nd hall was suffocating. It was the first time in years that I felt this much animosity directed at me in one
The energy in the Silver Moon Manor’s grand hall
place.
Although I’d taken deliberate strides to remain unaffected, the weight of countless eyes on me made my skin prickle
blade
Daniel Winter wasted no time charging toward me, his amber eyes blazing with pure rage. His voice cut through the murmurs of the crowd like a
“What are you even doing here, Scarlett?” he growled, his tone powerful and accusing. You show up uninvited, dressed like you’re here to mock us!”
His gaze flickered over my leather jacket and boots with palpable disdain. This isn’t some rogue hangout. It’s the Northern Council gathering, and you’re disgracing it.”
The hostility in his tone was thick, heavy, but I refused to let it faze me.
Several council members shifted uncomfortably, their expressions ranging from judgmental to curious, as if they were waiting to see how I would
respond
I tilted my head, letting my emerald eyes glint dangerously as locked my gaze on Daniel. His wolf might have been on the brink of bursting through, but Cora stirred beneath my skin, calm and collected, our strength simmering just below the surface.
“You seem mistaken, Daniel,” I said, my voice quiet but cutting as it carried over the heavy silence. “Your assumptions about what I’m here to do or wear are…..
irrelevant.”
e you
His hands balled into fists, and his shoulders trembled with the obvious strain of holding back his woll. “You’ve completely destroyed any chance had with Alexander,” he spat. “Your recent actions? They’ve left no room for reconciliation–no possibility for a future mate bond,”
I couldn’t help it. The laugh that escaped me was icy, sharp, and deliberate. It rang out loud enough to cause heads to snap in my direction
“Interesting,” I said, allowing a smirk to creep onto my face. “How bold of you to assume I even want that bond.” My voice dripped with indifference.
and it cut through the room like a knife
The color in Daniel’s face deepened as rage swept across his features. The crowd murmured louder now, and I could see his wolf pushing harder to
break free. His pride was crumbling right in front of me
“You’re nothing but trouble,” he seethed, his voice rough as his hands clenched and unclenched at his sides. “And you’re proving, again and again, that you’re unworthy of even being here!”
I let my gaze
y gaze sweep lazily over him, making it abundantly clear I wasn’t the least bit intimidated. “Unworthy?” I repeated softly, my emerald eyes
narrowing. “Coming from someone whose dominance is as paper thin as his loyalty? You’re cute trying to lecture me about worth, Daniel”
The growl that erupted from his chest rattled the space around us, but before his wolf could surge any further, a familiar voice spoke, slicing through
the thick tension,
“Enough, Daniel
Alexander’s towering form emerged from the shadowed edges of the hall. His face was etched with exhaustion and bitterness, yet his Alpha
presence demanded the attention of everyone in the room. All eyes turned to him.
For a
a moment, our eyes met–my emerald against his amber. His jaw tightened, and Mason’s power pulsed faintly from beneath his skin.
With slow, deliberate steps, he moved past Daniel and stood before me, his voice cold and devoid of the warmth I once thought he had. “Scarlett Winters.” My full name was a reprimand. “Let me make this clear so there’s no confusion or speculation”
The entire room stilled as his Alpha tone seemed to vibrate in the air.
“Our marking ceremony Alexander continued, “is permanently cancelled. There will be no union between us.”
The words were exact measured, and laced with finality. He scanned my face, clearly expecting a reaction. Disappointment, perhaps? Anger? Regret?
Instead, a familiar, calm smirk tugged at my lips.
Chapter 3 uncil Confrontation
“And that’s supposed to hurt me somehow?” I asked, lifting my chin defiantly “Canceling what neither of us truly wanted from the beginning feels more like a mercy than a punishment.”
A faint flicker of emotion crossed his face–a blend of frustration and something else. But before he could respond, he did something that caught me, and everyone else, entirely off–guard.
“As Alpha of the Amber Pack,” he declared loudly, his voice slicing through the murmurs yet again. 1 invoke the ancient oath May my wolf form be cursed if I ever attempt to mark you as my mate.”
Gasps rippled across the crowd like thunder rolling through the sky. Even I blinked in surprise, though I quickly hid it behind a mask of cold
indifference
Sophie, clinging to the edge of the crowd, wasted no time capitalizing on the moment. Grace’s loyal henchwoman stepped forward to mock me with that condescending smile I’d grown accustomed to ignoring.
“Just admit it,” Sophie sneered. “You’ve been clinging to some pathetic dream of becoming Luna of the Northern territories. And now, you’re nothing.”
Her words didn’t sting–they barely grazed the surface of my mood, but I let her have her moment.
My tone was low, disdainful. The position of Luna? More curse than honor, honestly. If your life revolves around leeching off sick wolves suffering, I’d pity you if you weren’t so predictable”
Sophie’s face twisted in fury, but it was Emma who stepped forward, her wolf power crackling with barely–contained fury.
to stoop to your
“You always think you can push too far, Sophie: Emma bit out, her voice sharp as a whip. “But I promise you, Scarlett doesn’t need to
level to=”
I held a hand up to stop her mid–sentence. “Emma; I said softly, my emerald eyes foating on Sophie’s face.
Without another word, I stepped forward quickly–quicker than Sophie could anticipate or react and brought my palm across her face with a wolf–enhanced force that reverberated through the hall like a thunderclap
The room descended into stunned silence as Sophie stumbled back, her check flushed red and her pride clearly shattered. Her expression was a mixture of shock, horror, and outrage. “You’re insane” she sputtered, clutching her face like I’d drawn blood.
I allowed my gaze to stay cold and unfeeling as I stared at her crumpled form. “Interesting.” I said calmly “That you think I need justification to punish your disrespect.
The entire hall seemed frozen in time, no one daring to breathe at the crackling tension. Daniel, however, wasn’t about to let it go. With an enraged
roar, he lunged
His wolf broke through almost immediately, his claws and fangs narrowly missing me as I twisted to counter his attack. Roman’s years of training had prepared me, though, and my reflexes didn’t falter.
I slid away from his withering assault with speed that startled even him. Cora surged forward, lending me strength and precision as I targeted his
vulnerable point with a calculated strike.
Daniel’s form collapsed to the marble floor with a sickening thud. His wolf howled in frustration and agony.
Sophie rushed to his side yelling for help, shouting commands to pack healers as the sound of chaos filled the previously silent hall.
But my focus wasn’t on them–not anymore. Through the mate bond I now shared with Roman, I felt his savage approval His ice–blue eyes
glimmered like ice daggers, watching me.
I heard Alexander before I saw him, his wolf power rising as he surged forward. His hand gripped my wrist painfully, his bruising hold demanding
dominance.
that.”
“There’s no end to you, is there?” he hissed, his voice shaking with a blend of rage and humiliation. 1 will never mark you. Nothing you do will change
His bold declarations fell flat as another fragile cry through the mindlink cut into his concentration–Grace.
I took the opportunity to twist free from his grasp, Cora’s power surging at my command. My eyes flared with green fire as I met his gaze, challenging him fully.
“Touch me again,” I said softly but with deadly resolve. “And you’ll join Daniel
