Chapter 4 Deception's Web

Sofia

Sofia couldn't wipe the triumphant smile off her face as she stepped into the Frostfang mansion.

Light poured through the tall windows, catching the chandelier and bouncing off the marble like the universe was celebrating her victory.

Everything had gone exactly according to plan.

And yes, she fucking hated Juliet. She always had.

Not because Juliet was stronger or prettier-she wasn't.

But because somehow, that pathetic girl always got everything Sofia was supposed to have. Juliet was an Omega, low-born trash, raised with nothing. Yet the Moon Goddess still chose her. Gave her a mate.

A bond. A love match. True, fated, blessed.

Meanwhile, Sofia was the Luna's daughter.

First in line. Strong. Beautiful. Perfect.

And she was the one being handed off like livestock-a bargaining chip wrapped in designer clothes.

She was the one promised to a monster of an Alpha for a treaty, for power.

So once Sofia figured that out-yes, she made it her life's mission to destroy Juliet.

"Sofia!"

She turned. Her mother's voice echoed down the hallway, sharp as a blade. Her heels clicked frantically against the floor.

"Where the hell have you been? What happened last night?"

Sofia tilted her head, letting her shoulders drop just enough to look exhausted and traumatized, as though she'd been through absolute hell.

Cara Walton was intelligent, calculating, and utterly ruthless.

"Mother," Sofia said quietly, "we need to talk. Alone."

Luna Cara's gaze flicked to the staff hovering nearby.

With a sharp gesture, she dismissed them, then dragged Sofia into her study and slammed the door.

"The Alpha of Blackwood is on his way," she snapped. "He's absolutely furious. Where's Juliet? What happened to the arrangement?"

"Relax, Mother. I've got this completely under control." Sofia settled onto the velvet couch like she owned the world. She crossed her legs and took her sweet time, letting her mother squirm.

She chose each word like a weapon, designed to soothe and redirect. Let her mother focus on Juliet's flaws, not her own role in this masterpiece.

"Juliet did what she always does," she finally said. "She wanted something that was never meant for trash like her."

Her mother's eyes narrowed dangerously. "What are you saying?"

"She went to him. To the Alpha. Before I could."

Luna Cara's face went ghost-white. "But... the contract. The alliance..."

Sofia stood and walked over to the bar. She poured just enough bourbon to feel the burn and let it slide down her throat. It helped calm her nerves.

"I'm handling it."

Then she deliberately slammed her hip into the sharp edge of the desk. Pain exploded up her side, and she bit her lip hard enough to draw blood.

"Sofia!" her mother gasped. "Stop!"

She didn't. Instead, Sofia grabbed the curtain cord and dragged it across both wrists. Red welts flared up instantly. Perfect.

"Making it look authentic," she said, her voice tight but steady.

Luna Cara stared, then nodded slowly with grudging admiration. "You're going to pin everything on her."

"Obviously."

Sofia pinched her cheeks until her eyes watered naturally. "She's been a liability forever. Now she'll be his problem."

"But if she's his..."

Her mother stopped, the implications hitting her.

"His mate?" Sofia scoffed with pure venom. "Please. The Moon Goddess wouldn't be that cruel."

She heard engines outside, tires crunching on gravel. The Alpha had arrived.

Luna Cara peeked through the curtain, her voice dropping to a whisper. "He's here. With his Beta. And enough guards to level this place."

Sofia nodded confidently. "I've got this. Just follow my lead."

"And Juliet?"

Sofia's smile was pure ice. Not sweet. Not kind. Just absolutely lethal.

"By the time he finds her-if he ever does-she'll be completely broken. No Alpha wants something that damaged."

Her mother's lips curved in cold pride. "My brilliant daughter."

The Frostfang Pack's meeting room was designed to intimidate.

Dark wood panels covered the walls, mounted wolf heads stared down like silent judges, and a massive table carved from ancient redwood commanded the center.

Most visitors found it overwhelming.

But Alpha Kaius Blair was not most visitors.

He stood like a storm barely contained, his golden eyes burning with barely restrained fury, his presence filling the room like toxic gas. Even Sofia's father looked like he wanted to disappear into his chair.

"Where is she?" Alpha Kaius asked, not bothering with pleasantries. His voice was low and lethal, like the calm before an earthquake.

"I assure you, Alpha Kaius, we are desperately trying to understand what happened," Alpha Walton said. He sounded calm, but Sofia could see panic in his white knuckles. "The arrangement was crystal clear-"

"I'm not interested in your excuses," Kaius interrupted with ice in his voice. "Last night, an Omega was delivered to my suite. It was not Sofia Walton. Where is that Omega?"

The room went dead silent. Her mother gave Sofia the slightest nod. Showtime.

Sofia took a deep breath. She opened the door and leaned against the frame, her hair deliberately mussed, clothes artfully torn, with fresh bruises marking her wrists and hip-all strategically visible.

"Alpha Kaius," she said softly, letting genuine exhaustion creep into her voice. "Thank the Moon Goddess you're here."

Every eye in the room turned to her. Alpha Kaius focused on her face with laser intensity.

"Sofia Walton," he said with arctic coldness. "Explain."

She stepped forward, tears streaming down her cheeks on cue. "It was Juliet. My adopted sister. She's always been... unstable."

"Your sister?" he asked.

"Not by blood," Sofia said quickly. "She's an Omega we took in as charity when she was young. My parents wanted to help her. But she's always been consumed with jealousy. Jealous of everything I have."

Her mother moved to her side, placing a protective arm around Sofia's shoulders.

"Juliet became obsessed with you," she said. "When she discovered the arrangement between our families, she completely lost her mind."

Sofia let out a broken sob. "She attacked me last night. Tied me up and locked me in the basement storage room. She stole the moonflower extract we keep for medical emergencies. Then she took my place."

"Moonflower?" asked Ethan.

"It's a powerful aphrodisiac," Alpha Walton explained. "In large doses, it can artificially trigger heat cycles. It's dangerous as hell, but extremely effective."

Alpha Kaius's entire demeanor shifted. His jaw clenched, and Sofia saw the muscle jumping in his cheek.

"You expect me to believe," he said, his voice dropping to something deadly quiet, "that an Omega overpowered an Alpha female and orchestrated this entire deception on her own?"

"Yes," Sofia said, forcing herself to meet his terrifying gaze. "She wanted to carry your child. She thought it would give her power and status she could never earn."

His eyes went completely black. Alpha Kaius began pacing, every step measured but radiating violence.

"You expect me to believe that this Omega drugged herself and manipulated me," he said. "That she planned this elaborate scheme without any help?"

"Juliet isn't like other Omegas," her mother said. "She's dangerously unpredictable. We gave her too much freedom, too much education. It was our mistake."

Alpha Kaius stopped dead. He turned and pinned Sofia with a stare that could have melted steel. She forced herself to stay still and not look away.

"Different how?"

Sofia swallowed hard, keeping her voice soft and wounded. "Juliet's always been... unnaturally clever. She can read people like books, twist emotions to get exactly what she wants."

She paused, letting her eyes drop as if the truth physically pained her. "She's also obsessed with chemistry and medicine. Always experimenting, always studying. It made her... calculating. And extremely dangerous."

She lifted her gaze again, selling perfect vulnerability. "I was sick for most of my childhood. Bedridden a lot. Juliet was my closest friend, my sister in everything but blood. I trusted her completely. I never imagined she'd use that knowledge to destroy me."

A muscle twitched violently in Kaius's jaw. Something dark flickered in his eyes.

He studied Sofia with predatory focus. The bruises. The tears. Too perfect. Too convenient.

"An Omega that calculating," Alpha Kaius said slowly, his golden eyes still locked on Sofia's face like a lie detector. "That's... exceptionally rare."

"Very," Alpha Walton replied quickly, grateful the spotlight had shifted from their failure. "We've always had serious concerns about her psychological state. She has an... unnatural talent for manipulation. We thought we could control her, guide her properly. Clearly, we were catastrophically wrong."

Alpha Kaius turned to face him with laser focus.

"No more mistakes."

The room went tomb-silent.

"Find her," he said. "Bring Juliet to me. Alive."

"And the contract between our packs?" Alpha Walton asked very carefully.

"Suspended," Alpha Kaius said with brutal finality. "I didn't come here for politics. I came for a mate. The Moon Goddess gave me one."

Luna Cara stiffened but said nothing. A flash of pure jealousy crossed Sofia's eyes.

He stepped forward. Calm, but absolutely lethal.

"If Juliet drugged herself... if she forced a false bond... then she is not my mate. She's an abomination."

Deathly silence.

"I only need one heir," he finished. "I don't need your political games."

The words hit like bullets.

"Of course," Alpha Walton said quickly. "We'll use every resource at our disposal."

Sofia smiled internally. Phase one: complete success.

Now she just had to make sure Juliet stayed gone forever.