"Evelyn! Evelyn!" Kael’s voice boomed through the entire house. He stood outside the estate, shouting her name.
Celine stood in front of him, irritation clear on her face. "Evelyn doesn’t want to see you," she spat.
"What do you mean she isn’t seeing me?"
Kael’s voice echoed through the entrance hall, carrying to every corner of the manor.
Celine planted herself firmly between him and the door, her chin raised defiantly despite the Alpha towering over her.
"I mean exactly what I said." Her voice was cold. "Evelyn is resting."
"I didn’t ask whether she was resting." His eyes swept across the house, searching every doorway and corridor.
"I asked where she is."
"That is none of your concern." Celine nearly shouted.
Kael scoffed. Why was he even wasting his time speaking to a woman?
In the blink of an eye, he walked past Celine, his warriors following behind him.
"You can’t go in without permission. Alpha Kael! Kael!" Celine screamed as she ran after him.
"Evelyn!" Kael’s voice boomed heavily through the manor.
Servants scrambled out of his path as Kael stormed through the house, his heavy footsteps echoing against the polished floors.
"Evelyn!" he shouted again, yet he received no response. His patience wore thinner with every passing second.
"Where is she?" he barked at the servants, causing them to flinch.
Celine finally caught up to him, breathing heavily as she stepped in front of the staircase.
"I said she’s resting!"
Kael didn’t even spare her a glance. "Move."
"No."
His expression darkened. "Celine, don’t test my patience."
"And don’t test ours."
A calm voice interrupted the confrontation. Everyone turned as Varek walked down the staircase, carrying the quiet authority of an Alpha.
He stopped beside Celine, his gaze settling coldly on Kael.
"You are trespassing, Kael. You entered my estate without permission."
"I have not come for you, but for my wife. Bring her out here this minute."
Varek’s eye twitched.
"Your wife? The same wife you publicly stripped of her title yesterday?"
Kael’s jaw tightened. "Watch your tone."
"Or what?" Varek stepped down the last stair, unhurried. "You’ll strip me of my title too? Careful, Kael. That trick only works on people foolish enough to still answer to you."
"Varek!" Kael growled, his Alpha aura slowly rising.
Varek scoffed.
Kael of before wouldn’t have dared stand before him and release so much Alpha aura, but now... who could blame him?
Evelyn had poured more than half of Valemont’s resources into building his dying pack, and now he possessed more strength than the Valemont Estate itself.
Kael’s jaw tightened. "This is a matter between Evelyn and me."
"No," Varek replied evenly. "You made it a matter for this estate the moment you barged into my home."
Kael’s eyes flashed. "I don’t need your permission to speak to my own mate."
"You do not have a mate here, Kael! My cousin is certainly not your mate, because if she was, you wouldn’t have treated her the way you did."
The atmosphere in the hall became suffocating.
Warriors from the Valemont Estate quietly moved into position, while Kael’s men instinctively stepped forward behind him.
Celine looked between the two Alphas, her heart pounding.
"Leave before this gets ugly."
Kael’s patience snapped.
"Bring her out. Or I’ll search this manor myself. I’ll tear this estate apart until I find her."
He took a step toward the staircase.
"You’ll take another step," Varek said coldly, "and you’ll discover exactly how unwelcome you are."
Kael didn’t stop.
The muscles in Varek’s shoulders tensed, and just as the first warrior reached for the hilt of his sword, a door upstairs creaked open.
Evelyn stood at the end of the corridor, one hand resting lightly against the banister.
She had clearly only just awakened.
Her long brown-and-white hair fell loosely over her shoulders, slightly tangled from sleep.
Without the ceremonial jewelry and robes of a Luna, she looked smaller, delicate even.
Yet the moment those pale blue eyes settled on him... every trace of softness disappeared.
"What are you doing here?"
Kael looked up at me, his expression hard to read. Relief flickered across his face for the briefest moment before it was swallowed by anger.
"There you are."
His voice was calmer now, but no less commanding.
"Come down."
"I asked you a question." I leaned lightly against the banister, my voice flat. "What are you doing here?"
"We’re leaving."
"Excuse me?"
"We’re going back to Silver Creek."
The absurdity of those words almost made me laugh.
"You seem to have mistaken this estate for one of your council chambers." I tilted my head slightly. "That wasn’t a request. It was a question."
Kael inhaled slowly, as though forcing himself to remain patient.
"The healing vault is empty."
"So?"
"The emergency antidotes are gone. The blood reserve has been destroyed."
"I know."
Kael’s composure finally cracked.
"Then you also know what you’ve done!"
"Dozens of warriors depend on those medicines! The healers can’t treat serious injuries without them! Winter preparations are ruined!"
I looked at him quietly.
"And?"
Kael stared at me in disbelief.
"...And?" he repeated.
"Yes." My expression remained unchanged. "And?"
"You’ve endangered the entire pack, Evelyn! There are still warriors injured from the battle who haven’t been healed. How can you simply endanger their lives?"
"How?" I began walking down the stairs. "I’ve only taken back what belonged to me."
"My blood belongs to me. My medicines belong to me. My research belongs to me."
By the time I reached the bottom of the staircase, I was standing beside Varek.
I met Kael’s eyes without the slightest hesitation.
"You made your choice yesterday. You told me I was no longer needed. So why should Silver Creek continue benefiting from what is mine?"
Kael looked like he might burst at any moment, the veins on his face nearly visible as he struggled to remain calm.
"I’m willing to overlook it all."
He began, and Celine immediately burst out laughing.
"You will overlook it? Isn’t the goddess just so humble?"
Kael ignored her, his attention never leaving me.
"Return with me. I’ll have the divorce prepared afterward. You’ll receive whatever compensation you want."
"Tell me, what is it that you desire? Gold? Lands? Titles? Name it, and I will give you."
I scoffed, shaking my head.
I was the one who worked for the wealth he was flaunting. I built him, and now... I should name what I wanted?
"Name your conditions, Evelyn, but you’ll return to Silver Creek."
"Kael..." I drawled. "There isn’t enough gold, land, or titles in this world to make me return to Silver Creek."
Something in Kael’s expression shifted.
For the first time, he realized I wasn’t bluffing.
"You forget something, Evelyn. You are still my wife. And until the divorce is approved, you remain the Luna of Silver Creek. You will return with me whether you want to or not."
Before anyone could react, he crossed the distance between us in three long strides.
His hand clamped firmly around my wrist, ready to drag me back.
Clara rushed forward first.
"Let go of my Lady!"
She grabbed Kael’s forearm with both hands, trying to pry his grip loose.
Without thinking, Kael shoved her aside so hard she flew backward.
Everything happened at once.
Varek’s Alpha aura erupted.
"Kael!"
He growled.
"You dare!"
He crossed the distance between us in an instant.
Before he could reach us, I twisted in Kael’s grasp and ripped my wrist free with all my strength, momentarily shocking him.
Then, I spat directly on his face.
I looked him straight in the eye. "You’re no Alpha, Kael. You’re a bloody coward. I pity every wolf who still calls you Alpha."
Kael’s face darkened with a rage I had never seen before.
He reached for me again, but before he could touch me, Varek stepped between us.
"One. More. Step."
He growled.
The air became suffocating for several tense seconds.
Finally, Kael slowly lowered his hand.
His eyes never left mine.
"This isn’t over." His voice was cold enough to freeze blood.
"When the first warrior dies because you chose your pride over your duty... their blood will be on your hands."