Chapter2

The crisp shatter of the blood token echoed through the dead-silent hall like a thunderclap.

With that single sound, the ancient bond between us was entirely severed.

The faint, protective crimson glow that had surrounded Adrian—the magical blessing of the Crimson Moon pack—evaporated into thin air.

His oppressive Alpha aura noticeably weakened.

He was still the Alpha King, but without my pack's Blood Oath, he had just lost the very foundation that held his throne up.

In an instant, he lost access to our endless silver mines, our northern trade routes, and so on.

Adrian stared at the glowing red shards on the stone floor, the veins bulging in his neck.

"Sarah! Have you lost your mind?!" he roared, his voice cracking with a mix of disbelief and rising panic. "Just because I gave Eve a title, you're retracting your pack's sacred vow?! Are you trying to cripple the royal court?!"

"My pack, my rules," I said coldly . "And we are leaving."

"Wait!"

Eve suddenly broke away from Adrian and threw herself at my feet.

Tears streamed down her pale,. "Princess Sarah, please! Hit me, curse me, but don't give up the Alpha King!" She grabbed the hem of my dress,"The frontlines need your pack's supplies! I know my place. I don't need a mate's title!"

In my past life, consumed by betrayal, I had slapped her across the face and screamed that she was a spy.

It had given Adrian the excuse to tarnished his reputation

This time, I didn't raise my hand and slowly looked down at her .

"You don't need a title?" I asked,"Great. The door is right there. Pack your things and get out of the royal court right now."

Eve’s tears froze.

She was completely stunned by my bluntness. She had explicitly expected me to throw a tantrum, but she was wrong.

"I... I..." she stammered, looking up at Adrian with tear-filled eyes.

"Enough! You are crossing the line, Sarah!" Adrian yanked Eve into his arms.

"Eve is sacrificing her own happiness for the greater good, and you are still throwing a petty tantrum! Do you really think I need your pathetic support to sit on this throne?!" Adrian sneered, though the panic in his eyes betrayed him.

"Then I wish you both a long, miserable life together ." I said flatly.

"Alpha King."

A commanding voice cut through the tension. Kael Reed, the formidable alpha of the East Ridge pack, stepped out of the shadows.

"The Crimson Moon pack has withdrawn its Blood Oath," Kael said . " Princess Sarah has every right to leave with her people. You cannot hold them here."

Adrian’s jaw clenched so hard . He knew Kael was right. If he forced me to stay, it would spark a terrible civil war .

"Let her leave!" Adrian roared to his guards.

He sneered at me . " Sarah. I give you three days! When you realize a female is nothing without me , you will come crawling back to beg for my forgiveness!"

I didn't even look back.

As I walked out and the cool night wind hit my face. I

I felt absolute peace and relief.

The news of the Alpha King's broken engagement spread across the four highland packs in less than a day.

My pack was furious.

By nightfall, hundreds of my warriors had gathered outside the ancestral hall. They demanded blood for the insult inflicted upon their princess.

I stood on the balcony, looking down at my loyal, fierce people.

"Stop talking !" I said aloud . "The Crimson Claw cult is still lurking in the shadows, waiting for us to tear each other apart! So we must train to deal with the real enemy when they strike!"

My father, Elias, stood beside me. He looked at me, his eyes shining with deep approval.

"Spoken like my daughter," my father said, patting my shoulder heavily. "You can throw it away. I am incredibly proud of you, Sarah."

Hearing his warm, steady voice, my eyes suddenly stung.

In my past life, this strong, invincible Alpha had been killed by Adrian.

The memory hit me like a physical blow. I could still see my father, his heart torn and his life fading, dropping to his knees on the cold stone floor.

He had abandoned all his pride, begging Adrian just to give me a way out.

But Adrian had only looked down at him with cold venom and beheaded my father with a single swing.

"Old fool, begging is useless," Adrian’s cruel voice echoed in my nightmare. "This is what Sarah owes Eve. I will take it back from your pack, a thousand times over."

I closed my eyes, taking a shuddering breath to suppress the violently shivering wolf inside me.

I could swallow the insult of the broken engagement. But the blood debt of my father and the massacre of my entire pack?

I would never let that go. I would make Adrian and Eve pay for it with their lives.

Over the next three months, I delved into the ancestral combat arts of the Crimson Moon. I led my warriors in brutal, daily training, pushing our limits until our bodies became stronger.

Three months passed in a blur of sweat.

Adrian and Eve stepped onto my territory.

Adrian held out a gold-stamped invitation to their official mating ceremony.

I didn't open it. I didn't even take it from his hand.

A spark of crimson wolf-fire ignited at my fingertips. I touched the edge of the paper, and it instantly burst into flames, turning into ash that scattered in the wind.

Adrian was furious. "Sarah! What is the meaning of this?!"

"It means exactly what it looks like," I said coldly, dusting the soot from my fingers. "I simply find your face repulsive. I don't want to look at it."

Adrian’s face instantly flushed an angry red.

He tried to maintain his arrogant facade. "Sarah, I am completely indifferent to you now! Why must you keep clinging to the past so bitterly?"

I stared at him for a second. Then, I let out a mocking laugh.

I spat on the ground. "Spit it out, Adrian. Who the hell do you think you are?"

His eyes widened in profound shock. He had never seen me look at him with such intense disgust.

"Clinging to you?" I sneered, taking a step forward. "There are plenty of strong, capable men in the wolf packs. Over the past few days, the Alphas coming to propose have nearly trampled the gates of my home!"

I looked him up and down with absolute disdain.

"You brought this invitation here personally for one reason only," I said, my voice dripping with icy sarcasm. "You wanted to see me cry. You wanted to humiliate me to feed your pathetic, fragile ego. "

Adrian stood frozen, his face burning with humiliation, completely speechless .