Chapter 3

I returned to my empty home.

On the wall, my parents’ portrait hung silently.

Their gentle smiles looked like a cruel joke in the cold moonlight.

I finally collapsed, falling to my knees before them.

I let the tears flow freely, my sobs the choked whimpers of a wounded animal.

Grief and hatred were twin vultures, tearing me apart.

But I knew this was not the time for weakness.

I wiped my tears and found the chest my father had left me before his last campaign.

Inside, I found it: the ancient bloodline codex, written in the old wolf tongue. It held the secrets of the Heart of the Pack.

“Blood is the key, but will is the lock.”

“For the resonance ceremony to succeed, the offering must be given freely. Otherwise, the transfer of power is void.”

A cold, sharp smile touched my lips. My greatest weapon wasn’t my bloodline. It was the pure, undiluted hatred now singing in my veins.

Nolan, you want my power?

I’ll give it to you.

Without hesitation, I sliced open my palm, letting my blood drip onto the yellowed parchment.

“By the name of the First Blood, by the souls of my ancestors, I summon the warriors loyal to my bloodline.”

The ancient words flowed from my lips.

My blood seemed to ignite on the page, glowing with a faint red light.

Less than ten minutes later, a dozen swift, dark figures appeared outside my study window.

They were silent, like ghosts melting into the night.

They were the elite leaders of the Dire Wolves, each one possessing a terrifying power that surpassed a normal Alpha.

“Lady Della.” The leader knelt on one knee, his voice steady and firm. “You summoned us.”

“Garrett.” I looked at the old warrior who had served my father for years. The scars on his face were a record of his valor. “Do you remember the oath you swore to my bloodline?”

A fire of vengeance ignited in his eyes, a fire that could burn the world.

“We will never forget who our true masters are.”

“Good.” My voice was as cold as frost. “In three days, at Nolan’s succession ceremony, you will await my command.”

“As you command.”

They vanished as they came, disappearing like phantoms into the night.

Then, I opened a secret communication device and entered an encrypted number known only to the pack’s highest echelons.

I had to act like nothing happened. Not until I could walk away for good.

…

The next evening was the charity gala before the full moon rites, an event for all the pack’s nobles.

I wore a deep blue gown, elegant and regal.

Guests arrived, and the hall filled with the clinking of glasses and false pleasantries.

Then, I saw them.

Nolan was in a perfectly tailored black suit, so handsome that every young she-wolf in the room couldn't help but stare.

And Skylar, on his arm…

She was poured into a blood-red dress so tight it looked like a second skin, with a neckline plunging to her navel. It was a shameless, desperate cry for attention.

Her long hair was a messy cascade over her shoulders. She radiated a cheap, primitive sort of sex appeal.

In a formal, noble gathering like this, her attire was a flagrant insult to everyone present.

But Nolan seemed to enjoy the looks of lust other males were throwing at Skylar.

“Honored guests, welcome to the Silver Moon Manor,” I said, raising my glass, my voice graceful and warm, as if last night had never happened.

All eyes turned to me, including Nolan’s.

A complex, unreadable emotion flickered in his eyes.

“Tonight’s charity auction will raise funds for the wolf orphanages in the Northern Territories,” I continued. “I hope you will all be generous.”

Applause broke out.

I was about to say more when Skylar burst into loud, exaggerated laughter.

“Wow, what a formal speech,” she said, her voice jarring in the quiet hall. “No wonder Nolan thinks being with you is a total bore.”

She walked to the head table as if she owned the place.

She picked up an apple and took a huge, loud bite, the crunching sound echoing clearly.

“Miss Skylar,” my voice turned to ice. “Until the elders formally dissolve my betrothal to Nolan, pack law dictates you show me respect. That means you bow, and you address me as ‘Lady Della.’ Or did you leave your manners back in the gutter you crawled out of?”

The hall went silent.

Everyone knew this was an unbreakable rule of high society.

Skylar stopped chewing. She turned to me slowly, provocatively.

“Etiquette?” She sneered, a bit of apple on her lip. “I thought modern society had done away with all that feudal crap.”

“Perhaps in the backwater packs you came from.” I walked toward her, each step carrying the weight of my pure-blood lineage. “But in my home, etiquette is mandatory.”

I stopped in front of her, looking down, my eyes as cold as daggers.

My voice dropped to a lethal whisper. “Who told you that you could sit?”

Skylar didn’t stand. Instead, she became more defiant.

“Why should I stand up?” she challenged me.

Nolan shot to his feet.

“That’s enough, Della!” he snarled, the sound more beast than man. “You’ve gone too far!”

He strode toward me, his eyes burning with a mad fire.

“Skylar is my guest! You have no right to humiliate her like this!”

“Humiliate her?” I scoffed. “I’m upholding the dignity of a pack she so clearly despises.”

“Dignity?” Nolan snarled. “Is this your dignity? Acting so high and mighty?”

He grabbed my arm, his grip hard enough to shatter bone.

“Who the hell do you think you are? How noble do you think you are?”

“Nolan, let me go.” My voice was arctic.

“I won’t.” His gaze turned vicious. “I know you promised my father you wouldn’t cancel the ceremony. You’re going to offer up the Heart of the Pack, right? Well, before you’re officially mine, you’d better learn some humility.”

He whirled on the guards.

“Get over here. Hold her down.”

The guards looked at each other, hesitating.

“I said, hold her down!” Nolan bellowed.

He pulled a silver branding iron from his belt.

“Since you’re so obsessed with tradition,” his voice dripped with malice, “I’ll give you a taste of it myself. The kind reserved for traitors and pack whores.”

The brand was the mark of shame, used for traitors and the lowest of Omegas.

“You’re a monster,” I breathed, my voice trembling.

“You drove me insane, Della!” he laughed, a sick, twisted sound.

He thrust the iron into the fireplace. The metal quickly glowed red.

“Nolan, stop!” an elder shouted. “She is to be your Luna, your mate!”

“So what?” Nolan’s eyes were wild and obsessive. “A disobedient toy needs to be put in its place!”

Skylar watched, a cruel, excited light dancing in her eyes.

“Hold her shoulders,” Nolan ordered.

In that moment, the power in my blood boiled over in a storm of rage.

“You dare touch me,” my voice was low, laced with the ancient authority of my bloodline.

The two guards’ legs gave out. They fell to their knees, trembling.

“Nolan.” I turned to him slowly. “The Dire Wolves will never bow to an Alpha who dares raise a hand against their true Mistress.”

My power stunned him, but the madness had already consumed his reason.

“You dare threaten me with Dire Wolves! Then I’ll do it myself!”

He raised the red-hot brand and charged at me, screaming.