Chapter 4

As soon as the bond severance ritual was over, the Council of Elders kicked me out without a second thought.

Now that I was no longer the Alpha Heir's fated mate, and with my inner wolf still dormant, I was a dreg-blood banned from stepping into the heart of the court again.

According to the pack rules, I had to leave Moonspire before sunset.

*****

Weak from the backlash, I dragged myself back to the room I'd called home for ten years.

Everywhere I looked, there were traces of Alex.

There was the wooden wolf he'd carved for me, the snow fox pelt he'd brought back from the far north, and the Luna crown he once promised he'd place on my head.

As I stared at these things I used to treasure, all I felt was bitter irony.

I didn't touch any of them, but grabbed a worn-out cloth bag and stuffed a few plain clothes.

As I was about to leave, the door slammed open with a kick.

Selena strode in with her nose in the air, flanked by her entourage of guards.

She was wearing the luxurious silk gown that used to be mine, and around her neck hung that blinding Alpha Consort insignia.

"Look at you now, Ms. Ashby, once so high and mighty, now a stray mutt." She giggled behind her hand, her eyes gleaming with spiteful glee. "Hurry up.

"The Alpha Heir handed this room over to me. Don't let your trash dirty up my carpet."

I shot her a cold look, said nothing, and slung my bag over my shoulder as I headed for the door.

"Stop there!" Selena suddenly threw out an arm to block my path. Her gaze dropped to my chest.

Hanging around my neck was a moonstone necklace with a faint silvery glow.

It was the only thing my mother left me before she passed away.

"That necklace is a treasure of the court. What right does a banished commoner like you have to take it?" Selena lunged for my necklace without a second thought, ready to yank it off by force.

I shot her a cold glare, grabbed her wrist, and twisted it back sharply.

Selena screeched and stumbled back a few steps. "How dare you!"

She shrieked and pointed at me. "Guards, seize this bitch!"

The guards traded nervous looks, but under Selena's authority as Alpha Consort, they drew their weapons and advanced toward me.

Right then, a deep, commanding voice rang out from the doorway. "Stop."

Alex strode in. His face was still pale, and his eyes were bloodshot. Clearly, the backlash from his inner wolf was hitting him hard.

Selena instantly switched to a helpless, teary look and threw herself into his arms. "My lord, she stole a treasure from the court and hit me. Please, you have to stand up for me."

Alex patted her shoulder to calm her down before shifting his gaze toward me.

His expression was complicated, tinged with arrogance, but there was also a glimmer of hope he probably didn't notice himself.

"Evelyn, are you done making a scene?" He glanced at my pale face and thin frame, his tone softening a bit, as if he were tossing me a bone.

"If you admit to the Council of Elders that you acted on impulse and apologize, you can keep the necklace and stay in this room." He paused, as if he was compromising a lot. "You can't be Luna anymore.

"But I can keep you as a mistress. You can still enjoy my protection."

Listening to him talk like it was perfectly reasonable, I almost laughed out loud at the absurdity.

He thought I was acting coy, desperate for whatever scraps of affection he might throw my way.

He had no clue that the moment my blood hit the scroll, he was already dead to me.

I didn't bother to argue or get angry.

Instead, I calmly reached up and tore the necklace from my neck.

The silvery chain snapped, and the softly glowing moonstone dropped to the floor with a crisp clink.

"If you think it's the court's property, then let your new sweetie have it." I didn't look at the necklace as I strode right past Alex.

"Evelyn!" Alex spun around, his voice edged with exasperation. "If you walk away today, you'll never come back. Without my protection, how long will you survive out there?"

I paused, tilting my head to the side. "No need to worry about me. Even if I die out there, you'll never have to see me again."

With that, I strode out of Moonspire without glancing back.

Behind me, I heard the loud crash of Alex smashing things in a rage.

He was convinced I wouldn't make it three days before I'd come back, crying and begging him to take me back.

But he had no idea that I was heading for the place every wolf treated as cursed and forbidden: Shadowmoon Woods.