THE RIFT CONTINUES

CHAPTER 5: THE RIFT CONTINUES

That evening, Vivienne returned to the packhouse after picking up Mina. She made sure Mina was well fed, bathed her by herself and after tucking her safely into bed with her stuffed rabbit, Vivienne walked straight into the pack administration office.

Donovan, the pack Beta, was hunched over a mountain of paper manifests, looking utterly exhausted.

"Donovan," Vivienne said softly, leaning against the doorframe.

Donovan looked up, rubbing his bloodshot eyes. "Luna... oh, good. Look, Dorian is furious with you about this morning, but right now I don't have time for domestic drama. The quarterly grain supply order from the northern farms is late, and our defense budget is somehow short 200,000 dollars."

In her past life, Vivienne would have offered to stay up all night helping Donovan re-check the ledgers out of pity. Donovan was always the workhorse while Dorian took the credit.

This time, she used his exhaustion to strike at Dorian's foundation.

"That's strange, Donovan," Vivienne said, stepping closer and placing a polished leather folder on his desk. "I happened to glance over the procurement logs from last month. Did you know that Dorian authorized a direct transfer of 200,000 dollars from the pack defense fund into a private account listed under Celeste's name?"

Silas froze. "What? No... Dorian wouldn't do that. That money was earmarked for the perimeter fence maintenance!"

"Check the routing numbers yourself," Vivienne said coolly, tapping the top document in the folder—a copy of the bank ledger she had quietly pulled using her system's network interface. "He labeled it as 'consulting fees' for her family. Meanwhile, our eastern border guards are using outdated silver blades and rusted armor."

Donovan stared at the paper, his face turning pale, then flushing with dark anger. "He took perimeter funds for Celeste? While my warriors are working double shifts with broken gear?"

"It gets worse," Vivienne added, her voice dropping to a sympathetic whisper. "Dorian also approved a reduction in the winter food reserve orders by 40 percent to offset the 'budget deficit.' He told the elders that the pack needs to tighten its belt, while he bought Celeste a diamond necklace in the city last weekend."

"Donovan's hands trembled as he gripped the desk. "The pack warriors are starving their families to keep watch, and he's showering Celeste with gifts from our emergency funds?!"

"If I were you, Donovan, I wouldn't keep this to yourself," Vivienne said smoothly, turning toward the door. "The pack elders should probably see those audit reports before tomorrow's council vote on the new Alpha allowances. It would be a shame if Dorian's greed caused a rift among the warriors..."

Donovan picked up the folder, his jaw set in a hard, dangerous line. "They will see it tonight. Thank you, Luna. But why are you telling me all these? Are you fighting with Alpha Dorian?"

Vivienne shook her head. "Just doing my duty as Alpha mate," Vivienne murmured, a cold, dark glint flashing in her eyes as she walked out into the corridor.

She wasn't just hoarding wealth and supplies, she was pulling out the wooden pillars supporting Dorian’s crown.

The next morning, Vivienne was feeding Mina a glass of milk in the kitchen when a guard came and informed her that the council had summoned her to the council hall. Vivienne thought it was about her refusal to make breakfast for the elders and do the documentation for the quarterly pack budget this morning.

In her past life, such summons would have left her heart hammering against her chest. But not today. She made sure Mina was well fed, led her back to her room where she watched some nursery rhymes in her tablet before Vivienne kissed her forehead and stepped out of the room, heading straight to the council chambers.

By the time she stepped into the hall, Dorian sat at the head table looking imperious in his formal Alpha attire. Beside him sat Celeste, wearing a soft ivory dress, fanning herself delicately.

Donovan sat far away from them, his set like granite after a long night of examining the financial audit logs Vivienne had left on his desk.

Vivienne walked down the central aisle and stood in the middle of the hall, facing the high table.

Dorian leaned forward, resting his heavy forearms on the oak surface, his golden Alpha eyes glinting with arrogant finality.

"Elders of Silverbrook," Dorian announced, his voice booming across the quieted hall. "I have summoned this emergency session to address a severe breach of pack discipline. This morning, my mate, Luna Vivienne, openly defied her Alpha. She refused to prepare breakfast for the visiting council, refused to undertake the documentation for the quarterly pack budget, and spoke to me with unprecedented insolence."

He stood up, gesturing sharply toward Vivienne.

"I demand full submission," Dorian declared coldly. "Unless Vivienne kneels right here before this council, apologizes for her defiance, and promises never to disobey again... I request that this council strip her of her Luna title immediately."

A heavy silence fell over the chamber.

Dorian looked down at Vivienne with a smirk, fully expecting her to break. In seven years, she had never risked her standing. She had always put the pack first, put him first.

Vivienne looked at him, then glanced at the gathered elders. Her expression didn't yield an inch.

"I refuse to kneel," Vivienne said, her voice smooth, clear, and carrying effortlessly to every corner of the room. "In fact, I would rather be stripped of my Luna title than kneel and beg to continue living with a mate who is sleeping with my own cousin—the very cousin I took into my home, fed, and clothed."

A shockwave of murmurs rippled across the council chamber. Several elders gasped, turning their heads sharply toward the high table.

Celeste’s face paled before flushing a furious crimson. Her eyes widened, bloodshot with pure venom as she glared at Vivienne.

Elder Gregory leaned forward, frowning heavily. "Vivienne... are you certain of what you are saying? Stripping a Luna of her title is a grave matter. I advise you to swallow your pride, kneel, and beg for your Alpha's forgiveness before you destroy your family."

"Swallow my pride?" Vivienne gave a cold, quiet laugh that chilled the room. "Elder Gregory, I don't just want to be stripped of my Luna title. I want our mate bond severed today."

Dorian froze. The smirk vanished from his face as if struck away.

SLAM!

Dorian’s fist crashed down onto the heavy oak table, rattling the crystal glasses. He stood up, towering over the assembly, his chest heaving. "Stop speaking nonsense, Vivienne! Stop throwing this pathetic tantrum!"

"It isn't a tantrum, Dorian," she said calmly.

"Do you have any idea what you're saying?!" Dorian snarled, his voice tight with rising temper. "If our mate bond is severed, you will be cast out! Remember that you have nowhere to go, no pack to protect you, and you will be leaving with Mina! How are you going to support a child when you have absolutely nothing?”

Vivienne gently smoothed the lapel of her blazer. "Let me worry about all of that."

Dorian scoffed, shaking his head. "Fine! If you want to walk away into nothingness, go ahead! But don't expect a single penny from me! And don't come crawling back when the street hits you badly."

"That's where you're wrong," Vivienne countered, her tone sharp and unyielding. "During the severance, our marital properties must be divided equally under pack law."

"That is not happening!" Dorian barked, his face darkening into a furious shade of red. "I will never give you half of my assets!"

"Why shouldn't you?" Vivienne asked, stepping closer to the center table, her eyes locking onto his with terrifying intensity. "I am your fated mate, your lawfully bonded mate, and the mother of your child. I have stood by you for seven years and bled for your crown. Why shouldn't I receive my rightful share of our marital assets—when you can freely waste a whopping sum of two hundred and fifty thousand dollars on a diamond necklace for Celeste, using money meant for the pack's defence budget?"

The entire council gasped in absolute shock.

Elders whipped their heads around to stare directly at Dorian and Celeste.

"That's a lie!" Celeste shrieked, standing up so fast her chair fell backward. Her voice trembled as she clutched the table. "She's making it up! It's a lie!"

Vivienne didn't argue. She calmly reached into her coat, pulled out a certified bank ledger, and some other documents, then tossed it onto the center of the council table right in front of Elder Gregory.

"Check the routing numbers yourself," Vivienne said smoothly. "Two hundred and fifty thousand dollars transferred directly from the eastern border defense fund into Celeste's personal account last Friday."

Elder Gregory picked up the document, his eyes scanning the verified bank stamps. His face darkened into thunder. "Alpha Dorian... what is the meaning of this?"

Dorian stood completely exposed, his pride shattered and his authority crumbling before the eyes of his entire council. Blinding rage flared in his golden eyes.

Dorian slammed both fists onto the table again, leaning over the edge like a wounded beast, glaring at Vivienne with pure hatred.

"How dare you?!" Dorian roared, his voice shaking the stone walls. "How dare you try to humiliate me in my own pack?!"

Vivienne didn't flinch under his fury. She slowly tilted her head, her dark eyes locking onto his with a cold, deadened stare that carried the weight of a woman who had already died in the dark and clawed her way back from hell.

"You humiliated yourself, Dorian," Vivienne whispered softly, her voice carrying a terrifying quietness. "I'm just making sure everyone sees you for who you're."

Without wasting more time, Vivienne excused herself from the council, telling them she had more important things to do. She headed back to Mina's room, smoothly picked up her hand, and lifted her tablet.

"Come along, Mina," Vivienne whispered gently. "We have a long drive ahead of us."