Chapter 5
+20 Bonus
The healer’s assistant was still somewhat afraid of Ryan. After speaking those words, he quickly departed.
Ryan remained rooted to the spot, too stunned to even react to the assistant’s disrespect.
Perhaps he suddenly recalled the mind link I had desperately initiated, begging him for help. Perhaps he remembered the familiar
scars on my lifeless body that day.
Was he feeling sorrow? Disbelief? Regret?
Who knew?
A long time passed before he finally bolted from the infirmary. But his destination was Vivian’s residence.
I was wrong again. I thought he would at least feel guilty, but even my death couldn’t make him forget about Vivian for a single
moment.
Her door was slightly ajar, and clear voices carried from inside.
“I already gave you what you wanted! Stop bothering me! I’ll call the enforcers!”
Hearing distress in her tone, Ryan instinctively moved to rush in and protect her. But the next words froze him in place.
“Who doesn’t know that everything you’ve given us was just scraps you tricked out of Ryan? Do you really think he’s that easy to fool?
“He’s an Alpha, for Moon’s sake. I nearly got torn apart by him last time, and what you paid me didn’t even cover my wounds.
“Using your own blood to infect the Luna with wolfsbane, staging scenes over and over… If you don’t pay up, we’ll go straight to Ryan and expose everything you’ve done.”
Ryan and I both peered inside.
I was stunned to see that the speakers were the same rogue wolves Vivian had once claimed had tried to assault her.
She seemed experienced in dealing with them. Tossing a small pouch their way, she said impatiently, “This is Moon Crystal. It should be enough for you to enjoy yourselves for months. Take it and disappear from Silver Moon territory.”
The rogues grabbed the pouch but sneered at her. “You used to brag about how much he loves you, yet all you could manage was this pathetic amount of Moon Crystal?
“You’d have been better off staying with that Northern Alpha, at least he was generous.”
Vivian’s face darkened. “You don’t understand. Everything I’m doing is worth it. Once I become Luna, I’ll have whatever I want. I’ve calculated it–Silver Moon Pack is far wealthier.”
So this was who Vivian truly was. She had never openly asked Ryan for anything. I had once thought it was proof of her genuine
Chapter 5
love for him, but it had all been calculated.
She wanted more than just Ryan’s heart. She wanted his entire pack.
+20 Bonus
The rogues pocketed the Moon Crystal and grinned. “If you need us again, you know where to find us. We offer discounts for loyal
customers. Pleasure doing business with you.”
Vivian was in no mood to entertain them longer and waved them off.
“Ryan will be here soon. Get out. I expect you to honor our agreement, or I’ll have him hunt you down. You know what he’s
capable of.”
The rogues opened the door, only to find themselves face–to–face with Ryan. Panic–stricken, they instantly shifted into their
wolf forms and fled with tails between their legs.
Vivian failed to mask her terror. She had no idea Ryan had overheard everything. Clutching her chest, she threw herself into his
arms with tears streaming down her face.
“Alpha Ryan, you saw it! Tiana is still using rogue wolves to torment me just because I used the herbs she found. I’m so
frightened. I need your protection!”
Ryan’s grip tightened around her shoulders, his sharp claws digging into her flesh, making her yelp in pain.
He said harshly, “Tiana is dead. How could she possibly be summoning rogues to harass you? Even lies have limits. Don’t take me
for a fool.”
He knew everything now.
Vivian trembled with fear. The pain made her scream, “I love you, Ryan! Everything I did was for you! You call me a liar, but what
about you?
“I was only gone for a short while, and you found a new Luna. So why is it wrong for me to seek a stronger Alpha? You’re the real
hypocrite! You basked in Tiana’s devotion while still clinging to me.
“You’re the one who’s fickle and unfaithful!”
I had been Ryan’s Luna for years, and not once had I raised my voice at him. And yet, the words that should have come from my
mouth were now spoken by Vivian instead.
Ryan’s rage erupted–his claws slashed across her arm.
“I’ve never struck a she–wolf before, but you deserve a hundred times worse! I failed to see through your lies, but I won’t tolerate someone like you in my pack. Leave, or I’ll have your spine ripped out to accompany Tiana in the afterlife.”
Vivian clutched her wounds while sobbing. She knew exactly how merciless Ryan could be toward someone he didn’t love.
I had been proof of that. He had never personally harmed me, but he had allowed others to torment me, He excelled at breaking spirits while keeping his own hands clean.
2/3
Chapter 5
Vivian didn’t even have time to pack. She fled the pack in the dead of night.”
+20 Bonus
Ryan remained behind, pressing his hands against his face as he sank to his knees. His voice was hoarse as he whispered, “What
have I done…”
Ignoring my pleas, forcing blame onto me, and publicly shaming me before the entire pack…
Thinking he delivered justice, yet siccing rogue wolves on me as punishment. And in the end, turning his back on my cries for
help, letting me die from wolfsbane.
He had sworn to always protect me. Yet what right did he have to claim he ever loved me?
Every crime was his to bear.
If anyone deserved to die, it was him.
