Chapter 5

After that showdown at the palace, the broken union between Whitevale Pack and Stonecrest Pack became something no wolf in Mooncrest City dared to mention.

Everyone knew my father was truly furious, even defying the Alpha King's dignity. William and his parents, knowing they were in the wrong, kept to themselves and stopped coming around.

William himself disappeared from public view. Word was that his father had locked him up at Shaw Manor to make him reflect on his mistakes day after day.

The ground outside our estate finally grew quiet again.

The physical pain from the rejection had faded, but my wolf still remembered. For days after the mating ceremony, I couldn't shift, and my chest throbbed as if a silver spike had been driven through it. My father had to help me walk.

But slowly, my life returned to normal. Every morning, I'd eat breakfast with my father and then head to his study to help him sort through the mountain of pack documents and reports.

I learned quickly, and he never kept me out of his affairs. Sometimes, he'd offer a piece of advice or explain something in passing.

It felt as though he was grooming me to be his successor, not raising me as a sheltered daughter locked away from pack business.

Those days were calm and full, and I nearly forgot about William and that nightmare of a mating ceremony.

But beneath the peaceful surface, currents still swirled.

One afternoon, I was sorting through the list of mating gifts. All those things that once held my dreams now felt like nothing more than cold entries in a ledger.

Maggie came in, looking uneasy.

"My lady, there are... some rumors about you going around," she said, hesitant.

"Oh?" I didn't look up. I kept marking the ledger with red ink. "What are they saying? That I'm jealous? Or that I'm using my father's power to deny Stonecrest Pack any dignity?"

Maggie stared at me, wide-eyed. "How... how did you know?"

I set down my pen and gave a cold smile.

"Of course, I know," I said. "Stonecrest took a huge loss, and Daisy is the kind of wolf who's overly protective and mean spirited. It'd be strange if they weren't spreading rumors behind our backs."

Over the past two weeks, I'd had Maggie quietly gather information on Shaw Manor and the Stonecrest Pack.

I knew William was confined to the house, but Emily, that sweet, innocent little thing, had been taken in by Daisy, who was personally fussing over her. They told everyone that Daisy had adopted her out of pity.

The irony of it all was almost too much to bear.

A she wolf who'd ruined her own son's mating ceremony and dragged her family's name through the mud was now being treated like a pampered princess. This wasn't about adoption. It was a slap in the face to me and to the entire Whitevale Pack.

They were telling everyone that they'd rather take in some nameless orphan than accept me, the daughter of the Alpha of Whitevale.

"They're saying you couldn't stand Emily even before the mating ceremony and kept picking on her. And on the day itself, they claim you purposely said things to upset her, so she panicked and fell into the lake," Maggie said.

Her cheeks were burning with anger. "This is turning the story upside down! We can't let them trash your reputation like this."

"Don't worry," I said, patting her hand. I picked up the ledger again. "Let them talk. The more they run their mouths now, the harder they'll eat their words later."

My eyes fell on a particular page.

There, among the entries, was the Moonstone Tea Set, a collection of white porcelain teaware crafted by a master from a forgotten era. Exquisite and priceless, it was my mother's treasured heirloom, kept hidden away for me.

I remembered William once mentioning, almost in passing, that Emily loved white porcelain.

A cold smile slowly formed on my lips.

"Maggie, go get the Moonstone Tea Set from the storage room."

Maggie looked confused. "What do you need that for?"

"I'm going to sell it."

"Sell it?" Maggie's eyes went wide with shock. "That's your mother's most precious heirloom. How could you even think of selling it?"

"It's only an object," I said, getting up and walking to the window. I watched the tree in the courtyard as its new leaves began to bud. "No matter how much I love it, it's nothing compared to my reputation.

"But I'm not simply selling it out of spite. I'm going to host a charity auction.

"I'll invite every noble she-wolf in the city. I want everyone to see that I've fallen on hard times. So much so that I have no choice but to sell my mother's keepsake to keep up appearances."

Maggie, clever as always, understood my meaning instantly.

"You mean... you want every wolf to realize that even though we brought back all the mating gifts, now we're struggling to make ends meet?" she asked.

"That's not all," I replied, a sharp glint in my eyes. "I want everyone to witness my 'misery.' Wolves always side with those who've been wronged.

"When a she wolf who's been wronged has to sell her mother's heirlooms to keep her dignity, who do you think they'll believe?"

It wasn't only about winning sympathy.

I was going to use this charity auction to turn up the heat on Emily and the Stonecrest Pack, making sure every wolf saw them squirm.

They said I couldn't stand her? Fine. I'd show every wolf by selling off her favorite things without a second thought.

They kept saying she was so gentle and kind? Well, I'd like to see what would happen when the tea set she'd been dreaming of showed up at the auction. Would she be tempted? Would she get William to bid for it?

If she didn't care, then it proved she was faking it all along.

If she really wanted it and got William to buy it for her, all the better.

A wolf who'd broken his mating bond, spending a fortune to buy his former mate's mother's heirloom for another she wolf? That wasn't scandalous. It was downright delicious.

This drama would be so much juicier than any rumor they could spread about me.