Chapter 5
Caspar's voice was rough, but his authority was absolute. "This is the highest covenant sworn by the First Ancestor and his mate. It supersedes all Argent Conclave law, bound directly to the Progenitor's spirit.
"The pact binds both parties to share all things, wealth, status, and glory. But the condition is absolute loyalty."
Caspar's gaze was blade-sharp, raking Aldric's face. "If either side breaks faith, everything they own will be stripped away and transferred to the faithful party."
"So, in other words," Caspar paused, each word striking like a hammer blow to every heart present, "from the moment you betrayed Luna, all your assets, your company, your estate, even your position as Alpha, now belong to Luna."
The whole dining room erupted into chaos. They stared at Caspar like he'd lost his mind, then turned to me with awe, as if I were some kind of deity.
It was insane. Beyond belief.
"No. Impossible." Aldric shook his head frantically. He jabbed a finger at me, his face contorted with rage. "Impossible! Her? A pathetic wretch from a ruined bloodline? What gives her the right?"
"Because she carries the blood of the Progenitor, the very blood that can awaken the pact," Caspar snapped. "And you, Aldric, you bribed the Argent Conclave, forged official documents, and tried to cast aside your own mate. You are the traitor. You are no longer fit to be Alpha of this pack."
"Nonsense. You're all insane." Aldric was completely unhinged. His eyes were wild and red, those of a cornered beast. "I'm the Alpha. This pack is mine. Someone, get this lunatic out. Throw her out."
His enforcers instantly closed in around me.
I stood my ground, completely still, a faint smile playing on my lips.
"Who dares lay a hand on her?" Caspar slammed his cane down again.
From the shadows flanking the dining room, elder wolves emerged. Wrinkled of face but feral in presence, their power sent chills down every spine.
These were the pack elders, guardians of the Blackwood legacy and its deepest secrets.
They answered only to the crest-bearer and the Progenitor's chosen.
And now, each one stood behind Caspar, glaring icily at Aldric and his stunned guards.
The tables turned in a heartbeat.
Aldric, who had ruled as Alpha only moments before, was now a prisoner facing judgment. "No. My money. My company." He staggered back, lost and broken, crashing into the dining table and sending the feast scattering across the floor.
He couldn't believe it. Everything he had built was wiped out. All because of some damned pact he had never known existed.
"And you." My gaze landed on Sera, who was already pale with fear.
When our eyes met, she flinched. "Luna, no, Alpha Female, I swear, I didn't know anything. He forced me."
Sera instantly turned on Aldric, jabbing a finger at him. "It was him. He lied to me. I really thought he'd cast you out."
What a joke. Minutes ago, she had been playing lady of the house. Now she was pretending to be the victim.
I walked right up to her, towering over her. "You said you were carrying Aldric's heir?"
Sera instinctively wrapped her arms around her belly, nodding desperately. "Y-Yes, Alpha Female, please, have mercy. For the child's sake..."
"The child?" I let out a cold, mocking laugh.
I pulled a folded paper from my pocket, unfolded it, and thrust it at her face. "So tell me, how does a man who underwent a vasectomy a year ago father your child?"
It was a medical report. Aldric had undergone the procedure one year prior, performed by the pack's most renowned surgeon. The documentation was undeniable.
Aldric took his pleasures freely, but he had made certain no illegitimate child could ever lay claim to his wealth. That was why he had taken care of the matter a year ago.
Aldric's gaze found the report.
He went still, then rage erupted in his eyes. He whipped around to face Sera, his stare ravenous enough to tear her apart. "You bitch."
In that moment, it all clicked. He had been outsmarted, and his own lover had betrayed him in the worst way.
"No, no. Aldric, please, let me explain." Sera was unraveling, her words spilling out in a frenzy.
But her pleas fell on deaf ears. No one cared to listen anymore.
The double betrayal shattered what was left of his sanity. A guttural, inhuman roar tore from his throat as his body began to shift.