Chapter4

The next day, the great hall was dead silent.

High on the dais, Adrian wore the Alpha King's crown. He carelessly toyed with a goblet, his eyes gleaming with arrogance.

The seat beside him, reserved for his soon-to-be Luna, sat empty.

Eve was still in the inner chambers, preparing for their mating ceremony.

"Your face looks terrible," Adrian dragged out his words, his tone laced with a chilling threat.

The Southbrook Alpha clenched his jaw and lowered his head in humiliation. "No, congratulations to you, my King."

"Louder!" Adrian suddenly crushed the goblet, smashing the shattered glass right into the Southbrook Alpha's face.

The entire hall held its breath. No one dared to make a sound.

Adrian glared at the crowd, his voice booming. "Smile! Anyone who pulls a long face at my ceremony will have their entire pack buried!"

The wolves clenched their fists, forcing out grotesque, twisted smiles.

Bang!

The heavy doors were violently kicked open.

I strode in, wearing the ancient dark-red armor of my pack. A silver sword was gripped tightly in my hand.

Adrian paused. A mocking smirk spread across his face.

"Sarah," he sneered, looking down at me. "I knew you couldn't last three days. Have you finally regretted it?"

I just stared at him coldly. Let him enjoy his delusion for one last moment.

"I am here to bring a great gift for you." I flicked my wrist.

Three blood-soaked sacks flew through the air and crashed onto the floor.

The sacks fell open. Three severed heads rolled out.

They were the executioners who carried out his massacre of the pregnant wolves last night! This was the final strike to shatter his fragile throne.

"Sarah! You are courting death!" Adrian was completely enraged.

I stood tall, entirely unafraid.

"You cut open pregnant she-wolves and ripped out their unborn pups just to cure a lowly mutt of unknown origin," I said, my voice ringing clear and cold. "Do you really think you still deserve to wear that crown?!"

The Southbrook Alpha's eyes instantly turned blood-red. A suppressed, guttural snarl ripped from his throat.

"How dare you spout such nonsense!" Adrian's eyes glowed with a feral red light. "You are just swallowed by jealousy! Guards! Arrest this madwoman and throw her in the dungeon!"

The royal guards reached for their weapons.

Schwing!

Kael Reed stepped forward, his sword drawn. The elite warriors of the Eastridge Pack instantly flooded the hall, sealing off all the exits.

"Who dares lay a finger on the Crimson Moon Princess?" Kael's voice was like ice.

Adrian's eyes widened in sheer disbelief. "Kael? You're rebelling against me too?! I am the Alpha King chosen by the four packs!"

"Not anymore," I said, looking down at him with absolute disgust.

"The Crimson Moon's Blood Oath is broken. You slaughtered your own kind. The packs have turned their backs on you. Right now, Adrian, you are nothing but a madman."

Adrian's blood boiled. His bones cracked loudly as he prepared to shift into his massive wolf form and tear us to shreds.

Just then, the High Priest hurried forward, his face pale but wearing a sycophantic smile.

"My King," the priest stammered. "The Blood Moon has reached its peak. The auspicious time for the mating ceremony is right now. The Luna awaits you in her chambers."

Adrian stopped. His feral eyes darted between Kael's elite warriors and my unwavering sword. He wasn't stupid. A fight now meant a bloody civil war he might lose. But if he completed the blood bond...

He glared at me, his jaw clenched tight.

"Wait until I complete the bond and secure absolute royal power," he hissed through his teeth. "Once the ancient magic crowns me the true King, I will come back and deal with every single one of you traitors!"

He turned his back on the hall, ignoring the furious glares of the pack Alphas. He strode confidently toward the inner chambers behind the altar to fetch his bride.

I stood exactly where I was, my sword lowered. Go, Adrian. Claim your prize. I wouldn't interrupt this reunion for the world.

Little did he know, what was waiting for him in that room was not his "true love."

When Adrian pushed open the heavy doors to Eve's chambers, his confident stride faltered.

Eve was standing by the window.

But she was not wearing the magnificent gown meant for the Alpha Queen.

Instead, she was dressed entirely in a pitch-black mourning dress.

Adrian frowned, his anger momentarily replaced by confusion. He softened his voice, expecting his fragile, devoted mate.

"Eve? Do you not like the Luna's gown? Why haven't you changed? And why are you wearing a black dress?"

Eve slowly turned around.

For a second, her face still held that familiar, pitiful innocence. Then, her lips curled upward. The gentle, trembling aura she had maintained for months vanished, replaced by an icy, suffocating darkness.

The twisted, demonic marks of the Crimson Claw cult crawled across her pale skin like living snakes, making her look completely unrecognizable.

She looked at him and let out a mocking sneer.

"Adrian, today this black dress is for your funeral."

Adrian stared at her, completely stunned. "What did you say?"

"Are you deaf, or just incredibly stupid?" Eve laughed, a cold, grating sound that chilled him to the bone. "I said today is your death day."

Before Adrian could even process her words, her slender arm shot forward with unnatural speed.

In a flash, she closed the distance between them, her fingernails elongating into sharp, venomous bone claws that pressed against his throat.

"Eve...?" Adrian choked out, his pupils trembling violently in absolute terror and disbelief.

"You really thought I loved you?" Eve whispered, her voice dripping with venomous delight. "You are nothing but a sacrifice. Today is your day to die."