But my patience was gone. My pain, my grief, my rage—it was all boiling over.
They thought they had won. They thought I was gone.
But they were wrong. And tonight, they would know the truth.
The grand hall was alive with music, laughter, and the clinking of glasses, but I barely heard any of it. My heart pounded as I stood hidden in the shadows, my eyes locked on Mavin. He stood near the center of the room, dwarfed by the towering figures of Gavin and Avery, his small hands clenched into fists.
"Mommy?" His voice was soft at first, hesitant, as he scanned the crowd with wide, searching eyes.
My breath caught.
Zach’s grip on my arm tightened. "Not yet," he murmured, his tone sharp with warning. "Don't blow your cover."
But how could I just stand here?
Mavin was confused, afraid. I could see it in the way his body trembled, the way he shifted anxiously from foot to foot. My stomach twisted at the thought of how lost he must have felt these past days, wondering where I had gone. Wondering why I had left him behind.
"Mommy!" His voice rose in desperation, cracking slightly.
Every fiber of my being ached to run to him, to scoop him up in my arms and promise him I hadn’t abandoned him. That I would never leave him.
But before I could move, Gavin stepped forward, his golden eyes darkening as he placed a heavy hand on Mavin’s shoulder.
"Enough," he said, his tone quiet but firm.
Mavin jerked away, shaking his head wildly. "No! Let me go!" he cried. "I know she's here!"
A ripple of murmurs spread through the ballroom. I felt the shift in the atmosphere, the subtle change in the way people stood, their interest piqued by Mavin’s outburst.
Gavin crouched down; his grip still firm on Mavin’s wrist. His face remained unreadable, his voice unnervingly calm.
"She’s gone, Mavin," he said. "She abandoned you. She’s a bad person"
I stiffened.
Mavin’s lip trembled. His blue eyes glistened under the chandeliers, his small body vibrating with anger. "You're lying!" he shouted, his voice was raw. "She would never leave me!"
A cold chill crawled up my spine.
A man dressed in Beta robes stepped forward, unfurling a thick parchment. My stomach clenched as he cleared his throat, his voice echoing through the silent room.
"This is an official decree from Alpha Gavin regarding the betrayal of his former mate, Ofelia."
The word betrayal made my blood run cold.