Chapter 16 Chapter 0016
•NADIA•
The front door closed with a soft click. I stood by the tall window in the foyer and watched the black SUV drive away down the long driveway.
Sloane Frost sat in the back seat without looking back even once. The sun reflected off the tinted windows as the car disappeared around the corner.
I let the curtain drop back into place. The house felt quieter now, almost lighter.
Sloane had been too much like Cassandra, with the same quiet manner and the same annoying face. Now she was gone, just like her cousin.
I turned and walked toward Mason. He was still standing near the staircase with his arms crossed, staring at the closed door.
He looked like he might be second-guessing his decision.
I slipped my arm through his and leaned lightly against him. “She’s gone now,” I breathed. “Thank you, Mason. I know it was hard for you to send her away, but I really think it was the right choice.”
He let out a slow breath. “I’ve explained everything to her uncle, and he understands, though he felt she should've stayed longer for Rowan’s sake."
I rested my cheek against his shoulder. “I understand. But we didn't need her here, Mason, and you know that. We can take care of our son ourselves."
"Yeah," he answered, smiling. "You're right. Rowan is lucky to have you in his life as his mom."
I lifted my head and looked up at him. “We should set a date for the wedding.”
He seemed surprised. “So soon?”
“Not too soon,” I replied gently. “Just soon enough. The pack is still unsettled after everything that happened. People are whispering and wondering what will happen next. If we make our marriage official and I stand beside you as Luna, there will be no more questions. No one else will come between us.”
I felt his heartbeat quicken under my hand. He thought about it for a moment.
“You’re right,” he answered. “The pack needs to see stability. They need to know we are united.”
I smiled up at him. “Let’s give them that. Let’s give them a wedding.”
He nodded. “Two weeks from Saturday. I’ll talk to the elders tomorrow. We’ll hold the ceremony under the full moon.”
My heart beat faster at the thought. Two weeks until I stood where I belonged, wearing the title that should have been mine from the beginning.
“Two weeks,” I repeated. “It will be perfect.”
He kissed my forehead briefly. “I’ll make the announcement at the evening gathering.”
He walked toward his office. I waited until I heard his door close before I moved.
I climbed the wide staircase slowly. My heels made sharp sounds on the polished wood.
At the top, I stopped in front of the large portrait of my father, the current Beta. He looked down at me with the same hard eyes I had inherited.
I touched the frame lightly. “They took everything from you. They betrayed you and took what was yours. Mason and his father took what belonged to our family.”
My voice stayed low. “But they won’t keep it. Not after I’m done.” I let my hand drop. “Two weeks. In two weeks, I’ll be Luna. And after that, Silvercrest won’t know a single day of peace.”
I turned away from the portrait and walked down the hall to our bedroom. The door was heavy.
I pushed it open and stepped inside. It closed behind me with a soft thud.
The room still had faint traces of Cassandra: her perfume in the wardrobe and the throw blanket she used to like on the couch.
I went to my bedside and sat down. I opened the top drawer and took out the small velvet box I had hidden there.
Inside was the silver pendant my father gave me on my sixteenth birthday. It had a crescent moon with a blood-red ruby in the center, the symbol of the true heir.
I fastened the chain around my neck. The ruby rested against my skin.
Soon I would wear the Luna’s crown. Soon I would stand in front of the pack with Mason at my side. The pack would cheer their new Luna.
That would be the moment I started my plan. I would begin slowly. I would spread small rumors to the right people.
I would plant doubts here and there, and make the pack question Mason’s decisions.
I would make the elders doubt his judgment. I would create small problems that grew bigger until the pack turned against itself.
When the time was right, when the pack was weak from all the little wounds, I would tell the truth.
My father had been the rightful Alpha. Mason’s father had stolen the title through lies and betrayal. The war with Goldenmane Court had been an excuse to hide their crimes.
The pack would turn on Mason. The elders would demand answers. In the middle of the chaos, I would step forward as the rightful heir.
I would take back what was stolen and destroy everything they had built. When the dust settled, Silvercrest would be mine.
I walked to the window and looked out. The sun was setting behind the trees. The sky was turning red and gold.
The full moon was two weeks away.
I pressed my hand to the glass and smiled at my reflection.
“Two weeks,” I whispered. Then I turned away and began to plan.