Chapter 3

The grand hall was flooded in blue light, as if the sky itself had fallen indoors.

Alpha Brian and Vivian stood at the center, dripping in finery and smug satisfaction, surrounded by laughing guests. Whispers rippled through the crowd like a cold current:

“Look who dared show up—the Omega’s back.”

“I heard she demanded Brian give up that impure-blooded child.”

“She can’t even shift properly. Who does she think she is, challenging Vivian?”

“Vivian’s child will be pure blood. That—that is who the Black Hawk Pack should rally behind.”

I stepped into the hall, every breath a battle against the rancid luxury and celebration.

Clutching the urn close to my chest, I walked, each footfall heavy on polished marble. Silencing descended in a wave.

Alpha Brian didn’t flinch. He tightened his arm around Vivian and called out coldly, “Remember—only a pure-blooded son can inherit this pack.”

He paused, bending to place a moonstone against Vivian’s rounded belly. Some kind of heirloom glow in his eyes.

I stopped dead.

It was Anna’s moonstone. The one he’d carved for Anna. Her most treasured gift. Even when I gifted her a prettier stone, she refused to sleep without this one pressed against her heart.

Now he pressed it onto another woman’s womb. As if—As if Anna never existed.

Rage and grief tore through me. My voice came out a raw roar:

“Brian—Anna’s wolf spirit hasn’t found peace! How dare you do this to her?”

He didn’t hesitate.

His hand snapped across my cheek in a loud, echoing slap. I staggered, the back of my head crashing into the table. Warm blood trickled down my hair.

Alpha Brian looked down at me and crushed the moonstone under his heel.

“It’s just a flawed piece,” he sneered. “Why not give it to the future Alpha heir? Sounds fair—what do you make of that, Linda? This is what you taught your daughter. No wonder she was weak. You have no right to speak to me.”

My vision blurred, but his words cut deeper than any stone.

Anna’s screams replayed in my mind: the venom, the black blood, her terrified eyes… and her last words to me in the thorn cage:

"Mommy, don’t cry… it’s my fault. Daddy didn’t care when I fell, so I won’t talk to him anymore. Let’s both just… ignore him.”

Her final plea, a bitter echo I couldn't fight.

I closed my eyes, heart breaking.

“Fine,” I whispered, voice steady despite the tears. “Put me out of this misery. Sign the papers—divorce me. End it all.”

Alpha Brian looked at me with scorn, laughing.

“A divorce? You want a divorce, Linda? Then kneel. Kneel before Vivian and apologize for daring to challenge her. Once she’s satisfied, I’ll sign.”

Vivian’s smile was triumphant. The crowd’s whispers turned to laughter; some even wagered on my compliance:

“I'll bet a grand she won’t bend.”

“She’ll be crying, begging him by tomorrow. Her fake dead daughter will come back soon, and they'll both be licking his feet.”

I bowed.

I dropped to my knees. I kowtowed until shards of the crushed moonstone sliced through my forehead. Blood streamed down my face. Glasses shattered as I made each desperate strike.

They gasped—some shifting to concern.

“She’s bleeding... someone should help.”

“She's turning pale.”

A hush fell.

Alpha Brian kicked me, shoving his signed papers into my face.

“There signed. I, Alpha Brian, accept your rejection, Linda. If you want to leave, go. But don’t you dare to walk out that door and expect to ever come back. You and that impure daughter of yours are banished.”

His face twisted—pain, regret, cruelty mingled in his gaze as he spat the words.

“Take her—take Anna’s ashes—and get lost.”

The hall was frozen. Vivian looked triumphant. The pack felt colder than ever.