Late that night, the manor doors were thrown open.
Zane was back.
He held a beautiful box in his hands, a pleading smile on his face.

"Cassia, I have a surprise for you." His voice was laced with nerves. "It's the grand prize from tonight's auction—the Night Star diamond."
He opened the box. Inside, a black diamond the size of my fist glittered under the moonlight.
"It's worth eight million," he said carefully. "I thought you'd like it."
I just looked at him.
Did he think a jewel could erase what he'd done?
Did he think money could buy my forgiveness?

Zane moved closer, reaching out to touch my cheek.
The moment he got near, the thick, cloying scent of an omega washed over me.
I recoiled, shoving him away with all my strength.
"Don't touch me," I snarled. "Your stench makes me sick."

The smile froze on his face.
"Cassia, I can explain—"
Just then, hurried footsteps echoed from the doorway.
Dahlia burst in.
Her body was covered in red marks, her hair a mess, her eyes filled with desperation.
She threw herself into Zane’s arms, sobbing hysterically.
"Zane! Save me! She's a monster!"
Zane’s pupils dilated as he saw the state she was in.
His gaze swept over the "Blackmoon Pack's Slut" brands covering her skin, and his face turned to stone.
"Gods... Dahlia, what happened?" he asked, his voice trembling.
"It was her!" Dahlia shrieked, pointing at me. "She had me dragged from the Gala, and then... then she humiliated me with these disgusting stamps!"
Her tears of rage and despair cut trails through the marks on her face.
Zane turned to look at me, his eyes no longer soft, but filled with shock and fury.
"Cassia, how could you?"
His voice dropped low, his Alpha aura beginning to saturate the air.
"She's a defenseless omega! How could you be so monstrous?"
I laughed coldly. "Weak? She wasn't so weak when she was humiliating me on PackNet."
"That was a joke!" Zane roared. "And you nearly destroyed her for it!"
His Alpha aura pressed down on me, his eyes burning with accusation.
"You've changed, Cassia. You've become vicious. Cruel."
"I've changed?" My voice dripped with sarcasm. "Or have you, Zane?"
"Did you have to ruin an innocent girl's life to feel satisfied?" he demanded. "What did she do wrong? Because she accidentally played a joke on you?"
I looked at his furious face, and the last shred of warmth in my heart turned to ice.
This man was a complete stranger to me now.
Suddenly, Dahlia let out a soul-shattering scream.
"Because I'm pregnant! Zane! She's trying to kill our pup!"
She clutched her stomach, as if protecting something precious.
Zane's face went from shock to undisguised ecstasy.
"Really?" he whispered, his voice trembling. "You're really pregnant?"
"Yes," Dahlia sobbed. "I just found out this morning. I was going to tell you at the Gala, but... but she..."
She pointed at me, her eyes full of condemnation.
Zane swept Dahlia into his arms, his movements so gentle he might have been holding the most precious treasure in the world.
"Oh my gods... we're going to have a pup..."
I fought my wolf, fought the urge to rip them both to shreds as my mind flashed back four years.
He had held me just like that when I was pregnant.
But that child had been lost, a casualty of our conflicting bloodlines.
He had comforted me then, saying, "It's okay. We're still young. It doesn't matter if we have pups or not. I only want you."
Now, he was ecstatic over another woman's child.
"We have to see the pack doctor right away," he said urgently. "We have to make sure you and the pup are okay."
He carried Dahlia toward the door, throwing a final command over his shoulder at me.
"Cassia, you need to think long and hard about what you did tonight. Maybe it's time you learned how to be a proper Luna."
My fists clenched.
A proper Luna?
I defied my father to choose him, a man who was never meant to be an Alpha, all for love. All because he was my fated mate.
And now he was telling me I wasn't worthy?
Just as they reached the threshold, a dozen figures materialized in the doorway.
They wore the silver uniforms of the royal family, the King's wolf crest embroidered on their chests.
The King's Royal Guard.
The captain at the front held a scroll, his expression grim as he looked at Zane.
"We are the Royal Guard of His Majesty, the Wolf King. We are here to serve the royal decree for the forced dissolution of your mate bond."
He unrolled the scroll. "As per ancient wolf law," he declared, "a breach of fidelity by the mate of a royal wolf results in the immediate dissolution of the bond. All boons and titles granted by the royal family—including the title of Alpha—are hereby revoked."
The color drained from Zane’s face.