Chapter 4

The ceremony should have ended with nothing but blessings.

The sacred Moonstone resting upon the altar still shimmered softly beneath the skylight, its silver radiance washing over the Great Moon Hall as the Elders offered silent prayers to the Moon Goddess. Every witness believed they had just watched the peaceful passing of the Blackwood legacy from mother to daughter.

Then the great doors of the hall swung open.

A hush settled over the gathering.

Vivienne entered with Darius beside her.

No...

Not beside her.

Their hands were tightly entwined, their fingers locked together without the slightest attempt to hide what they had concealed for more than twenty years.

They walked through the center of the hall beneath the astonished gazes of every Alpha, Luna, Elder, and noble present.

Whispers spread like wildfire.

Vivienne stopped directly before me.

Without a trace of hesitation, she withdrew an ancient parchment sealed with the crimson crest of the Moon Temple.

The blood-mark upon it had already dried.

Holding it high for everyone to see, she raised her voice.

"Lyra."

"There is something you deserve to know."

Her lips slowly curved into a victorious smile.

"Darius and I became mates in our hearts long before fate bound you to him. During the same moon cycle that you gave birth, I also brought a daughter into this world."

She unfolded the temple record.

"The healers exchanged our newborn pups by mistake."

Her eyes drifted toward Lyria with unmistakable affection.

"The she-wolf you raised all these years was never your daughter."

"Lyria is the child born to Darius and me."

"You have cared for her long enough."

"It is time for her to return to her true mother."

Silence lasted only a heartbeat.

Then the entire hall erupted.

"What did she just say?"

"Vivienne Ravenshade? Lady Lyra's closest friend?"

"She secretly bore Alpha Darius's pup?"

"I remember her claiming her newborn died before completing her first moon cycle."

"If Lyria truly belongs to them... then the pup Vivienne raised back then..."

A horrified realization spread through the crowd.

"Moon Goddess have mercy..."

"That means the pup who died was Lady Lyra's own daughter."

The hall exploded into furious condemnation.

"She stole another woman's mate!"

"She stole another woman's pup!"

"And an innocent newborn lost her life because of it!"

"How could anyone commit such evil beneath the Moon Goddess's gaze?"

"And today of all days..."

"Lady Lyra has just transferred the Blackwood inheritance to Lyria."

"What kind of monsters would reveal the truth only after claiming everything?"

The accusations echoed from every corner of the hall.

Yet Darius remained utterly composed.

He slowly stepped forward, his expression filled with carefully practiced sorrow.

"For more than twenty years," he began quietly, "I fulfilled every duty expected of an Alpha and a mate."

"I honored my vows."

"I buried my own happiness."

"As a male wolf, I convinced myself countless times that responsibility mattered more than the desires of my heart."

He lowered his eyes.

"Lyra has always treated me generously."

"She gave me status."

"She entrusted me with respect."

"But the one my wolf has always longed for..."

His gaze settled upon Vivienne.

"...has only ever been Vivienne."

He reached for her hand once more.

"Our hearts found one another long before fate forced us apart."

His voice grew stronger.

"The Moon Goddess blessed wolves with mates so they might know happiness."

"If remaining in a loveless bond only brings misery..."

"Then why should I continue pretending?"

"I merely wish to spend the rest of my life beside the woman I truly love."

He looked toward the gathering.

"Is seeking genuine love truly a sin?"

His speech stirred murmurs throughout the hall.

Had no one known the truth, some might even have pitied him.

He painted himself as a tragic Alpha imprisoned by duty instead of exposing himself as the architect of twenty years of deception.

I never spared him a single glance.

Instead, I turned toward the young woman standing quietly beside me.

"Lyria."

She looked up.

I met her eyes steadily.

"What do you think?"

She lowered her gaze to the inheritance scroll she still held.

Carefully, she reread every line confirming that the Blackwood territories, wealth, and authority had already been transferred into her name.

Only after satisfying herself did she finally speak.

Her voice was calm.

Almost detached.

"Mother..."

She paused.

"No."

"This will be the last time I call you that."

She folded the parchment with deliberate care.

"You raised me for more than twenty years."

"I won't deny everything you've done for me."

"But blood can never be replaced."

She walked calmly toward Vivienne.

"My true parents have finally found me."

"I hope you won't stand in the way of our family being reunited."

Vivienne's smile widened triumphantly.

She slipped an arm around Lyria's shoulders before turning back toward me.

"Lyra," she said mockingly, "have some dignity."

"Your own daughter died long ago."

"Stop clinging to mine."

Darius calmly reached inside his cloak.

This time he withdrew another parchment.

The rejection agreement.

Beside it, he tossed a small leather pouch filled with coins onto the ceremonial table before me.

It landed with a dull thud.

"Let's dissolve our mate bond here."

His tone was almost indifferent.

"Everyone important is already gathered."

"No better witnesses could exist."

He nudged the pouch toward me.

"There are seven hundred dollars inside."

"Consider it payment for all the years you spent raising Lyria."

"And your compensation after our separation."

The hall instantly exploded again.

"What?"

"Seven hundred dollars?"

"Is he insulting her?"

"Lady Lyra gave that girl an entire kingdom!"

"And he offers seven hundred dollars?"

"Even the horses in the Blackwood stables are worth more than that!"

"How shameless can one Alpha become?"

Another Elder slammed his staff against the stone floor.

"For twenty years Lady Lyra treated Lyria as the jewel of her life."

"She entrusted the Blackwood inheritance to her without hesitation."

"And now the child turns around and abandons the only mother who ever raised her?"

"Unforgivable."

Voices rose from every direction.

"Lady Lyra, don't agree!"

"We'll testify for you before the Moon Temple!"

"The inheritance can still be challenged!"

"The Elders will never allow this injustice!"

Many warriors even stepped forward, offering to escort Darius and Vivienne from the hall by force.

Despite the outrage surrounding them, Darius, Vivienne, and Lyria never panicked.

Not once.

They remained astonishingly calm.

As though they had anticipated every accusation...

and already prepared an answer for each one.

Watching them, I found myself smiling.

A quiet smile.

One that puzzled everyone present.

Including the three people standing opposite me.

I reached for the rejection agreement.

Without reading another word, I signed my name beneath Darius's.

"I accept."

The scratching of my quill echoed through the silent hall.

Shock rippled across every face.

Darius blinked.

Vivienne's triumphant smile faltered for the briefest instant.

Even Lyria looked momentarily stunned.

None of them had expected me to surrender so easily.

Darius quickly snatched up both the rejection agreement and the inheritance scroll.

Vivienne leaned over his shoulder.

Together they inspected every seal, every signature, every blood-mark.

Only after confirming that nothing was amiss did relief spread across their faces.

They smiled.

Then they laughed.

The laughter of people convinced they had finally won.

I waited patiently until their celebration reached its height.

Only then did I speak again.

"My dear mate..."

My voice was gentle enough to silence the entire hall.

"Since the three of you have prepared such an unforgettable surprise for me..."

I let my gaze move slowly from Darius...

to Vivienne...

and finally to Lyria.

"...allow me to return the favor."

Darius frowned.

"A favor?"

His smile gradually disappeared.

"What gift could you possibly have left to give us?"

I looked toward the Moonstone upon the altar.

Its silver light pulsed once beneath the blessing of the Moon Goddess.

Then I smiled.

"Oh..."

"I think you'll remember this gift for the rest of your lives."