Chapter 52 Chapter 0052
•NADIA•
\[ELEVEN YEARS AGO\]
The night Mason married Cassandra, the entire pack gathered at the pack house to celebrate, and I stood near the back of the crowd with my hands clasped in front of me.
I watched him place the Luna necklace around her neck as if that position had always belonged to her and not to me.
Even though he had told me when he was marrying her in Goldenmane Court that he'd keep his promise with me, it still stung that he married her.
So, when the ceremony was nearing an end, I left and went back home.
My father, Noah, was waiting for me in his study when I arrived. He didn't ask me why I came home early because he already knew that watching Mason marry Cassandra would hurt me more than I would ever admit out loud.
He poured a drink for himself and sat behind his desk while I remained standing in front of him.
For a few seconds neither of us spoke because we both knew that this night was not just about a wedding but about a title that had been stolen from us.
We were supposed to be the ones being celebrated, and not Mason and his father.
“They celebrate like they earned it,” I scoffed.
My father looked at me. “They celebrate because they think people have forgotten what really happened.”
I crossed my arms. “I haven't forgotten.”
He nodded slowly and leaned back in his chair. “When I left to fight in the rogue war, I left the pack under temporary leadership because the rogues were attacking our borders and killing our people, and I had no choice but to lead the warriors and stop them before they reached our homes.”
My father had told me the story a few times, and every time he told me, I felt even more infuriated because we weren't supposed to be serving them.
“The rogue war lasted longer than we expected,” he continued. “And during that time, Mason’s father stayed here and gained support from the council and the elders. When he killed the rogue leader during one of the battles, he used that victory to make himself look like a hero to the pack.”
I frowned. “But you were the Alpha.”
“Yes,” he replied. “And I was still fighting when he returned to the pack ahead of me with the rogue leader’s head as proof of victory. He told everyone that he ended the war and that the pack needed strong leadership to end the wars.”
I felt my jaw tighten because I knew what came next.
“When I returned,” my father said. “The council had already sworn loyalty to him because he convinced them that he acted in the pack’s best interest. He appointed himself as Alpha without waiting for me, and the elders accepted it because the pack was tired and afraid and they wanted stability.”
“And they didn't remove him when you came back,” I said even though I knew the answer.
“They said it would divide the pack to challenge him after the war had just ended,” my father answered.
I walked closer to his desk and said, “So he stole it.”
“Yes. He stole the Alpha title from me while I was fighting to protect this pack.”
I thought about Mason standing proudly next to Cassandra, unaware or maybe uncaring about how his father rose to power.
“That makes me the rightful Luna,” I muttered. "Or better, the nightful future Alpha of this pack."
My father looked at me directly and said, “Yes, it does, because they owe us that much after what was done.”
I felt something settle inside me when he said that, because it was not just jealousy or ambition, but it was justice for what was stolen from us.
“Mason married Cassandra tonight." I rolled my eyes. “He chose her.”
“He chose what benefits him,” my father replied. “Just like his father did. But this marriage won't erase the injustice.”
I took a deep breath and asked the question that had been building inside me for years. “What do we do?”
My father stood up from his chair and walked around the desk until he was standing in front of me, and his voice lowered slightly.
“Mason’s father must be killed,” he said without hesitation. "The wolfsbane I had been serving him in his drinks doesn't seem to be effective. He needs something stronger to end him."
I had thought about this so many times, so hearing my father say it out loud was liberating.
“If he dies,” I said slowly. “Mason becomes Alpha.”
“Yes,” my father replied. “This means you must get closer to him, Nadia. Lure him and make him fall in love with you."
"That would be easy," I smirked. "He has already promised his love to me."
My father nodded. “Once his father is gone, the power structure changes, and there will be confusion and grief, and he will need you more."
"I know a witch who won't make it look like murder."
That night, while the pack continued celebrating Mason and Cassandra, my father and I agreed on taking back what belonged to us.
Three months later, Mason’s father died during a patrol near the border where rogues had once attacked.
The report said he was ambushed by enemies who wanted revenge for the war, and no one questioned it.
The council announced Mason as the new Alpha, and the elders placed the Alpha band on his arm while the pack bowed their heads in respect and loyalty.
But that night, he called for me.
He cried in my arms and told me how much he wished he had married me, even when his father demanded he marry someone from Goldenmane Court.
After that, he fucked me so good and forgot he had a wife waiting for him at home. Cassandra was already carrying his child, but he didn't even care.
He was mine, and soon, Silvercrest would be mine.