Chapter 4
I reached for it. “I called the elders.”
He ended the call and tossed the phone onto the counter.
“You’re not taking this to the town.”
“I am.”
“You’ll disgrace yourself.”
“You did that at the lake.”
Selene stepped closer, one hand resting over her stomach. “Cole, she’s grieving. Maybe we should give her time to calm down.”
“I’ve had time,” I said. “For six years.”
Cole’s mouth tightened. “You think the elders will take your side because you cry over a sick child?”
I picked up Noah’s urn. “They’ll hear the truth.”
He moved toward me, but I backed away.
“If you touch me again,” I said, “I’ll tell them that too.”
For the first time, he stopped.
The next morning, every seat in the Red River main hall was taken. Ranch workers stood along the walls. Families from the southern road filled the back rows. The elders sat behind a long oak table beneath the town seal.
Whispers followed me as I walked in wearing a black dress.
Cole sat at the front beside Selene. Mara stood behind him, her arms crossed.
He looked at my dress and gave a short laugh. “You’re really doing this?”
“Yes.”
“You’ll regret humiliating yourself.”
I walked past him and placed Noah’s urn on the table between us.
His smile disappeared.
The head elder rose. “Elena Harrow, you requested this gathering.”
I faced the room. “I am giving up my position as Luna of Red River.”
A murmur moved through the crowd.
Cole leaned back. “Good. Then leave.”
“I’m also ending my mate bond with Cole Harrow.”
The hall went quiet.
Cole’s chair scraped against the floor as he stood. “You don’t get to make that decision alone.”
“The bond law allows either mate to request severance before the elders.”
“You’re bluffing.”
“I signed the notice yesterday.”
The head elder lifted the document. “The request is valid.”
Cole looked around the room, expecting someone to challenge it. No one did.
His face hardened. “Fine. Walk away with nothing. You were always good at taking from this town. Let’s see what you have without my name.”
I turned to the accountant waiting near the wall.
“Bring out the records.”
He placed three thick binders on the table.
“The property and investment records of Elena Harrow’s family estate,” he said. “Every payment made to Red River since the war.”
Cole folded his arms. “She wants to steal town property.”
“I want my money back.”
“You used it to buy your place here.”
“No.” I looked at the elders. “I used it to keep this place alive.”
I opened the first binder.
“The clinic. The south road. The school repairs. The water lines. The homes rebuilt after the Grayridge raids.”
The accountant turned pages. “All funded through the Harrow estate.”
Selene’s fingers tightened around Cole’s sleeve.
I lifted the bone shard from my pocket and set it beside the urn.
“This was found in Noah’s jacket.”
Cole stared at it. “That proves nothing.”
“It bears the Grayridge mark.”
Selene shook her head. “I’ve never seen it before.”
“You knew Noah was cursed.”
Her face went pale.
Then she began to cry. “I don’t know what she’s talking about.”
I faced the room. “Noah died on his fifth birthday. His chest showed a black mark before it vanished. I kept quiet because I didn’t want the town attacked.”
Cole stepped toward me. “Stop using our son to turn everyone against Selene.”
“Our son was dying while you were with her at the lake.”
“That’s a lie.”
“Then call the clinic.”
Selene grabbed his arm. “Cole, you don’t have to listen to this.”
“Yes, he does.”
I took out my phone and called the Red River clinic.
Cole watched the screen. “End the call.”
“No.”
The line rang twice.
A nurse answered. “Red River Clinic.”
“This is Elena Harrow. I need you to confirm the status of Noah Harrow.”
Cole’s breathing changed.
Selene whispered, “Elena, please. This is cruel.”
I put the call on speaker.
The nurse paused. “Are you asking about the child who came in yesterday?”
“Yes.”
“Please hold.”
No one moved.
The entire hall listened to the faint sounds on the line.
Cole reached for my phone. I stepped back.
“Don’t,” I said.
The nurse returned.
“Mrs. Harrow, I’m sorry. Noah Harrow died last night at nine forty-three.”
Cole’s hand fell to his side.
The nurse continued, “His body was released to the crematorium. The cremation was completed before midnight.”
Cole stared at me.
The color drained from his face.
“No,” he whispered.
The nurse’s voice came through the speaker one more time.
“Yes, Alpha. Your son Noah was cremated on his fifth birthday.”
