Chapter 5

Elyse POV

The dull throb in my bruised hip was a lingering reminder of Jace's brutality yesterday, but as I walked into the Great Hall the next afternoon, my soul had never felt lighter. The suffocating weight of the mate bond was gone. I was a ghost haunting a house I no longer belonged to, waiting for the perfect moment to vanish.

I found Ciera standing in the center of the cavernous room, her arms crossed as she glared at the main wall.

Hanging there was the Moon-Blessed Tapestry of the First Alpha. Woven centuries ago with the platinum hair of the first Luna, it depicted a massive silver dire wolf bathed in moonlight. It was the sacred heart of the Silvermoon Pack, radiating a faint, ancient energy.

Ciera reached out, poking the edge of the priceless fabric with a manicured fingernail. She wrinkled her nose. "It smells like dust and death."

"It smells like history, Ciera," I said, my voice echoing coldly against the stone walls. "Like glory. Some things hold a value that cannot be measured by money."

She spun around, rolling her eyes. "Please. Jace is the Alpha. He can have whatever he wants. It's just an old, dark rag that ruins the aesthetic of the room. I'm going to have him take it down and put up a massive portrait of Leo and me. He could buy ten new tapestries anyway."

Her sheer ignorance was staggering, but it was exactly the weakness I needed.

Just then, Leo sprinted into the hall, his sneakers squeaking against the polished floor. In his hand, he gripped an open box of dark purple grape juice, swinging it wildly.

The trap was set. I just needed to hand her the bait.

"You should control him, Ciera," I said, keeping my tone perfectly even, though I laced it with a subtle challenge to her authority. "The Elders have made it clear that the relic's integrity is tied to the Alpha's power. If it is damaged, it will be viewed as a terrible omen for our Pack's future."

Ciera's face flushed with immediate, predictable anger. She hated being told what to do, especially by me.

"Don't use the Elders to scare me, Elyse!" she snapped, stepping protectively in front of her son. "This will be my home soon, and I make the rules! Leo, baby, go play. Ignore her."

Encouraged by his mother's defiance, Leo flashed me a malicious, childish grin. He ran directly toward the wall, raised his arm, and squeezed the juice box with all his might.

A thick arc of dark purple liquid splashed across the center of the tapestry.

The sweet, sticky juice soaked into the ancient platinum threads, blurring the blessed runes and staining the silver wolf like a deep, bleeding wound. Ciera and Leo erupted into a fit of giggles, completely oblivious to the magnitude of what they had just done.

A cold thrill of triumph washed over me.

Before the laughter could fade, the heavy oak doors of the Great Hall swung open. Elder Marcus stepped inside.

He had come to question Jace about his recent erratic behavior, but the moment his eyes landed on the desecrated tapestry, he froze. The air in the room instantly dropped ten degrees. The suffocating, oppressive aura of his ancient Inner Wolf flooded the hall, choking the laughter right out of Ciera's throat.

"What is the meaning of this?" Elder Marcus thundered, his face turning a dangerous shade of purple.

"It was an accident," Ciera stammered, shrinking back. "Just a child's prank. We'll wipe it clean-"

"Wipe it clean?" Marcus roared, stepping forward. "This is not a stain, you foolish woman! This is sacrilege! It is a direct insult to the Moon Goddess herself!"

Ciera trembled, pulling Leo behind her.

Marcus turned his furious gaze toward the empty Alpha's chair. "By the oldest laws of this Pack, the sin of desecrating a holy relic falls upon the Alpha who allowed it. In the name of the Elders' Council, I hereby freeze Jace's access to the Alpha's Discretionary Fund immediately. Not a single dime will be spent until a full purification ritual is paid for and completed to appease the Goddess."

Ciera let out a horrified shriek. The Discretionary Fund was the source of all her lavish shopping sprees and luxurious lifestyle. In a matter of seconds, her endless wealth had been severed.

"Guards!" Marcus barked. Two Pack warriors rushed in. "Watch her. She does not leave this hall until the Alpha returns to answer for this disgrace."

As Ciera collapsed onto a sofa, sobbing hysterically over her ruined finances and public humiliation, I took a quiet step back into the shadows.

"Oh dear," I whispered softly, my voice dripping with feigned sympathy. "This is going to be very bad for Jace."