Seraphina’s eyes flew wide. “What are you talking about? Liam, have you lost your mind?! I am your mate! How could you betray me like this?”
Liam laughed, a short, bitter sound. “Mate? Seraphina, we never even completed the soul–bond. What betrayal is there to speak
of?”
“Liam…” Seraphina’s voice trembled.
Liam cut her off. “You’ve always known that I never truly loved you.”
“And I was just lying to myself, thinking that time would make me forget Elena.”
He turned to me, his eyes filled with regret. “It wasn’t until today, seeing you with someone who truly loves you, that I understood what I lost.”
“Elena, I missed my true moon.”
Seraphina’s face twisted in rage. “You’re betraying me for her? Liam, don’t forget, without the support of my Croft family, your pack is nothing!”
“You dare sell me out, and you’ll live to regret this!”
Liam looked at her, and the last trace of warmth in his eyes vanished. “Threatening me? Seraphina, do you really think I don’t know what you’ve been up to all these years?”
Seraphina’s face drained of all color.
At that moment, several werewolves in the uniform of the Elder Council entered the lobby. The leading elder assessed the scene and spoke gravely. “We received a report that someone falsely accused the Alpha King’s Luna. We are here to take the relevant parties in for investigation.”
Seeing the council members, Seraphina’s last shred of hope shattered.
“I’m not going with you!” she shrieked hysterically. “On what grounds? I am the heir to the Croft family!”
The elder looked at her coldly. “It is precisely because of your special status that a more thorough investigation is required.”
“If you are found guilty, you will be stripped of your wolf status and exiled to the wastelands.”
Hearing the words “exiled to the wastelands,” Seraphina completely broke down. It was the cruelest punishment for a werewolf, a sentence to die alone in the wild.
“Elena!” she suddenly lunged toward me. “I’m begging you! For the sake of the friendship we once had, please spare me this
one time!”
“I was wrong! I truly know I was wrong!”
Damien immediately stepped in front of me, his Alpha’s dominance flinging her back. “Touch my mate, and you die.”
The council members quickly restrained Seraphina and, ignoring her screams, dragged her away.
With Seraphina gone, Damien turned to the Alphas present. “I hope you have all seen what happened here today.”
“From this moment on, the Midnight Moon Pack will never form an alliance with Liam Vance or his pack.”
“Any pack that works with them will also be considered our enemy.”
This declaration was a death sentence for Liam. Without the chance to partner with other major packs, his own pack would
never grow.
+15 Bonus
The Alphas in the room quickly voiced their support.
“We fully support the Alpha King’s decision!”
“The Vance pack’s actions were truly out of line!”
“We will sever all ties with them!”
Watching all his allies abandon him, Liam fell into despair.
He rushed toward me recklessly. “Elena! I’m begging you! For the love we once shared, give me a chance!”
“I’ll give up everything! As long as you come back to me!”
“Even if… even if you have to break your bond with the Alpha King, I’ll wait for you!”
His words enraged Damien completely.
“You’re asking for death!”
A tidal wave of Alpha dominance slammed into Liam. This time, Damien held nothing back.
Liam was thrown backward, crashing hard against a wall and spitting blood.
“Damien,” I gently touched his arm. “That’s enough. Adrian is still here.”
Soothed by my touch, Damien’s fury subsided. But his eyes, when he looked at Liam, were still full of killing intent. “Dare to covet my mate again, and next time, I will take your life.”
With that, he swept me up into a bridal carry, completely ignoring the shocked stares of everyone around us.
“We’re going home,” he said softly in my ear.
But in the next second, his voice dropped to a low, dangerous rumble. “As for this little adventure of yours, we’ll be settling that account back at the den. Tonight… the penalty is doubled.”
My face flushed, and I whispered in his ear, “The child is still here!”
Damien chuckled. “Then we’ll talk after he’s asleep.”