The guards released me and returned to digging. My body trembled with fury as I stepped forward, but Scott’s snarl stopped me in my tracks.
“Are you done?” He roared, grabbing my arm and shoving me aside with such force that I stumbled.
I bumped with the urn containing my mother’s ashes, knocking it over. The ashes spilled across the wet earth, mingling with the rain that had begun to fall.
For a moment, everything went silent. The world seemed to stop as I stared in horror.
“No... no!” I cried, dropping to my knees, my hands desperately clawing at the ground. The ashes turned into muddy paste beneath my fingers. Each handful I tried to scoop back was washed away by the relentless rain.
Winona stepped closer, her heels sinking into the mud. She looked down at me, her lips curling into a cruel smirk. “Ariana, why are you lying in the dirt like a stray? Enough of this act.”
Her words snapped something inside me. Fueled by a surge of rage, I shot to my feet and shoved her back. She stumbled, eyes wide with shock, but Scott caught her before she hit the ground.
“Ariana!” Scott’s roar was like thunder. His eyes burned with fury as he stepped between me and Winona. “You almost pushed her to the ground! I’ll teach you a lesson today!”
He pulled out his phone again, dialing quickly. “Beta,” he barked into the receiver, “don’t send the gift. Stop the medication for Ariana’s mother and cancel the surgery immediately.”
The words hit me like a blow, stealing the breath from my lungs. My vision blurred with tears, but then a voice came through the phone, breaking through the chaos.
“Alpha,” Robert said hesitantly, “Luna’s mother... she passed away.”
Scott froze. “What are you talking about?” he demanded, his voice cracking.
“She died on the day of your supposed to-be ritual night,” Robert continued grimly. “And, Alpha... I’ve just discovered something.”
“What is it?” Scott snapped.
“The grave Ms. Lei buried her dog in... it belongs to Luna’s mother.”
