ALIA POV:

I sat on the edge of my bed, recounting everything to Harlene—the drugged needle, the hotel suite, the doctors watching like vultures, the way my own husband had bred me like livestock and then whispered his lie into my ear. I told her all of it without shedding a single tear.

"Alia, a formal rejection is a nightmare. You'll be cast out with nothing," Harlene said, her anger softening into deep concern.

"I know," I said, my voice steady, my eyes cold. "But I will absolutely not leave with nothing. I will make him pay for every drop of blood I shed. I just need those documents."

"Okay. I'll get my family's best lawyers to draft the Declaration of Rejection and the asset division papers. We'll make sure it's ironclad."

After hanging up, my gaze drifted to the window. Outside, on the large perch in the aviary, sat Cirrus. My beautiful white gyrfalcon—a gift from my father when I married into this pack, and my only true companion in this cold, gilded cage. After being used and discarded like an animal last night, he was the last living thing in this house that still made me feel human. He tilted his head, his dark eyes watching me, as if he understood my pain.

That evening, the atmosphere at dinner was exceptionally heavy with unspoken tension. Matriarch Eleanor sat at the head of the long table, her face stern. Karin Garcia, for once, was smiling at me—a sweet, cloying smile that didn't reach her eyes. It set every nerve in my body on edge.

The main course was brought out by a servant, placed on a large platter covered with a polished silver cloche.

Karin leaned forward, her voice dripping with sickening faux concern. "Alia, dear, Cason told me his 'injuries' are finally healed, and you two can finally have a child. I'm so happy for you both! So I specifically had the chef prepare a special dish for you. I hope it nourishes your body well."

Cason looked at her with eyes full of admiration, as if her gesture was the height of kindness.

His "injuries" finally healed. So that was the story he was spinning for her too—the same sweet lie he'd whispered into my ear while I lay wet and used on that bed.

With a theatrical, exaggerated flourish, Karin lifted the silver lid.

In the center of the platter lay two roasted birds, roasted to a golden brown and garnished with sprigs of rosemary.

My world stopped.

My eyes locked dead onto the leg of the larger bird. The familiar small silver band on it hadn't been removed.

That was Cirrus's band.

The blood drained from my face instantly. A hoarse, strangled sound ripped from my throat. I shot to my feet, my chair scraping violently against the floor with a piercing screech.

My hand trembled as I pointed at the platter. "What... what did you do to Cirrus?"

Her hand flew to her mouth, her eyes widening in feigned horror. "Oh my god! Was that your pet? I had no idea! I just went to the back aviary and saw two birds. I assumed they were poultry meant for the kitchens... I only wanted to make a nourishing soup for your pregnancy preparation..."

A wave of pure, undiluted hatred washed over me, so violent it left me trembling. After everything—after being drugged, bred, discarded—she had taken the one creature left that I loved, roasted it, and served it to me with a smile.

I rounded the table, my hand raised, wanting only to slap that smug, vicious smile off her face.

Before I could touch her, a hand like a steel vise clamped onto my wrist. Cason. He moved with Alpha speed, blocking Karin like an impenetrable shield. His fingers dug into my flesh, almost crushing bone.

"Alia! Are you insane?" he roared, his face contorted with fury. "Karin went out of her way to prepare supplements for you so you can give us a healthy pup, and you attack her over a damn bird?"

Give us a healthy pup.

The words dragged me straight back to last night—the cold bed, the monitors beeping, his weight pinning me down while the doctors watched. To him, I was nothing but the animal on that platter. A body to be used and served up to his true love.

I looked at Cason, at the way he shielded her, at the utter contempt in his eyes for my grief. The last fragile thread of emotion I had for this man snapped.

I stared dead into his eyes. "You're right," I said coldly. "It was just an animal. A disposable pet meant to fulfill a purpose." A beat. "Just like me."

With a strength that surprised us both, I wrenched my arm free of his grasp.

Suddenly, a deafening crash echoed through the dining room.

Matriarch Eleanor had smashed her heavy silver goblet onto the marble tabletop. Her face was ashen, her eyes fixed in sheer horror on the smaller bird on the platter. She recognized the distinct golden band on the roasted bird's leg.

"My Snow Dove..." Eleanor's voice trembled, then escalated into an earth-shattering roar. "You dared to slaughter my Snow Dove?!"

Karin's victorious smirk vanished instantly. She shrank back, her face turning as pale as paper. "Grandmother, I... I didn't know..."

Everyone in the pack knew those Snow Doves were the most treasured relics left by Eleanor's late husband. They were her untouchable holy items.

"Who gave you the audacity?!" Eleanor shrieked, her Alpha aura erupting, making the whole room seem to shake. "Guards! Drag her to the Hall of Alphas! She will kneel on the cold stone for three days and three nights!"