Samantha’s POV

The dining hall smelled faintly of roasted meat and freshly baked bread, but even that comforting scent couldn’t disguise the bitterness in the air. I sat quietly, across from Alpha Gabriel, while Adrinna Jordans fed her son small spoonfuls of soup as if she owned the place. Her laughter rang through the hall, light and taunting, and when my eyes met hers, she didn’t even have the decency to look away.

She tilted her head slightly, her long neck in full view, bare and marked with hickeys. My stomach churned. The mark of my mate was supposed to be there, but instead, there were only reminders of her nights with him. She was flaunting them, every purple bloom a slap to my pride.

Gabriel didn’t seem to mind. He was focused on cutting Hans’s meat, smiling gently as the boy thanked him. My gaze lingered on that image, a father’s tenderness, the kind I once thought would be shared between us and our future pup. Foolish.

Adrinna’s voice broke through my thoughts. “Samantha, could you pass me the juice on your side?” Her tone was sweet, dripping with false innocence.

I glanced at the pitcher, then back at her. “You have arms, don’t you? You can reach it yourself.” My voice came out sharper than I intended, but I didn’t care.

For a moment, silence blanketed the table. Then Gabriel slammed his fork down. “Samantha.” His tone was warning. “Can’t you do a simple favor without being difficult?”

I clenched my fists beneath the table, feeling my wolf stir inside me, hurt, humiliated, ready to snarl. But instead, I swallowed the anger, picked up the pitcher, and poured the juice into her glass. Adrinna smiled, smug and victorious, her eyes gleaming with mockery.

“Thank you,” she said sweetly, like poison wrapped in silk.

I wanted to throw the glass in her face.

Gabriel leaned back in his chair and looked at me again, his expression shifting from irritation to cold calculation. “By the way, Samantha. Has Heaven Blossom Pack sent the funds yet? We need additional budget for Hans’s birthday celebration.”

For Hans. Not for me when it was my parent’s money.

My jaw tightened. “You’re asking me about money again?”

“It’s for the pack,” he said simply. “You know Blackraven isn’t as wealthy as Heaven Blossom. If you could just ask your parents—”

I laughed bitterly, cutting him off. “No, Alpha. There will be no more money. I’ve already told my parents to stop funding Blackraven Pack. You have enough assets and businesses to sustain yourself. You don’t need their help.”

The table went quiet. His expression darkened instantly. “What did you say?” His voice dropped an octave, dangerous and sharp.

“You heard me,” I replied, keeping my gaze steady. “No more money.”

The next second, his palm slammed against the wooden table, the sound echoing through the hall. Hans jumped in his seat, and Adrinna gasped softly, though her lips twitched upward in hidden amusement.

“Do you have any idea what you’ve done?” he growled. “You’re cutting off the lifeline that supports this pack. That supports you.”

I stood slowly, forcing my voice to stay calm. “Maybe it’s time you learned to stand on your own without bleeding my parents’ generosity dry.”

Gabriel’s eyes burned with fury. He pushed his chair back so hard it scraped the floor. “You’re unbelievable,” he spat, and stormed out of the hall. Adrinna hurried after him, carrying Hans in her arms as if afraid I might harm them.

But I just stood there, shaking. My nails bit into my palms as I tried to steady my breathing. My wolf whimpered inside me, confused and wounded. How did it come to this? How did the man who once swore to love me above all turn into this stranger who only saw me as a bank connection?

Hours later, the mansion buzzed with noise. Visitors, mostly other Alphas, had come to see Gabriel. Laughter echoed from his office, deep and loud. I passed through the corridor quietly, heading to my guest room, but as I neared the office, their words floated to me, sharp as claws.

“I heard the wedding with Samantha was canceled,” one Alpha said, chuckling.

“Canceled?” another barked a laugh. “Man, Gabriel wasn’t even planning to attend that wedding in the first place.”

Their laughter roared louder. My breath hitched.

Then Gabriel’s voice joined in, lazy and proud. “That whole wedding preparation was worth it. Heaven Blossom sent hundreds of thousands before the event. It was easy money.”

I froze. My blood turned to ice.

“So, you never planned to marry her?” another Alpha asked.

“Why would I?” Gabriel replied, his tone dripping with arrogance. “She’s just leverage. Her pack is rich, and I needed the funds for Blackraven’s expansion.”

The room erupted in laughter again, but my heart was already breaking apart.

And then I saw it, through the small crack of the slightly open door. Adrinna was sitting on his lap, her hands roaming over his chest as she kissed his collarbone. His friends didn’t even look surprised.

I bit my lip so hard I tasted blood.

Adrinna’s voice purred. “But what now, darling? I heard Samantha stopped her parents from sending money.”

Gabriel smirked. “If she still wants to eat and live peacefully here, she’ll change her mind soon. I won’t spend a single penny on her stay in my pack.”

A cruel laugh followed.

That was the moment something inside me snapped.

I pressed a trembling hand over my chest as tears spilled down my cheeks. My wolf howled inside me, hurt, humiliated, and furious. Every word I had heard cut deeper than any blade. The love I once protected, the loyalty I held onto despite the betrayal, all of it suddenly felt foolish.

I staggered away from the door, every step heavier than the last. My vision blurred, my throat tight. The truth was out. All this time, I wasn’t his Luna. I was his pawn. His source of wealth. His convenient connection to a powerful pack.

When I reached my room, I collapsed against the bed, letting the sobs finally escape. My mind played back every moment we’d shared—his promises, his warmth, his laughter when we used to talk about our future. None of it had been real.

Samantha’s POV

The morning of my birthday dawned bright and cruel. The entire Blackraven mansion was draped in gold and blue banners, laughter echoed through the corridors, and servants rushed about carrying cakes, decorations, and gifts. But none of it was for me. Not anymore.

It was Hans’s birthday too—or rather, that was what the Alpha made it. My birthday had been swallowed by a child’s celebration, and I had been reduced to a mere guest in what used to be my own day.

When I entered the grand hall, all eyes turned to me. I could feel them, pitying, whispering, judging. Every she-wolf in the room knew. Every warrior had heard. That I was the rejected one. The Luna-to-be who was never claimed. The daughter of the wealthy Heaven Blossom Pack who had been used, discarded, and replaced.

But still, I held my head high. My long silver gown shimmered faintly beneath the chandeliers, and I carried myself with the pride of my bloodline. No one needed to see how my heart trembled beneath the calm façade.

Alpha Gabriel stood at the center of it all, his arm around Adrinna. She wore a crimson dress that clung to her body, her smile wide and radiant. She looked like she owned the world, and perhaps she did—mine, at least.

I walked toward the refreshment table, pretending not to notice the lingering stares. I poured myself some wine, just to keep my hands busy. The glass trembled slightly between my fingers.

“Samantha,” a soft, honeyed voice called.

I turned, and there she was. Adrinna Jordans, the woman who had stolen everything from me, approaching with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. Her scent filled the air, sweet jasmine, cloying, suffocating.

“Happy birthday,” she said cheerfully. “Or… should I say, happy Hans’s day?” She giggled, the sound grating on my nerves.

I didn’t answer. I just looked at her, waiting for her next game.

She leaned closer, her lips almost brushing my ear. “I heard you’re no longer able to bear a child,” she whispered, her tone dripping with false sympathy.

My heart skipped a beat.

“But didn’t you know?” she continued, her voice lower now, cruel. “Alpha Gabriel told me himself that he poisoned you. He didn’t want an offspring from you, Samantha. He said he’d rather never have a child than have one with you.”

For a second, everything went silent.

I froze, my breath catching in my throat. My vision blurred as her words sank in. Months ago, when the pack doctor told me I couldn’t conceive, I had fallen apart. Gabriel had comforted me then—held me in his arms and told me that it was fine, that he didn’t need children, that all he needed was me.

So it was him. He had done it. He had taken that away from me.

Adrinna wasn’t finished. “He doesn’t love you, Samantha. He loves your money. You’re just a convenient source of wealth. You’re nothing but a cash cow.”

Something inside me snapped.

Before I could even think, my hand moved on its own. Slap!

The sound echoed through the hall. Adrinna staggered back, her hand flying to her cheek, her eyes wide in shock. Every head turned our way.

“What’s going on?” Gabriel’s voice thundered as he pushed through the crowd.

He rushed straight to Adrinna, wrapping his arm around her protectively. She immediately began to cry, crocodile tears streaming down her face.

“She hit me, Gabriel! I was just talking to her nicely!” she sobbed.

I took a step back, shaking my head. “You liar! Tell them what you said to me!”

But Gabriel didn’t even look at me. His eyes were blazing with fury. “Samantha,” he said through gritted teeth, “have you lost your mind?”

“She provoked me!” I cried. “Ask her what she said—”

“Enough!” His voice boomed across the room, laced with Alpha command. My wolf whimpered inside me, forced into submission.

The guards approached before I could even react. Two warriors grabbed my arms roughly.

“Gabriel, what are you doing?!” I screamed.

He turned to the crowd, his expression calm but cold. “For raising her hand against a guest and humiliating our pack during a celebration,” he said, “Samantha will kneel and reflect on her behavior.”

“Reflect?” Adrinna whispered, feigning tears again. “Please, Gabriel… don’t hurt her. I forgive her.”

He glared at me. “Kneel on salt until the party is over. Maybe then you’ll learn humility.”

I gasped. “No—”

The guards forced me down, pushing my knees onto the rough grains of salt spread across the marble floor. Pain shot up my legs immediately, but the humiliation burned worse.

Dozens of eyes watched as I knelt there. Some were filled with pity, others with disgust. I heard murmurs. Someone’s phone camera clicked. My tears fell freely, splashing against the white salt that was already turning red from my scraped skin.

I wanted to scream. I wanted to shift, to tear through this nightmare. But my wolf was too weak, crushed under the weight of Gabriel’s Alpha aura.

And then—

“Everyone, please gather your attention!” The announcer’s voice echoed. “It’s time for a message from Miss Adrinna Jordans, on behalf of her son, Hans!”

All eyes turned to the stage. Adrinna climbed the steps gracefully, dabbing at her fake tears. I stayed where I was, trembling, blood dripping from my knees.

She smiled sweetly into the microphone. “Thank you all for coming,” she began. “I prepared a little presentation for my son.”

The lights dimmed. The screen behind her flickered to life. But instead of cheerful images of a boy’s birthday… a sound played.

Ah… Gabriel… don’t stop…

Gasps filled the hall. My eyes widened in shock.

The moans were unmistakable—hers and his. The recording played louder, echoing through the speakers for everyone to hear.

And then came Gabriel’s voice, “I’ll marry you soon, Adrinna. I promise. You and our son, Hans, deserve everything. Samantha’s just a stepping stone.”

The crowd erupted in shock and whispers. Wolves turned to look at me, horror and pity mingling in their eyes.

Adrinna covered her mouth, pretending to panic. “Oh no! I—I don’t know how that got played! I’m so sorry—”

But when her eyes met mine, she smirked. That small, satisfied curl of her lips told me everything. It wasn’t a mistake. She planned it. She wanted me destroyed.

I couldn’t even breathe. My world spun. Everything blurred. The sound of laughter, whispers, gasps, all melted into noise.

And then, suddenly, a strong hand grabbed my arm.

I looked up, startled. A man, tall, cloaked, unfamiliar, was beside me. His scent was different, powerful, foreign.

“Who—” I started, but he didn’t let me finish.

“Don’t say a word,” he murmured. His voice was low, commanding yet gentle. “Your brother sent me. I’m getting you out of here.”

Before I could react, he pulled me to my feet. The guards turned, but in a blur of motion, he struck them both down effortlessly. The crowd screamed, chaos erupting in the hall.

Gabriel’s Alpha voice roared, shaking the walls. “SAMANTHA!”

I turned once—just once—and saw him shoving through the chaos, his eyes wild, his aura dark with fury. But I didn’t stop. I didn’t look back.

The stranger wrapped his arm around my waist, his speed blurring everything around us. We dashed through the hallways, through the open doors, into the night. The cold air bit into my skin, but I didn’t care.

I closed my eyes, my body trembling, my heart breaking. I let myself lean into his warmth, too numb to speak.

Behind us, I could still hear Gabriel’s distant voice, furious, desperate, echoing through the night.

But I didn’t look back.

I was done with him. Done with Blackraven. Done with the lies.