Chapter 90: Pack Judgment and Broken Bonds
Chapter 90: Pack Judgment and Broken Bonds
(Vanessa’s POV)
My violet eyes widened in shock, lips trembling uncontrollably as Connor’s cold pronouncement echoed through the great hall of the Rivers Pack Mansion. The silence that followed was deafening, every werewolf present stunned by the Alpha’s declaration.
“Expelled?” I whispered, my voice breaking. “You can’t do this to me!”
My wolf whimpered inside me, desperate and afraid. This couldn’t be happening. Not to me. Not after everything I’d done to secure my place in this pack.
Elder Rivers, Connor’s grandfather, frowned deeply from his position at the head of the family gathering. His ancient wolf’s authority radiated displeasure at Connor’s harsh words. I turned my tear–filled eyes toward him, sensing a potential ally.
But it was Eleanor, Connor’s grandmother, whose gaze I sought most desperately. I projected an image of a wounded pup seeking solace, my wolf instinctively appealing to her maternal instincts.
e eyes fix
Connor remained unmoved, his ice–blue eyes fixed on me with the chilling resolve of an Alpha passing
judgment.
“Before you leave this pack forever,” he said, his voice cutting through the tension, “you will apologize to Olivia Winters for all the harm you’ve caused her.”
I felt the air crackle with werewolf tension. My desperate emotional display failed to penetrate Connor’s iron
will.
“Connor!” Eleanor’s voice rang out, her own wolf rising to challenge his. “How can you be so cruel? Vanessa is your sister!”
“Grandmother, Connor replied evenly, “she is no longer my sister, nor is she a member of the Rivers Pack.”
William Rivers, Connor’s father and current Alpha, placed a restraining hand on Eleanor’s arm. “Mother, please remain silent,” he growled softly. “This is for your own good. Your heart cannot take such excitement.” Eleanor shook off his hand, her eyes flashing. “I will not be silent while you cast out a child I raised!” Connor’s patience was visibly wearing thin. “I demand an apology,” he repeated, his voice carrying the unshakeable authority of the future Alpha. “Vanessa Reed is no longer considered part of the Rivers Pack.” “Why are you doing this?” Eleanor questioned, her voice trembling. “You used to be so fond of Nessa when you were pups. Why are you now so determined to banish her, severing all pack ties?”
Connor’s jaw tightened, and when he spoke, his voice resonated with the power of his wolf. “Nessa, you coveted your own foster brother–an unforgivable transgression against pack law. You committed heinous crimes, showing a blatant disregard for werewolf life. Why are you still feigning innocence and expect leniency from this pack?”
The revelation stunned Eleanor into horrified silence, her wolf recoiling as if struck. William tried to stop Connor from revealing more, his own wolf uneasy with the public airing of such dark pack secrets.
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“Connor, that’s enough,” William warned, but it was too late.
Katherine Rivers, Connor’s mother, gasped in shock. She had known I’d done bad things and was involved with the exiled wolf Frederick Warner, but this was clearly news to her.
“Coveting her brother? Disregarding werewolf life?” Katherine’s voice was barely audible. “What does this
mean?”
Eleanor’s face had gone deathly pale. “Connor, explain yourself,” she demanded, her voice barely a whisper.
Katherine turned to me, her amber eyes wide with disbellef and dawning horror. “Vanessa, is this true?
I couldn’t deny it. My wolf cowered under the weight of the Alphas‘ scrutiny.
“I meant exactly what I said,” Connor stated coldly, his words leaving no room for doubt.
I saw Olivia’s face change as she realized with a sickening lurch that Connor was telling the unvarnished,
brutal truth.
Eleanor clutched her chest, her breath catching. “Nessa,” she whispered, “is it true? Do you harbor inappropriate feelings for Connor? Are you responsible for taking werewolf lives?”
I couldn’t speak. My wolf spirit was shattering under the weight of these accusations–accusations I couldn’t
deny.
Katherine’s maternal instincts warred with revulsion as she glared at me, her own wolf radiating fury. “Answer your grandmother!”
William tried to calm the situation, his primary concern his mother’s fragile health amidst the emotional storm. “Mother, please sit down. Your heart-
n answerlTM Eleanor insisted.
“I want an
Connor remained firm, his Alpha presence demanding an apology, but I couldn’t give it. My desperation twisted into defiance,
“Yes!” I finally cried out, my voice rising hysterically. “Yes, I love him! I’ve always loved him!”
The room fell silent, shocked by my admission.
“Why? Why can’t I love you? I grew up with you, and we share no blood! Why can’t you just look back at me? Is it wrong for me to love you? Is it wrong for me to want to be your mate forever?”
Katherine, unable to contain her fury any longer, stepped forward and slapped me hard across the face. The sound echoed in the tense hall.
“Shut up!” Luna Katherine glared at me with a livid face, her wolf radiating pure outrage. “Con is your brother! He can only be your brother. Even if you were once the Rivers‘ nominal daughter, even if you leave the Rivers pack, there is absolutely no possibility for you and Con to be mates!”
I scoffed, years of resentment bubbling to the surface. “Hehe, do you think I care that you adopted me?”
I raised my head and stared at Luna Katherine, my violet eyes blazing with hatred.
“If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have become his sister. Did you ask for my opinion when you a never wanted to be his sister!”
ad me? I
Eleanor, overwhelmed by the chaotic and emotionally charged scene, her ancient wolf struggling to
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Chapter 90 Pack Judgme
comprehend the depth of the betrayal, swayed on her feet
“Mother!” William called out in alarm, rushing to support her.
“Someone quickly bring the Elder Rivers‘ Emergency Wolfshane Antidote!” William shouted, his voice sharp with concern for the pack matriarch.
Connor signaled to Dominic Reeves, his security chief. The beta wolf responded instantly, grabbing me by the shoulders and forcing me to my knees.
Dominic then stepped on my back, his weight and woll’s pressure forcing my face to the ground in a display of utter humiliation before the Alphas
“Since you refuse to apologize verbally,” Connor said, his expression unmoved and his ice–blue eyes glinting with cold fury, “you will kowtow to Olivia as an alternative.”
Dominic complied without hesitation, violently pulling my head up and slamming it back down to the marble
floor.
Thud, thud, thud-
I was forced to kowtow repeatedly, the impacts resonating through the silent hall. The pain was excruciating. but worse was the humiliation burning through me.
Eleanor, witnessing this brutal display of pack justice, nearly choked, her breath catching in her throat. Fortunately, Martha Wilson, her loyal servant, quickly brought the Emergency Wolfsbane Antidote
The old Luna took the antidote, and her breathing eased, “It’s alright, I, an old she wolf, still want to live a few more years. You Alphas handle these pack messes yourselves.”
Eleanor patted her chest and, leaning on Martha, left the hall, her wolf retreating from the fray.
(Connor’s POV)
I watched my grandmother leave, feeling a momentary pang of regret for causing her distress. But pack law was absolute, and Vanessa’s crimes could not go unpunished.
Olivia frowned beside me, her amber eyes troubled as she glanced at the humiliated Vanessa, then turned to
“What did you mean by ‘disregarding werewolf life“?” she asked, her voice low and steady.
I hesitated, not wanting to burden Livvy with the gruesome details. She had already been through enough because of Vanessa’s machinations.
“That’s about Jessica Sullivan and those connected to her death,” I replied simply, hoping she wouldn’t press for more information.
“Oh,” Olivia responded, but I could tell from her expression that she suspected there was more to the story, her own wolf sensing the dark undercurrents of the situation.
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