Chapter 7 7

Elara POV

At 5:00 AM, the manor was a tomb of gray shadows and suffocating silence.

I waited until the steady, heavy rhythm of Declan's breathing echoed faintly from the master suite upstairs. Because I was wolfless, my scent-a fragile trace of petrichor and wild freesia-was practically nonexistent. It was the only advantage I had against an Alpha's heightened senses.

Like a ghost, I slipped back into the Alpha's Study. The computer monitor cast a pale glow over the mahogany desk. My heart hammered against my ribs, a frantic bird trapped in my chest, as I reached for the wire tray marked *Completed*.

I sifted through the heavy parchment Blood Pacts, the friction of the paper sounding like gunshots in the quiet room. Then, my fingers brushed standard printer paper. I pulled it out.

*Termination of the Bloodline Continuation Agreement.*

At the bottom, in bold, aggressive black ink, was Declan's signature.

A breathless gasp escaped my lips. I quickly folded the document, shoving it deep into the pocket of my silk robe. I didn't stop there. I hurried to my hidden safe in the East Wing study, grabbed my burner phone, and snapped three clear photos of the signed page. I uploaded them to an encrypted cloud server.

The physical copy was my shield; the digital copy was my absolute insurance. For the first time in four years, I held the key to my own cage.

Two hours later, the digital clock on the microwave read 7:00 AM. I stood in the cavernous main kitchen, the cold granite seeping through my socks.

Declan walked in, fully dressed in a tailored charcoal suit. The oppressive scent of smoked cedarwood and cold steel instantly choked the room. He didn't look at me as he poured a cup of black coffee.

"Karly and Ava are moving in at noon," he announced, his voice a flat, corporate decree. "They will be taking the master suite."

The words were designed to break me, but the folded paper burning against my thigh kept my spine straight. "And where exactly am I supposed to go?"

"The East Wing," Declan replied coldly, finally turning his piercing gaze on me. "The Omega quarters. From today onward, you will present yourself to the Pack staff as a distant, wolfless relative seeking charity. You will not contradict Karly's authority. You will remain unseen."

"You can't just erase me from this house-"

A wall of freezing, invisible pressure slammed into my chest. Declan's eyes flashed with the feral gold of his Inner Wolf. His *Alpha's Command* wrapped around my vocal cords like barbed wire, forcing my mouth shut.

*"You have until noon to clear your belongings,"* his voice vibrated through my skull, demanding absolute submission. *"Do not make me repeat myself, Omega."*

He walked out, leaving me gasping for air in the sterile kitchen. He thought he had just stripped me of everything. He had no idea he had just given me the perfect cover to plan my war.

By 12:00 PM, I was standing in a cramped, dusty room at the far end of the East Wing. The walls were paper-thin, and the single window barely opened.

Through the smudged glass, I watched three black SUVs and a massive moving truck pull up the gravel driveway. Declan stepped out of the lead car, his face breaking into that rare, genuine smile as he opened the door for Karly and little Ava.

Karly stepped out, looking like a conquering queen in a designer trench coat. She immediately pointed up at the Luna's balcony-*my* balcony-a triumphant smirk playing on her lips.

My stomach twisted, but the real blow came moments later.

Low-ranking Pack members began hauling items out of the manor's side doors, tossing them carelessly toward a dumpster. I saw the faded floral armchair that had belonged to my mother. Then, a young Warrior walked out carrying a small, hand-carved wooden rocking horse.

The breath left my lungs. I had spent months carving that horse for Leo before he died. It was the only piece of my son I had left outside of his urn. The Warrior tossed it into the metal dumpster without a second glance.

A violent tremor shook my hands. They weren't just moving in; they were actively desecrating my memories. They were erasing my dead child to make room for his living one.

I pressed my hand against my pocket, feeling the crisp edges of the folded termination agreement. The agonizing grief slowly hardened into a cold, impenetrable armor.

My stomach let out a hollow, painful growl. The adrenaline of the morning was fading, leaving me physically drained and starving. I needed fuel. I turned away from the window and headed toward the main kitchen, ready to face whatever new hell the Alpha's mistress had prepared for me.