"To the future of the Blackwood Pack," Genevieve murmured, her voice as smooth as silk. She took a delicate sip, her scent of winter roses and expensive perfume filling her lavish private sitting room.

I forced a smile and clinked my glass against hers. "To the future."

A flicker of unease gnawed at the edge of my conscience. The plan had been to ruin Seraphina's reputation, to make Kael reject her. But the hired Rogue... the brutal attack on a pregnant female... it was a line I hadn't fully prepared to cross.

Genevieve noticed my hesitation. Her sharp, calculating eyes pinned me down. "Do not let misplaced pity cloud your judgment, Isabelle. You are looking at this like a weak human, not a Luna." She set her glass down, her tone hardening. "That wolfless Omega was a parasite. The mongrel in her belly would have been a permanent stain on our pure bloodline. I simply cleansed our legacy."

Her words acted like a potent venom, paralyzing my guilt and replacing it with a intoxicating rush of ambition. She was right. Seraphina didn't belong here.

"Kael's soul is bleeding from the Rejection," Genevieve continued, stepping closer to touch my shoulder. "His inner wolf is in chaos. He needs an anchor. Go to him now. Be his comfort, and the Luna title is yours."

My heart raced. I nodded, leaving the sitting room and heading straight for the Alpha's office.

Before pushing open the heavy mahogany doors, I paused to unbutton the top two buttons of my silk blouse, ensuring the curve of my cleavage was perfectly visible. I took a deep breath, projecting my sweetest, most inviting scent, and walked in.

The air inside was suffocating. Kael's usually crisp scent of cedar and winter wind was soured by a raw, violent agony. He sat behind his massive desk, his head buried in his hands, fingers gripping his dark hair. I could practically feel his inner wolf, Fenrir, thrashing and howling in the confines of his mind, devastated by the severed mate-bond.

"Kael?" I whispered, walking around the desk. I perched on the edge of the polished wood, leaning in close so my perfume would wrap around him. "I'm so sorry you're hurting. I'm here for you. Whatever you need."

I reached out, letting my fingers brush against his tense shoulder.

He flinched, pulling away as if my touch burned. He lifted his head, and the emptiness in his eyes sent a chill down my spine. He wasn't looking at me; he was staring right through me.

"Thank you for your loyalty, Isabelle," he said, his voice mechanical, completely devoid of the Alpha heat I craved. "But I need to be alone."

Frustration flared hot in my chest. Even gone, that pathetic Omega's ghost still had its claws in him. The mate-bond was a stubborn, wretched thing.

Suddenly, Kael stiffened. His eyes glazed over for a fraction of a second-a Pack mind-link.

"Rogues spotted near the western border," he growled, his Alpha instincts momentarily overriding his grief. He stood up so fast his chair scraped loudly against the floor. Without another glance in my direction, he stormed out of the office, the heavy doors clicking shut behind him.

I let out a breath of pure annoyance, sliding off the desk.

Then, the screen of his phone, left carelessly on the leather blotter, lit up.

My eyes darted to the display. The name Seraphina flashed across the screen.

My blood ran cold. I snatched the phone before the screen could lock. I knew Kael's passcode-I had watched him type it a hundred times, pretending not to look. My fingers flew across the keyboard, unlocking the device.

My eyes scanned the glowing text.

I was attacked. I'm in the hospital. The baby... our baby is gone.

Panic seized my throat. If Kael saw this... if his Alpha protective instincts were triggered by the loss of his pup, he would tear the city apart to find her. He would ask questions. He would find out about the Rogue. He would find out about us.

The panic quickly morphed into a vicious, protective malice. I had come too far to let that wolfless bitch ruin my future with a pity plea.

My fingers flew across the keyboard, mimicking the cold, ruthless tone Kael had used since the Rejection.

Stop the lies, Seraphina. I don't care about your games. You are dead to me.

I hit send.

I watched the little 'delivered' notification pop up. Then, with methodical precision, I deleted the entire conversation-incoming and outgoing. I even cleared the "recently deleted" folder. I wiped her existence from the device entirely.

I set the phone back on the desk, exactly where Kael had left it. The office was dead silent, save for the steady ticking of the grandfather clock in the corner.

Chapter 6

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