Chapter 4:

She drove straight home instead of Alex’s pack

She had stayed there long enough, helped with his sister’s designs, played her part as the perfect future luna and kept things smooth where it needed to be, but that was done now, and there was no reason to keep pretending anything still tied her there.

The car slowed as it pulled into the estate, and she stepped out without waiting, her heels hitting the ground and just then something cut through the air, heading toward her fast

Feeling the killing intent radiating off it, her body reacted before her mind did. She turned slightly, lifted her leg, and kicked it away with clean force.

The impact sent it flying and a second later, it hit the wall with a hard crack.

She exhaled, annoyed. “Who the hell...”

Then she looked at what she had kicked

Zach.

Her elder brother.

He slid down the wall, blood already at the corner of his mouth, his body struggling to hold itself together after the hit.

There was a sharp scream.

“Zach!”

Her mother rushed forward, panic breaking through her voice as she dropped beside him, hands shaking as she tried to lift his head.

Anabella watched the scene for a second, then a slow cold smile spread across her face,

“As expected,” she muttered. “You heard what I did, ran over, and decided to play hero.”

Her gaze dropped to him, unimpressed.

“You’re lucky I didn’t recognize you,” she added flatly. “if not, that kick would’ve ended your career. Maybe your breathing too.”

Nyx snorted.

"You should’ve aimed for his stupid throat."

“Next time,” Anabella replied under her breath.

Her other brothers rushed in, crouching beside Zach, checking his injuries, their movements frantic, while her mother turned sharply toward her, eyes blazing with insane fury.

Immediately she reached her, she didn’t hesitate as her hand came up fast and the slap landed clean across Anabella’s face.

The sound echoed.

Anabella’s head tilted slightly with the force, but that was all. She didn’t move to stop it or bother to react. She just stood there, still, like it didn’t matter enough to respond to.

“What is wrong with you?” her mother snapped, her voice shaking with anger. “How could you do that to your own brother? Are you out of your mind? Have you completely lost control?”

She stepped closer, her voice rising.

“You’ve been acting like a wild animal ever since you came back! But this... this is going too far! First you humiliate your fiancé in public, hurt your sister and now you attack your own family? What exactly are you trying to prove?”

Anabella said nothing.

Her gaze stayed on her, calm and unreadable.

“That girl is sick!” her mother continued, voice cracking now, shifting direction without pause.

“Vivienne is barely holding on and look how you treat her? You threw her into a fountain in front of everyone! Do you even understand what people are saying? Do you understand what you’ve done to this family?”

Still nothing, just gave her that same quiet stare.

Her mother’s voice faltered for a second, thrown off by the lack of reaction from her, she wasn't even trying to explain like before, taking in a deep breath, her tone softened abruptly.

“Bella…” she said, slower now. “What’s wrong with you? Why are you acting like this all of a sudden?”

She reached out, intending to touch her, but stopped midway cause the look in Anabella’s eyes froze her.

Behind her, one of the brothers shifted. “Mom, maybe we should take her to the disciplinary council, it seems like last time didn't teach her to...”

“Enough,” she snapped, cutting him off without looking back. “This is a family matter, we will handle it.”

Anabella nearly scoffed, family matters... funny, they've taken her to the disciplinary council more times she could count so her mom refusing meant she has another motive

Her mom turned back to her, regaining control and smiling.

Yep... the woman definitely needs something from her

“You’re coming with us,” she said finally and Anabella nearly grinned. “We’re going to the hospital. You will apologize to Vivienne and Alex. Properly.”

Anabella didn’t move but she was laughing hard in her head, only if her mom could just prove her wrong just once

Her mother continued, already pushing forward.

“I’ve arranged a live broadcast. The video of what you did is everywhere. Do you understand that? It’s trending. It’s damaging the family’s reputation.”

Anabella lifted a hand and rubbed her temple slowly because she was very tired.

“No,” she said.

The word was calm and her mother stiffened. “Think carefully before you speak.”

“I did.”

Her mother’s expression hardened.

“Alex is your fiancé. You humiliated him in public and dared to Alpha command him. Do you have any idea what that means? Do you know how this makes us look?”

She stepped closer, her voice lowering.

“You think any man will want you after this? With that attitude? That… untamed nature of yours? Alex is the only one willing to tolerate you, and this is how you behave?”

Anabella chuckled softly

“Then it’s a good thing cause I don’t need a man to tolerate me,” she said, her gaze locking onto her mother’s. “And if Alex is your standard prize, you can keep him.”

Her mother froze and shock flickered across her face but Anabella’s expression didn’t change.

“I’m not apologizing,” she added quietly. “Not to him. Not to her. Not for anything.”

She turned and walked past them without hesitation or pause and entered the car,

Her mother’s voice rang out,

“That man is your future husband!”

Anabella paused halfway into the car, then slowly looked back over her shoulder, her expression blank in a way that somehow felt more insulting than anger.

“Not anymore.”

Her mother froze for a second, probably not expecting that answer, and Anabella almost smiled at the silence that followed.

“And since the family is suddenly obsessed with public honesty,” she continued calmly, “announce the cancellation of my wedding during your live broadcast too. Then save everyone time and announce Vivienne’s wedding right after. The audience already shipped them anyway.”

“Anabella!”

She shut the door before the tantrum could continue.

“Drive.”

The SUV pulled away smoothly, leaving the chaos behind and Nyx cackled

"Oh, she’s definitely foaming at the mouth now."

“She’s dramatic enough to survive it.”

A mind-link from her mom slammed against her mental walls but Anabella blocked it immediately then she grabbed her phone and called Ella.

The line connected instantly.

“Boss,” Ella answered immediately, voice alert. “Tell me we’re destroying someone.”

Anabella leaned back lazily against the seat.

“In the next thirty minutes, I want the news of my wedding cancellation trending everywhere. Every platform, pack channel, every gossip circle. Make it clean, professional, and impossible to ignore. Buy whatever ads, silence whatever mouths, pay whatever it takes. Just make it trend.”

Ella was already typing.

“Yes, boss.”

“And don’t make me look heartbroken,” Anabella added flatly. “That narrative is embarrassing.”

Nyx snorted.

"Please. If they post sad edits of us, kill them."

Ella laughed nervously on the other side.

“Understood.”

Anabella stared quietly out the tinted window for a moment before speaking again.

“Post whatever you found on Alex and Vivienne too.”

Hearing this, Ella coughed awkwardly.

“I already have something on them?”

Anabella’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“I told you not to investigate without permission.”

“I know,” Ella said quickly. “But in my defense, your ex-fiancé was moving around like a man with hidden crimes and low morals. It triggered my curiosity.”

Nyx barked out a laugh.

"I love this girl."

Ella lowered her voice dramatically.

Anabella rubbed slowly at her temple.

“What did you find?”

Another pause and then Ella dropped it casually.

“They’re fated mates.”

The car went quiet and Nyx made a disgusted sound.

Anabella closed her eyes briefly and sighed once.

Suddenly the secret meetings, the stupid excuses, the way he defended Vivienne every single time she breathed incorrectly all started making sense.

“How long?”

“From what I gathered?” Ella replied carefully. “Since they come of age”

Nyx scoffed.

"And the coward still planned to marry us. Impressive. I almost respect the audacity."

“Forward everything,” Anabella said calmly.

“Yes, boss.”

The call ended and a second later, files flooded onto the tablet resting beside her.

Photos, private security footage, travel logs, dinner reservations, hotel entries, pack lounge records, time stamps.

Anabella scrolled quietly through everything, expression unreadable, her fingers moving lazily across the screen while the city lights reflected faintly against the tablet glass.

Nyx leaned heavily into the silence.

"You know what annoys me most?"

“What.”

"The lying. If you’re going to betray someone, at least have the manners to do it honestly."

Nyx gagged dramatically as she saw a private picture,

"Disgusting. Delete it before I throw up inside our head."

Anabella dropped the tablet onto the seat beside her.

“All those business trips,” she murmured.

Nyx hummed darkly.

"Turns out Vivienne was the business."

Anabella yawned, bored now.

"Pathetic. He couldn’t even cheat with style. Fated mates? More like fated mistakes. Should we send them matching silver collars next? Or just drown them properly next time?

Anabella’s chuckle was soft. “Behave.”

"Never." Nyx snorted, "They humiliated you for years. Let me out for five minutes and I’ll make their wolves forget how to stand."

Suddenly her phone started vibrating nonstop with calls, messages and notifications and she grinned, looks like the internet had exploded already.

Ella worked frighteningly fast but Anabella didn’t even bother checking.

She switched the phone off completely and tossed it aside.

Behind her, the Benjamin empire was probably burning already. Her mother was likely screaming. Her brothers were definitely panicking and cursing her to death and Alex was probably trying to contain the damage while dragging soaking wet dignity behind him.

Good.

Let them work for once.

“Change route,” she told the driver.

The man straightened immediately.

“Yes, Miss Anabella.”

“Take me to my private quarters.”

Anabella rested her head back against the seat and closed her eyes while the city lights blurred past outside.

She felt absolutely nothing and somehow, that felt better than pain.