179

179
Scarlett
“I have no time for this nonsense, Nina," Jack said sharply, his voice cutting through my laughter.
He turned away from Nina’s crumpled form, his disgust evident in the rigid set of his shoulders as he addressed us.
“Alpha Damon,” he called, his tone shifting to one of formal courtesy. The shift was remarkable—from fury to humility in the space of a heartbeat. “My mother explained everything to me. I’m so sorry.”
He bowed his head. “I personally came here to apologize to you. I didn’t mean any harm to you or your people. I was only acting on my Alpha’s orders then.”
“Really? You were only acting on your Alpha’s orders?” I asked. “But how did your Alpha know who I was, and what order were you given?”
I couldn’t help but be curious. I didn’t have anything to do with their Alpha, neither did he know who I was.
My gaze drifted to Nina, still on the floor, her eyes darting between Jack and me like a cornered animal. I knew she must be involved in this.
“She is the one,” he said, pointing at Nina.
I was right. Right from the beginning, Nina was only lying to me. She had lied that she was a changed person, and I believed it because I thought everyone deserved to be given a second chance—but I was wrong.
So terribly, dangerously wrong. Not everyone deserves to be given a second chance. Some souls are beyond redemption, their darkness too complete.
“She told Lucas about you. How beautiful you were and how you were fit to be his sex slave.”
“Sex slave." The words slipped out in a horrified whisper. The room spun as the weight of his words hit me like a disaster.
My body shook violently, not from fear, but from a deep rage that threatened to engulf me, to incinerate everything I was, leaving only ashes and fury.
Evil! She is evil incarnate. She made my life a living hell despite being younger than me, using her status as Father’s beloved daughter as a weapon.
Father had sold me as if I were nothing, and just when I had found happiness with Finn and this pack that had become my home, she returned.
My legs almost gave out from under me, unable to bear the weight of this new betrayal, until Finn’s strong arms wrapped around me, his presence calming the storm of my emotions.
She came back, wearing remorse like a costume, pretending she was a changed person just to destroy me. Just to make me serve as Lucas’s sex slave.
“Are you okay?” my mother asked as she rushed beside me.
“Yes, Mom," I replied.
Finn supported me as I found my footing again, drawing strength from his touch. I felt my eyes change, felt the heat of my wolf rising to the surface, crimson bleeding into my vision as Jack continued.
“I was told to kidnap you,” he added, his gaze direct and unflinching despite the horror of his confession. “But I was surprised when I found out you were the Luna, not the maid she claimed you were.”
“So after knowing, you still wanted to kidnap my Luna?” Finn howled beside me.
“I’m sorry. She showed me kindness. She treated me well despite knowing I didn’t deserve her,” he pleaded. “She manipulated me and made me do things just because she is my mate.” His gaze met Finn’s. “Please try to understand me, Alpha. You could do anything to see your mate smile.”
The mate bond was sacred, powerful, and almost impossible to deny. I had felt its pull myself, and had surrendered to it willingly, gladly. But to have it twisted into a weapon, to have it used to manipulate and control...
“I understand,” I muttered, and I did—perhaps more than I wanted to admit.
“But everything changed when she tried to kill me,” Jack continued, his face darkening. “And she never bothered to deny her hatred for me—telling me I was a lowly beta, that I was beneath her.” His eyes narrowed as he delivered the final blow. “That she deserved better. Deserved someone like Alpha Damon.”
A thunderous roar erupted from my chest, the sound tearing from my throat before I could stop it, before I was even aware it was building. My mate. How dare she covet my man?
“She doesn’t deserve me. She is my rejected mate,” Jack added. “I owe her nothing. You can do as you see fit to her.”
Nina’s face drained of what little color remained. She stood there like a statue, frozen in the face of her unraveling schemes.
“Thank you for telling me all this,” I stated. “Alpha Jack.”
As I looked at the man in front of me, I couldn’t help but notice how different he seemed. Gone was the schemer who had once posed a threat to everything I cared about.
This new version of Jack had a clarity in his eyes and a dignified presence. Maybe Diana was right all along. Perhaps he had truly changed for the better.
“I’m so sorry once again,” he whispered. “I’m a changed and better person now. I regret everything.”
“We forgive you,” I responded. “It’s all in the past.”
After my conversation with Jack, I turned to the guards. My voice rang out, clear and commanding:
“Arrest her.”
The guards swiftly moved across the room in long strides to flank Nina, who looked genuinely fearful.
“What do you think you are doing?" she asked, her voice rising with panic as strong hands gripped her arms, restraining her despite her struggles.
Gone was the haughty arrogance and disdain, replaced by the raw terror of someone who suddenly realizes they have miscalculated fatally.
I ignored her question, my eyes scanning the room instead. “Where is Alisha?” I asked, searching for my sister.
“I’m here, sister," came the reply as Alisha stepped forward from the shadows where she had been waiting and watching.
A cold smile played at her lips as she approached. I returned her smile, feeling a savage satisfaction bloom in my chest.
“Where is it? Did you bring it?”
“Of course I did,” she replied, her eyes shifting meaningfully to Nina, who was still struggling against the guards, unaware of the fate that awaited her. “You know how much I hated her.”
Alisha carefully retrieved a small crystal bottle from the ornate wooden box she carried. The liquid inside caught the light in a mesmerizing way, appearing to both absorb and reflect it simultaneously.
The swirling liquid seemed almost alive, as if it had a hunger of its own.
“Voidroot Elixir,” my mother whispered beside me, her voice tinged with awe and dread in equal measure.
I wasn’t surprised she could recognize it, given how good she was at making poison—but this poison was not made by her, but by the pack healer, Luke.
It was made from a combination of wolfsbane, crushed moonstones, and ashes of a fallen Alpha. It was forbidden under current werewolf laws due to its soul-shattering effect, a punishment deemed too cruel even for the worst offenders.
“This,” I said, taking the bottle from Alisha and holding it up so that the liquid caught the light, casting mysterious patterns across Nina’s increasingly pale face, “is Voidroot Elixir.” I let the name hang in the air, heavy with menace.
“The ancient wolves called it Lunaris Venom. A punishment reserved for traitors—those who betray blood, bond, and moon.”
My voice dropped to a whisper, though I knew everyone in the now-silent room could hear me perfectly. “Death is far too kind for you, dear sister.”