Chapter 3
"Yes, Caspar." I met his gaze calmly. "Aldric wants the bond severed. He claims our mating contract was forged, and he's already bought off the Argent Conclave to make sure I walk away with nothing."
Caspar's face turned ashen.
He let go of my hand and started pacing the room, muttering under his breath, "That bastard. That traitor. How dare he?"
He suddenly stopped and turned to me. "He thinks money can buy off the Argent Conclave and tear everything apart? He's forgotten what it means to be one of us. He's forgotten the roots of our wolf clan."
"Luna," he said, his eyes sharp, "what do you want to do?"
"I'll take back what's rightfully mine, and what he never deserved," I said, each word carrying weight.
Caspar stared at me for a long moment, as if trying to see straight into my soul. Finally, he nodded slowly. "Good. Tomorrow he'll make a scene at the family meeting. He'll humiliate you in front of everyone and try to kick you out."
"Don't react. Don't say a word. Let him have his show. And when he's at his most smug..." Caspar's lips curled into a cold, sharp smile. "That's when you show them this mark."
I looked at him, not quite following his plan. Was it really that simple?
Caspar seemed to see right through my confusion. He patted my shoulder. "Kid, remember. The sharpest blow isn't struck by hand. It's using the very rules he prizes to crush him underfoot.
"He wants to leave you with nothing? Then we'll make sure his own pack kicks him to the curb."
The cold glint in his eyes made my heart skip a beat.
Aldric's days were numbered.
*****
The next morning, sunlight poured through the massive floor-to-ceiling windows, bathing the grand dining room in golden light.
The long table was loaded with an elaborate breakfast spread, but the atmosphere was so heavy it was suffocating.
All the key members of the Blackwood family were present.
Aldric sat at the head of the table, looking like he owned the place.
For the first time, Sera was sitting right next to him, dressed in a fiery red gown, acting like the lady of the house as she shot me a provocative look.
Meanwhile, I was stuck at the very end of the table, in a corner where nobody even bothered to look my way.
Aldric cleared his throat. All eyes turned to him.
Aldric said, "I've called you all here today because I have something important to announce."
He paused, picked up his napkin to wipe his mouth, and shot me a look dripping with contempt. "Taking Luna as my mate was a mistake from day one.
"After the Argent Conclave investigated, they found serious problems with our mating registration. So, the Conclave has declared our mating void."
He said it like it was nothing, as if it didn't concern him at all.
The dining room was filled with stifled gasps and hushed whispers. Everyone looked at me with a mix of pity, contempt, and barely concealed amusement. I was the butt of the pack's jokes.
"Aldric, what is the meaning of this?" one of the pack elders challenged, frowning. "Luna is still your mate."
"You're mistaken," Aldric replied with a smug grin, shaking his head. "She's not worth the title of former mate. There was never a true bond between us."
He picked up a document and tossed it onto the table. "This is the Argent Conclave's official ruling. It's all there in black and white. By Pack law, she and I are strangers."
Sera pressed herself against Aldric, her voice dripping with sickly sweetness. "So, everyone, address me correctly from now on. I'm the one Aldric loves."
She ran her hand over her stomach in a smug caress, her cheeks flushed with a triumphant glow. "Soon enough, I'll present him with the perfect heir."
As soon as she said that, the room erupted in shock.
So Sera was already pregnant. No wonder Aldric was so eager to cast me off like a worn-out she-wolf.
"Luna, did you hear that?" Aldric finally locked his gaze on me, his eyes full of condescension. "Since we've known each other for three years, I'll try not to make this too ugly for you."
He pulled a check from his pocket and tossed it across the table. "A hundred thousand in gold. Take the money and get out of my estate before the day's over. And don't ever let me see you again."