling that past life, I clenched my fists.

Ignoring the pleading looks from my family, I contacted the Council of Elders.

Ten minutes later, they arrived.

"Make way. What are all of you doing here?"

The elders pushed through the crowd and entered the house.

"What happened?"

Before I could speak, Lilith burst into tears.

"You have to uphold justice for me. I was nearly violated by the alpha–"

She loosened the blanket just enough to expose the bite marks on her shoulder and cried so hard she could barely breathe.

If I hadn't retained memories of my previous life, I might have been fooled by her flawless performance myself.

One elder walked over, examined the bite marks on Lilith's shoulder, and turned to Ronan.

"Alpha, this... could this possibly be true?"

Ronan's expression was dark with despair. His voice was rough.

"I never touched her. I slept next to Iris last night. She got up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night. When I woke up, this shewolf was lying beside me.

"I swear before the Moon Goddess that I never laid a hand on her!"

Iris, still pale, gathered herself enough to speak.

"He's telling the truth. I went to the bathroom last night. When I came back, the bedroom door was locked.

"I didn't want to make a fuss, so I slept in the guest room. I never imagined that I would wake up the next day and find–"

She closed her eyes as tears streamed down her face.

The elder frowned.

"So no one can account for what happened during the second half of the night?"

Ronan could only acquiesce.

The elder looked around.

"Does anyone else have anything to add?"

The crowd exchanged glances.

Soon, one of the neighbors spoke up.

"Last night, I saw Alpha leading a shewolf into the yard.

"She didn't seem willing, and she didn't look heavily pregnant. Now that I think about it, it must've been her."

The neighbor pointed directly at Lilith.

"You're lying!" Ronan's gaze was icy cold.

"I never saw anyone last night! I was asleep the whole time!"

"Why would I lie?" The neighbor stubbornly insisted.

"I'm not the one who did something shameful. Why would I make this up?

"As the alpha, to actually try to forcefully claim someone else while Luna is pregnant—this is absolutely outrageous!"

At this point, the situation seemed obvious to everyone.

The elder turned sympathetically toward Lilith.

"What does the victim want?"

Lilith's eyes were red. She looked like a helpless prey.

"My request is simple. Everyone here saw what happened today. I've already been marked. If Ronan doesn't let me become his mate, I won't be able to go on living.

"So he has two choices. Either he marks me officially, and I won't pursue the matter any further, or he leaves the pack."

Ronan directly shattered her illusions.

"In your dreams!"

Mom said with utter disgust on her face. "We will never allow a she-wolf like you, full of lies, to set foot in our home."

Lilith simply continued sobbing.

The elder looked at Ronan.

"In that case, Alpha, we have no choice but to expel you from the pack–"

"Wait!"

I stepped forward and blocked his path.

"Lilith, I'll ask you one last time. Are you absolutely certain Ronan forced himself on you?"

Lilith didn't understand why I was asking. She lifted her chin stubbornly.

"Of course. I didn't even know Ronan before this. If he hadn't forced himself on me, how else could any of this have happened?"

'Good! Very good!'

I pointed at a stuffed animal sitting on top of the wardrobe.

"Everyone, although I didn't come home yesterday, I contacted the maid at home and asked her to place a stuffed toy with a hidden pinhole camera inside Ronan and Iris' bedroom.

"Whether Ronan brought another shewolf into the room, and whether he ever touched Lilith, the recording should have the answers!"

Right after I said that, Lilith's face drained of all color.

"No!"

But it was already too late. I'd already started playing the recording.

As everyone watched the footage, they froze in shock.