Chapter 5 Their Engagement Endures

"You were just a pawn the family sent to the Rourke Pack when they needed you. That's all you ever were. Now that Chloe's back, you've outlived your usefulness. It's that simple."

Leah stood frozen, shaking all over.

She forced the words out, her voice tight. "I'm not some tool for people to use. I have dignity. And I'm your daughter."

Marcus looked at her with cold indifference. "Maybe. But you need to understand something—in this family, no one earns their place through blood. Chloe has value, so she has a place here. You have no value, so you have nothing."

A bitter laugh escaped Leah's lips.

"Father," she lifted her eyes to meet his, "is Chloe's value running off with some Alpha from the Central Domain, abandoning her fiancé, and then crawling back home in disgrace?"

"Ethan will never know, will he? That you gave Chloe your blessing when she ran."

Marcus's hand shot up.

His palm was broad and heavy, radiating the force and dominance unique to an Alpha.

Leah stood her ground. She didn't flinch.

"Go ahead. Try it." She stared up at his hand suspended in midair, her gaze sharp and defiant. "You lay one finger on me, and by tomorrow, all of Shadowpine will know. Everyone will know you played Ethan for a fool—handed his fiancée over to some Central Domain aristocrat, and now you're forcing him to marry Chloe after she's been thrown away like trash."

Marcus's hand froze in the air.

His face went pale, cold fury churning in his eyes.

"You—" The word came out through gritted teeth, his tone venomous.

"I mean what I say." Leah pressed forward. "Don't push me."

Marcus slowly lowered his fist, then slammed it down on the mahogany chair beside him.

A dull crack split the air. The chair back splintered instantly, wood shavings scattering across the floor.

He took several deep breaths, his chest heaving as he forced down the rage threatening to consume him.

"Fine." His voice finally emerged, low and cold as ice. "Very good, Leah. You've grown up. Learned how to threaten your own father."

Leah said nothing. She simply stood there, meeting his eyes without wavering.

Marcus rubbed his temples, barely reining in his hostility before settling back behind his desk. "You will attend tomorrow's banquet. Your birth mother—that servant—is still living in the Sinclair Territory."

Leah's pupils contracted sharply.

"You know exactly what I mean." Marcus looked up at her, his composure restored, his superiority back in place. "During the three years you were at the Rourke Pack, I never mistreated her. But if you dare cause a scene at tomorrow's banquet—"

He paused deliberately, watching Leah's face drain of color, a satisfied smirk tugging at his lips.

"I can't guarantee she'll continue living peacefully in our territory. Understood?"

Leah's lips trembled slightly. All the sharpness and defiance she'd shown moments before crumbled away to nothing.

She closed her eyes. When she opened them again, only emptiness remained.

"...I understand."

Leah had no room to resist. As Alpha, Marcus held complete control over her mother's life and circumstances.

Marcus was pleased with her compliance. He magnanimously assigned her a guest room for her stay.

It was a calculated gesture of appeasement. Extremely conscious of appearances, he didn't want Leah pushed to the breaking point, publicly tearing apart the family's reputation and bringing shame upon them all.

Leah woke to full daylight.

She pushed herself up, head still thick with sleep. She glanced at her phone. Several messages waited, sent an hour ago, from the number she'd only saved in her contacts the day before.

[Good morning. What's the weather like in Shadowpine today? Overcast here at the Central Domain. I had someone set a pot of bellflowers by the window. They brighten the room.]

[Just finished a council session. The old men on the Elder Council drag their feet with their outmoded thinking. Infuriating.]

[Leah, time moves so slowly. It's only the first day and I already miss you.]

Leah held the phone, staring.

She read the sender's name three times before she could believe it.

Kyle Carrington. His Majesty. And he'd sent her something that sounded like… this.

It read like a lover's check-in.

It didn't feel real.

She had no idea what to reply. She typed out: [Sorry, I woke up late.]

Then started trying to figure out how to answer each message properly.

But the reply came less than a minute later—fast, like he'd been waiting: [That's fine. I've sent someone to bring you something today. Should arrive by afternoon. Would you mind telling me where you're staying?]

Leah's fingers hovered over the screen. She typed slowly: [I'm at the Sinclair manor. They can pass it along to me.]

She sent it and waited. No immediate reply.

She was about to put the phone down and get ready when the screen lit up again. Just one short line: [Let me arrange new quarters for you. You don't need to stay there anymore.]

Leah hadn't said anything specific in her reply, just given the address—but Kyle clearly understood her background. He knew her position in the Sinclair Pack was strained.

She hesitated, then typed: [There's no need. I'm only staying a few days.]

His answer came fast: [You said yes to my proposal. Don't say "no need" to me anymore. It's my duty to make sure you're taken care of. If you think I've done a poor job, tell me, and I'll improve. But asking me to do nothing—that I cannot do.]

Leah didn't know what it felt like to be treated with this kind of gravity by someone.

She thought for a long time. Finally she replied: [Thank you, Your Majesty.]

Kyle wrote back: [Then it's settled. My people will reach Shadowpine this afternoon. They'll come directly to the Sinclair manor to collect you. Go with them—they'll give you the keys to your new place. If you have any requirements at all, just tell me.]

Leah didn't refuse.

She set the phone down, got out of bed, washed up, and changed.

By afternoon, Chloe's welcome party arrived before Kyle's gift did.

Chloe had always been the pack's beloved princess. Any ceremony for her was guaranteed to be extravagant.

Leah made her way along the side path to the edge of the plaza, hiding in a corner where no one would notice her. Everyone was too busy preparing for Chloe's arrival to pay her any attention.

Marcus stood at the plaza entrance in an impeccably tailored black suit, his silver-gray hair styled to perfection.

He lifted his hand to take the arm of the woman beside him, walking forward slowly—she wore a champagne satin gown that caught the sunlight with a soft sheen, her golden hair cascading over her shoulders, tiny pearls scattered throughout.

It was Chloe.

Leah stood in the shadow of an old oak tree, quietly watching her sister.

After three years, Chloe had become even more stunning. She descended the steps on her father's arm with graceful poise, her gown sweeping across the red carpet, radiating an effortless nobility that commanded attention.

Marcus led Chloe onto the raised platform, facing the assembled guests.

Enthusiastic applause and cheers erupted. Marcus raised his hand for silence, clearing his throat. "Everyone, welcome to the Sinclair Territory. We've gathered here today to celebrate my daughter Chloe's return."

Another wave of applause swept through the crowd.

"Three years ago, Chloe temporarily left our territory due to special circumstances." Marcus's tone was warm, deliberately glossing over the past. "Throughout these three years, her heart has remained with the family. Now she has returned safely to us."

Leah listened silently, a sour bitterness rising in her throat.

"More importantly—" Marcus turned toward a figure at the edge of the platform, announcing loudly, "Chloe's return means the marriage alliance between the Sinclair Pack and the Rourke Pack is officially reinstated. I'm pleased to announce that Chloe and Ethan's engagement will be formally honored next month with their wedding."

Only then did Leah notice Ethan standing at the platform's edge. He wore a charcoal suit, his frame tall and commanding, his features handsome. Only his amber eyes remained cold and unreadable, revealing nothing.

Chloe turned and extended her hand toward him. Ethan hesitated briefly before stepping forward to stand beside her.

They stood side by side—a striking couple, perfectly matched in every way.

"They're made for each other," two middle-aged she-wolves murmured nearby, just loud enough for Leah to overhear. "Ms. Chloe Sinclair and Mr. Ethan Rourke look absolutely perfect together."

"And the Alpha is so devoted," the other replied. "Ms. Sinclair was gone for three years, and he waited the entire time. Even kept Leah around just to prevent other wolves from trying to claim the Luna position."

"You mean that Leah? She came crawling back last night—I saw her on the back mountain. Clothes torn to shreds, barefoot, hair a complete mess. Looked like a refugee."

"Talk about different fates. Ms. Sinclair returns to flowers and red carpets and a crowd welcoming her home. Leah comes back and no one even bothered to meet her. Waited three whole years for nothing."

"She was delusional from the start. A bastard daughter born to some servant, thinking she could land the Rourke Pack's Alpha? What a joke."