Chapter 3

"By the way, I have something to run by you," Karen said, wiping his hands on a towel before pulling a document from his briefcase. "The Council of Elders submitted a proposal.

"They think Lilith has exceptional potential and want her to serve as the High Priestess for the ceremony. I need your signature."

I glanced at the paper. The High Priestess was the second most prestigious role in the ceremony, standing directly beside the Alpha to guide the rituals.

"Lilith has only been in this pack for a week. She does not have the seniority for this, and the Council of Elders would never draft a ridiculous proposal like this," I said, sliding the folder back across the table.

Karen's face darkened instantly. "Why do you always have to be so rigid? She is my cousin, and she is highly capable. What is the harm in letting her take the role? Do you have some kind of personal vendetta against her?"

"My answer is no," I replied, leaning back in my chair and meeting his glare.

Karen slammed his hands on the table, knocking the document to the floor. "You have been the Alpha for a few years, and now you think you are above everyone else? Let me make this clear.

"Lilith is taking that position, whether you sign off on it or not."

Snatching up his coat, he stormed out and slammed the door, leaving it rattling violently against the frame.

I sat completely still. A message from Ben popped up on my screen. Karen had pulled into the hotel and was heading up to the penthouse fantasy suite.

I launched the security software on my terminal, pulling up the live feed from the suite's hidden cameras.

On the screen, Lilith threw herself into Karen's arms, wrapping her arms around his neck. "What took you so long? I have been waiting forever. Did you bring the circlet?"

Karen pulled the sacred circlet from his jacket and placed it on her head. "Do not worry, baby. I am making sure you stand right by my side tomorrow.

"Once the ritual is done, I will reject Rachel in front of the whole pack. You will be the true lady of this territory."

Lilith giggled maliciously, her fingers undoing the buttons of his shirt. "You treat me the best. That old hag never deserved a man like you anyway."

I closed the laptop and walked into my walk-in closet to pull out my ceremonial gown.

It was a striking midnight-black dress, embroidered with the golden crest of the Alpha bloodline along the shoulders. It was a garment woven exclusively for the true rulers of the pack.

I folded it neatly into my garment bag and reached into my bedside drawer, pulling out my silver combat dagger and sliding it into the sheath at the small of my back.

The Full Moon Festival commenced promptly the next morning.

The moment I stepped onto the ceremonial grounds in my regalia, every single eye in the crowd snapped toward me.

Karen was standing in the center of the altar. Lilith was plastered to his side, wearing the sacred circlet and a dress in the exact same shade of black as mine, posing as if she were already the ruling Luna.

The elders seated in the front row looked absolutely livid the moment they saw her.

Karen did not flinch when he saw me. Instead, he took a bold step forward, raising his voice so the entire pack could hear.

"Rachel, there is something I must declare in public today. We are fundamentally incompatible, and I am formally requesting to sever our mating bond," he said.

Chaos erupted in the crowd. Gasps and furious whispers swept through the pack members.

Standing behind him, Lilith tilted her chin up and shot me a look of pure triumph.

I did not even look at Karen. My eyes swept over the restless crowd before landing squarely on the stolen circlet resting on Lilith's head.

"Severing the bond is fine by me," I announced in a low tone that echoed clearly through the grounds. "But how exactly are we going to handle the fact that you stole a sacred pack relic and gifted it to an outsider?"

Karen's expression faltered. "What nonsense are you spewing? I merely lent it to Lilith for the day. That is not stealing."

I offered a cold smile and raised my hand, signaling Ben to power up the massive projection screen behind the altar.

The first image to flash across the screen was the hotel receipt with Karen's signature. That was followed by a scrolling feed of Lilith's boastful social media posts, and finally, the high-definition video of their little rendezvous in the fantasy suite last night.

Their voices echoed across the silent grounds. Everyone heard Karen plotting to reject me and usurp my position, and they heard Lilith calling me an old hag who did not deserve Karen.

The whispers from the crowd turned into a roar of disgust. Thousands of eyes glared at the two figures on the stage with absolute contempt.

Lilith turned pale. She scrambled to yank the circlet off her head, but it was already too late.

I took a slow step up the altar stairs, locking eyes with Karen. "Did you honestly believe you earned the right to stand on this stage by yourself?"