Moonvale pack house buzzes with joy.
Laughter rings through the air, stories are shared, and the aroma of delicious food wafts from the kitchens.
Servants move quickly, their arms full, their steps urgent, everyone is preparing for a wedding that is just around the corner.
In the council hall, elders and visiting alphas from other packs sit together, exchanging stories and hearty laughs.
"Phen, I must apologize again for agreeing to let my son marry someone other than your daughter," Tanner's father says, his laughter fading for a moment. "I can't believe I threw away such a strong union between our great packs and families."
"No problem," Alpha Phen, Charlotte's father, replies. "Our children know what they want. Sometimes, we can't force them to choose otherwise. But their bond has been strong since they were young, and look at them now, finally back together, just like it was always meant to be." There's a deep happiness in his voice, though it feels like he's celebrating something entirely different from what the others believe.
"This family… it's going to be unstoppable," one alpha comments, nodding in admiration.
"It was meant to be from the start," Alpha Phen adds with a chuckle. "Would you believe my daughter didn't even cry when her mate died? Her heart was always drawn to Alpha Hale. Not to question our goddess, but sometimes, mate bonds just aren't strong enough to pull us away from our true loves."
His voice holds a double meaning. Everyone else believes Charlotte's mate died naturally, but Phen remembers the truth all too well, they had him killed.
Charlotte marrying Tanner had always been the goal. Her mate was just a distraction they eliminated.
"I wish the goddess would just mate us to the ones we want," Tanner's father says, drawing another round of laughter. "My son once refused to marry, Charlotte, the woman of his dreams, insisting he'd wait for the mate the goddess chose. When he finally met his mate, he said she wasn't what he expected, she lacked presence, strength, and couldn't even stand on her own. According to him, she wasn't capable of standing for the pack either. But no matter how many excuses he gave for sending the girl away, I saw it clearly, he'd realized there was only one person he truly wanted: Charlotte."
Laughter breaks out again.
"It reminds me of my own story..." another alpha begins.
Their conversations and laughter echo down the hallways.
Meanwhile, in another room, Charlotte paces back and forth, frustration practically radiating off her. Her brother, Eryx, grabs her shoulders, steadying her.
"I was so stupid to let Kyle stand there free," she fumes. "I should've known he'd try something like that. I can't believe he actually knocked me out!"
"How the hell is he out of that slavery place? I thought he died a long time ago," Eryx says, disbelief written all over his face.
"Exactly! That's what I thought too. I don't know why Dad ever adopted him in the first place. He's nothing but a distraction. And now? I know exactly what he's up to. He took those abortion herbs. He's going to make Jess drink them, and when that happens, he'll try to get him pregnant himself. Do you realize what will happen if he succeeds? He'll fVck us up."
Eryx's brows furrow. "What did you say happened to the couple Dad hired to pretend to be his parents? You know, when he was caught kissing Jess in this pack?"
That memory flashes clearly for both of them. Kyle had been caught in Moonvale pack where same-gender relationships are strictly condemned, engaged in something no one ever imagined: kissing Jess.
To avoid disgrace and suspicion, they'd hired a woman and man to pose as Kyle's parents.
No one ever knew Kyle had been adopted by Alpha Phen after the alpha ended Kyle's parents. Kyle never learned the truth, and he was never treated like family, everyone thought he was just a servant. Despite having true alpha blood, he was seen as less than.
At the time with Jess, Kyle hadn't been acting out of love. He had a mission: coax Jess closer to Wolfclaw pack. The royal family had recently uncovered something about Jess—something no one else knew. Something every alpha would kill to possess.
"Dad asked me to make sure those two were eliminated," Charlotte answers darkly. "He didn't want anyone knowing Kyle wasn't really their son and he thought they would speak up."
Eryx exhales, rubbing a hand over his face. "Don't worry. I've already sent people to find Kyle and bring Jess. It won't be long before they're here. Kyle won't get the chance to act."
Charlotte finally stops pacing. "Fine. I need to get ready for the wedding."
Eryx hesitates. "Charl... You know Tanner doesn't feel anything for you, right? You're only hurting yourself by going through with this. His mind is wrapped around Jess. You're just an escape route for him."
"Who cares?" she snaps. "I'm here for one reason, to keep him distracted so he doesn't get close to Jess."
"Oh please," Eryx scoffs. "Who do you think you're fooling? Everyone knows how long you've been in love with that heartless freak. I hate how he always gets everything handed to him, and you... you're just making it easier for him! Seriously, what do you see in him? Look, we can find another way to distract him, you don't have to do this."
"You're right!" she says. "I love him. I've always loved him, wanted him, and I know he'll never return that love. I know he's just using me. And the way he's treated me like trash, like I'm worthless, only fuels my determination to bring him down."
Her voice is hard and cold. For the first time, Eryx realizes something's changed.
The vulnerable sister he once knew, desperately in love, clinging to hope... is gone.
What stands before him now is someone with a sharp edge and a broken heart hardened by betrayal.