Melissa’s POV

The week after the banquet felt like walking through a storm I couldn’t see my way out of. Every breath, every step, every sound in the packhouse was a reminder of everything I’d lost—my mother, my dignity, and the man I once believed was my destiny.

But there was one thing I hadn’t lost yet. My will.

When I found the truth, the evidence that proved Alicia’s hands were stained with my mother’s blood, I thought justice, at last, would find me. I thought the Moon Goddess had seen my pain and decided it was time to let the truth come to light.

I was wrong.

I filed the case myself, hands trembling as I signed the papers. But I never expected who would stand against me in court.

The Redmoon Courtroom was filled with wolves that day—pack members, elders, and outsiders who came to witness the scandal unfold. The tension in the air was thick enough to choke on. I stood at the plaintiff’s side, my pulse drumming in my ears.

And then, the door opened. Cyrus walked in.

He was dressed in an immaculate black suit, his Alpha mark glowing faintly beneath his collar. His presence commanded silence. Every wolf in the room lowered their gaze out of instinct. My heart sank when I saw where he stood.

Across from me. Beside Alicia.

She sat there, pretending to look fragile and frightened, her hand clasped in his.

“Alpha Cyrus Redmoon will be representing Miss Alicia,” the judge announced.

My stomach twisted. “You’re… you’re defending her?”

He looked at me then, his eyes cold and distant. “I am.”

“Cyrus, she killed my mother—”

“Enough,” he snapped, his Alpha voice echoing through the room. My wolf whimpered inside me. “You’ve said enough, Melissa. You think you can waltz in here with forged evidence and destroy someone’s life? You’ve gone too far.”

My hands trembled. “Forged evidence? How can you even say that?”

He stepped closer, his scent, a mix of cedar and storm, so familiar yet suffocating now. “You’ve changed, Melissa. You used to be kind. Now all I see is bitterness. You’re clinging to lies to justify your anger.”

I wanted to scream, to reach across the table and shake him, to make him remember what he once said, that he’d always protect me, that my mother was like family to him. But those words meant nothing to the man standing in front of me now.

He was no longer my Cyrus. And I was nothing but an enemy.

The trial dragged on for hours. Every time I presented a piece of evidence, Cyrus countered it flawlessly.

“This fabric sample?” He held it up between his fingers. “Could belong to anyone. You’re reaching, Melissa.”

By the time the hearing ended, the air around me felt crushed and empty.

Alicia smirked, tears of fake relief glistening in her eyes as Cyrus wrapped an arm around her shoulders. The spectators murmured, some sneering in my direction. I stood frozen, my throat dry, my heart aching.

As they walked past me, I whispered, “You’ll regret this, Alpha.”

He paused for a moment but didn’t turn around. “No, Melissa. You will.”

---

That night, the Redmoon Pack held a grand auction in the main hall, an event Elder Francine hosted every year for charity.

The hall was filled with wolves in fine clothes and false smiles. I stood near the back, unnoticed, my mind still replaying the courtroom scene over and over like a wound that refused to close.

And then I saw it.

Lot #27. The auctioneer held it up carefully, the light catching on the smooth green surface.

A jade bracelet.

My breath caught in my throat. My mother’s bracelet.

The one she never took off. The one that was supposed to have been placed beside her urn.

I pushed forward through the crowd, ignoring the whispers. “Where did you get that?” I demanded, my voice shaking. “That’s mine. It belonged to my mother!”

The auctioneer blinked at me, startled. “Miss, please, we can’t—”

But then Cyrus’s voice cut through the noise. “Melissa.”

He stood near the front with Alicia beside him, a glass of wine in his hand. His expression was unreadable.

“Tell them it’s my mother’s bracelet,” I said, my voice cracking. “You’ve seen her wear it before, Alpha. Please.”

He frowned slightly, as though I were a stranger rambling nonsense. “It’s just a bracelet, Melissa. Don’t make a scene.”

“Just a—” My breath hitched. “It’s all I have left of her!”

He didn’t respond. His gaze had already shifted to Alicia, who was admiring the bracelet with a smile.

“I like it,” Alicia said softly, her fingers brushing the jade. “It’s so pretty.”

Cyrus’s lips curved. “Then it’s yours.”

He raised his hand, bidding an amount that silenced the entire hall. The bracelet was his. No—hers.

The crowd applauded. I stood frozen, tears stinging my eyes.

Alicia turned to me, feigning innocence. “Oh, I didn’t mean to take something important, Melissa. I just… liked it.”

Then, as she slipped it onto her wrist, the fragile jade cracked.

The sharp sound echoed through the hall, followed by a soft laugh from someone in the crowd. Alicia gasped, pretending to look horrified. “Oh no… I didn’t mean to—”

Before anyone could stop her, she let the broken bracelet fall to the marble floor. The jade split into two perfect halves, rolling to my feet.

Cyrus sighed. “It’s fine, Alicia. It’s old. It was bound to break eventually.”

My heart clenched. I knelt slowly, my shaking hands gathering the pieces. The coolness of the stone burned my palms. My wolf whimpered inside me, mourning the final shred of my mother that had been destroyed before my eyes.

Alicia’s laughter, soft, cruel, rippled through the hall as she turned back to Cyrus. “You’ll get me another, won’t you?”

“Of course,” he murmured.

Their words blurred as I clutched the broken bracelet against my chest. My tears fell silently onto the jade, streaking across its smooth surface.

Melissa’s POV

The morning sunlight streamed weakly through the blinds, but it didn’t warm me. My hands were still trembling from the night before, from Elder Francine’s cold eyes, her cruel threats, and the heavy envelope that sat on my table like a curse.

That money was supposed to buy my silence. To make me forget the humiliation, the loss, and my mother’s death.

I told myself this would be the last day I’d ever step foot near anyone from the Redmoon Pack. I would go to the yacht party, keep my head down, pretend to smile, and by nightfall, I’d be gone. For good.

But fate had other plans.

When I arrived at the dock, the ocean stretched endlessly before me, silver under the morning sun. The Redmoon yacht gleamed like pride itself, tall, immaculate, and dripping with gold embellishments. It reminded me of them: beautiful on the outside, rotten on the inside.

“Melissa Quinn,” one of the guards at the entrance said coldly. “You’re on the guest list. This way.”

I forced a smile and nodded, stepping onto the deck. Laughter and clinking glasses filled the air. Wolves in elegant dresses and suits mingled, their conversations light and carefree. The scent of wine mixed with the salty air, but all I could smell was deceit.

Every gaze that landed on me was sharp. Whispered murmurs trailed behind my back.

“That’s the omega, isn’t it?”

“The one who dared to file a case against Lady Alicia?”

“Why is she even here?”

I bit the inside of my cheek and kept walking. I’d endured worse.

Then I saw him. Alpha Cyrus stood near the railings, dressed in a crisp white shirt and black slacks, his posture commanding as always. His silver eyes scanned the crowd, the same eyes that once looked at me like I was the center of his world. Now they looked past me like I was nothing more than air.

And beside him… Alicia.

Her golden dress shimmered like liquid sunlight. Her hair cascaded down her back in soft curls, and her smile was sweet enough to fool anyone who didn’t know the venom behind it.

She noticed me. Of course she did. Her lips curved into a smirk that didn’t reach her eyes. She whispered something to Cyrus, and he nodded, distracted by the guests approaching him.

Then she walked toward me.

“Oh, Melissa,” she said sweetly, her voice soft and melodic. “You came. I was worried you’d be too ashamed to show your face after what happened with my dear future mother-in-law.”

I met her gaze evenly. “I’m not ashamed, Alicia. I’ve done nothing wrong.”

She giggled, covering her mouth delicately. “You poor thing. Always trying to sound brave.” She leaned closer, her perfume chokingly sweet. “Do you ever think about your mother?”

My stomach tightened. “Don’t.”

Her smile widened. “No, really. I do. I think about her every day. Especially that night.”

My heartbeat quickened. “What are you talking about?”

Her eyes gleamed. “How she screamed before she fell.”

The words hit me like a blade. “You—”

“I pushed her,” she whispered, voice dripping with triumph. “She got in my way. You both did. I didn’t mean for her head to hit that hard object… but oh well, accidents happen, don’t they?”

The deck spun around me. The world blurred. My wolf snarled beneath my skin, furious, grieving.

“You killed her,” I breathed, disbelief and rage colliding inside me. “Not accidentally. You meant to kill my mother.”

Alicia tilted her head, feigning innocence. “Oh, darling… I thought you already knew.”

My hand moved before my mind caught up.

SLAP!

The sound cracked through the air like lightning. Alicia’s head snapped to the side, her cheek blooming red. Gasps rippled through the crowd.

“Melissa!”

That voice, that deep, commanding voice, froze me. Cyrus.

He stormed forward, his aura thick and suffocating, his silver eyes glowing faintly. “What have you done?”

“She admitted it!” I shouted, my chest heaving. “She killed my mother, Cyrus! Not accidentally. She said she—”

Alicia let out a sob, running to him like the helpless damsel she loved pretending to be. “I didn’t! She’s lying! She’s jealous and hates me because you chose me!”

He caught her in his arms, glaring at me as if I were a stranger. “You dare strike my savior?”

“Your savior?” My voice cracked. “She’s a murderer!”

“Enough!” His roar silenced everyone. “Melissa Quinn, you’ve caused nothing but disgrace since the day you entered my pack. You’ve disrespected my mother, attacked my savior, and humiliated me before my people!”

“I saved your life!” I screamed, tears spilling down my cheeks. “You were nothing but a broken, lost wolf when I found you! Everything you are now—you owe it to me!”

He didn’t even flinch. “You will apologize to her.”

“Never.”

His jaw tightened. “Then you will be punished.”

I laughed bitterly. “Punished? For slapping the woman who killed my mother?”

He turned to the pack members around us. “Each of you—two slaps. Let her understand what happens when someone raises a hand against the Alicia.”

I stared at him, unable to breathe. “You can’t be serious.”

“Do it,” he ordered coldly.

The first warrior stepped forward hesitantly. Slap. My cheek stung.

Another came. Slap. Then another. And another.

Each blow burned hotter than the last, but I refused to break. My wolf howled inside, desperate to fight, but I kept her leashed.

Alicia watched, her lips curved in a small, cruel smile.

When the last slap fell, I stood tall despite the pain. My face burned, and my vision swam.

Cyrus stepped closer, his voice cold and final. “Leave, Melissa. Before I make sure you regret ever setting foot in my pack.”

I met his eyes one last time. “I already regret meeting you.”

Then I turned away. I didn’t wait for the guards to escort me. I didn’t look back at the pack members’ pitying faces. I walked off that yacht with my head high and my heart shattered, the sound of waves crashing against the hull echoing behind me like applause for my final act of dignity.

When I reached the dock, I wiped the blood from my lip and whispered into the night, “This is your last victory, Alicia. Enjoy it. Because one day… I’ll return. And you’ll beg for the mercy my mother never got.”

That night, I packed everything I owned — which wasn’t much. The broken jade bracelet, a few old clothes, the letters Cyrus once wrote me before he remembered who he was. I tied them together, left the Redmoon Pack territory, and didn’t look back.