“Is it not enough that I provide? That I’ve been loyal to you? That I’ve given my heart?” I shot back, trembling with fury. “Is that why you humiliate me in front of the whole pack? Don’t tell me these wolves are the reason you keep your distance instead of claiming the mate I offered you!”
He pulled a stack of papers from his cloak and slammed them against my chest. The edges cut into my skin, and when I touched my cheek, warm blood stained my fingers.
“They say it was noble to raise the pack’s renown under the full moon,” he growled, voice low and dangerous. “But I will not allow a disgrace like you to tarnish it—even if you are meant to be my mate.”
I looked up at him, steadying my shaking limbs. Surely he could see the truth if he just looked past the pictures. “Alaric, you know me. My achievements come from my own claws and fangs. Nothing in those images—nothing—changes that.”
Lilith’s laugh cut through the tension, dripping with venom. “Your own hard work?” she mocked. “And what kind of work would that be? Pleasing alpha clients? Everyone knows exactly how ‘deep’ your… collaborations go.”
Snickers and outright laughter spread through the pack. Some wolves murmured their agreement, pointing at me like I was a trapped prey.
I ground my teeth together, forcing myself to remain composed. “Those images mean nothing. My dealings with them were entirely about pack politics and alliances—nothing else.”
“Pack politics, you say?” Lilith scoffed, picking up the image from the floor—the one showing a wolf’s arm around my waist as we entered the lodge. “Then explain this one. How do you justify it?”
She leaned closer, lips twisted in cruel amusement. “This comes from a crystal vid. Shall I show everyone the full sequence?”
I studied the image for a heartbeat, then suddenly laughed, low and relieved. The wolf in the picture wasn’t an alpha or a client—it was my older brother, testing me during training.
That night, I stumbled back to my den drunk with frustration and humiliation. I meant to call Alaric to fetch me—but instead, I ended up calling my brother.
It just so happened that my brother had come from Emperor Bay that evening, sent by our parents to reason with me and stop me from being so stubborn. He arrived just in time to drag me away from a group of wolves who clearly had ill intentions toward me.