Chapter Four

Katherine stood frozen in the hospital corridor, her body pressed against the cold wall. She could not believe the venomous words pouring from the room she had just fled. 

This woman, this monster, was this the same Amelia she had known? Ever since she had entered the Reds family as a scared, orphaned girl, she had believed Amelia to be magnanimous, elegant, and kind. A true lady. But the mask had finally slipped, revealing a creature of pure spite.

“I’m so furious!” Amelia’s voice was a sharp, angry whine, completely devoid of its usual gentle lilt. “I wasted so much time and energy on the perfect plan! I personally made sure Charles drank that drugged wine at the Moon Gala. I even hired reporters to swarm the room first thing in the morning, to document ‘evidence’ of me and him together! All so that old fool Hastings would have no choice but to make Charles marry me!”

Katherine’s blood ran cold. This was the truth? The entire scandal, the forced bonding… it was all Amelia’s design?

“Who knew I’d mixed up the room numbers in my own drugged haze?” Amelia continued, her voice rising in pitch. “I accidentally slept with some random beta from the western pack, and that little stray, Katherine, stumbled into my room and benefited from my scheme!”

This was the true face of the “sister” who had just been weeping and begging for mercy. Katherine’s heart wasn't just beating; it was a frantic, trapped bird slamming against her ribs. A wave of hysterical, bitter laughter bubbled in her throat, choked back by a feeling of profound, soul-crushing lament. 

This was the precious darling that Charles saw as kind and gentle? This viper was the sweet, fragile thing he protected with such tenderness?

“You are an idiot as well!” Freya’s voice cut through Katherine’s spiraling thoughts. “How could you have been so careless and entered the wrong room?”

“I wanted it to be more memorable, so I took a small dose of the aphrodisiac too!” Amelia shot back, defensively. “How was I to know it would be so potent and disorienting? Ugh, what do we do now, Mother? I can’t stand her sitting in the position of Mrs. Hastings for a second longer! Charles is my fated mate, I just know it!”

“It is simply a matter of time, my dear,” Freya soothed, her voice a conspiratorial purr. “Just look at how worried Charles was for you just now. His wolf was practically howling with concern. As long as you play your part, he will discard that feral child without a second thought.”

“Your mother is right,” Jones’s voice joined in, confident and cold. “The bond was forced by the old Alpha. As long as you, my precious daughter, say the word, the position of Luna will belong to you.”

A delighted, tinkling laugh escaped Amelia. It was a sound that now made Katherine’s skin crawl.

“That bitch,” Amelia suddenly spat, her tone shifting back to venom. “Who does she think she is? How dare she fight with me over Charles? If my bone marrow hadn’t matched mine, she would have never been allowed to step paw into our family! Do you have any idea how disgusted I feel every single time I have to call that low-born ‘sister’?”

The final piece of the horrific puzzle slammed into place. Katherine’s vision tunneled, turning black at the edges. A cold, sharp clarity pierced through the pain. The Reds hadn’t adopted her out of charity or kindness. They had taken in a sickly, orphaned pup because her bone marrow was a match for their precious, ailing daughter. 

For the past five years, every sweet word, every affectionate gesture from Amelia had been a lie, a hypocritical performance to keep her donor close and compliant. When she wasn't needed, she was nothing to them. Less than nothing.

How utterly, devastatingly ironic.

A wave of nausea washed over Katherine, so strong she had to clutch the wall for support. The sheer ugliness of the truth made her physically ill.

“How annoying,” Amelia grumbled, pulling Katherine back to their conversation. “I purposely staged this fake suicide to make Charles finally divorce that wretched girl. But before I even got the chance to talk to him, he had to leave for some pack emergency. We need to get rid of Katherine as soon as possible.”

Katherine felt the whole situation was suddenly, absurdly ridiculous. How could a man as sharp and powerful as Charles, an Alpha who could sense the slightest deception in his pack, be so completely blind to the viper in his midst?

“Don’t you worry, my love,” Freya cooed. “I will call Charles later. I’ll tell him Katherine came here in a jealous rage, that she screamed at you and triggered your emotional breakdown. I’ll say she threatened you again. When he hears that, his protective instincts will take over. He’ll see her as a threat to his pack’s peace. He will agree to the divorce, I’m certain of it.”

A plan formed in the silence, cold and hard in Katherine’s heart. They thought she was a passive victim, a weak little mouse they could chase away. They thought the title of Luna was all that mattered.

Amelia’s satisfied sigh was audible. “Oh, Mother, you are so clever. Let’s do that.”

Any last, fragile hope Katherine had clung to for a shred of familial affection evaporated, crumbling to dust in the blink of an eye. She would not cry. She would not scream.

Pushing herself away from the wall, Katherine stepped into the open doorway, her posture straight, her eyes dry. Both women jumped, their faces frozen in comical shock.

“The position of Mrs. Hastings,” Katherine said, her voice low and steady, cutting through the tense silence, “will never belong to you, Amelia.”

She didn’t wait for a response. She turned and walked away, each step firm and deliberate. She wasn't just leaving a hospital room, she was leaving behind the girl they had used and abused. They had wanted to break her, to make her disappear.