Chapter 6

Ivy POV

"Ivy?" Carlton's voice was a low, dangerous rumble, laced with the suffocating weight of his Alpha aura. He stepped forward, his jaw tight. "What is the meaning of this? You abandon your duties to our esteemed guests to play in the dirt?"

I didn't flinch. Keeping my eyes lowered in a picture of perfect, submissive innocence, I gently set the last floating candle onto the rippling water.

"Forgive me, Father," I murmured, my voice soft but carrying clearly in the crisp autumn air. "Tonight is the full moon. The Moon Goddess's power is at its absolute peak. I came here to pray for the health of our High Luna Josephine, and for the continued prosperity of the Russell Pack."

A heavy silence fell over the lake. The oppressive Alpha aura rolling off Carlton instantly dissipated, replaced by a flicker of surprise.

Luna Jean Mason stepped forward, her eyes softening with genuine warmth. "Such a pure, devoted heart," she praised, turning to Carlton. "You are truly blessed, Alpha Carlton. A girl who honors the Moon Goddess and her Luna above her own vanity is a rare gem."

Denisse's face twisted into an ugly sneer, her eyes flashing red with jealousy. "Devoted? Or just desperate for attention to mask her wolfless incompetence?"

"Denisse," Jean said, her tone cool and sharp enough to slice glass. "Piety is never incompetence."

Denisse snapped her mouth shut, her cheeks burning with humiliation.

Beside her, Denver Mason was staring at me as if seeing me for the very first time. The silver moonlight illuminated my pale blue gown, but it was my scent-the crisp, intoxicating blend of lilies and rain-that had him hooked. His newly shifted Dire Wolf, which had previously viewed me with disgust, was now pacing restlessly in his mind, thoroughly captivated.

Puffing out his chest, Denver approached me, a charming, arrogant smile playing on his lips. "It is a beautiful gesture, Ivy. Perhaps I could join you in your prayers?"

I felt a surge of pure, venomous hatred at the sight of him, remembering the agonizing ruin he had planned for me in my past life. But I kept my expression perfectly serene.

"Thank you, Denver," I replied, my tone polite but freezing cold. "But prayers to the Goddess require absolute silence and solitude."

Denver's smile faltered, his Alpha pride stinging from the public rejection. Before he could push the matter, the heavy crunch of boots on gravel shattered the quiet night.

"Alpha Carlton!"

The Pack Butler emerged from the garden path, flanked by two Warriors. They were dragging two limp figures through the dirt. With a rough shove, they dumped them at Carlton's feet. It was Darcie, Denisse's Omega maid, and Johnny, the wolfless servant Denver had hired.

"We found them unconscious near the ruined boundary wall," the Butler reported, holding up a familiar velvet box. "They were attempting to flee the territory with stolen goods."

"My emerald box!" Dixie shrieked, lunging forward. "I knew it! Filthy little thieves!"

The color drained entirely from Denisse and Denver's faces. They stared at the unconscious servants, sheer panic replacing their earlier arrogance. They realized instantly that their meticulously crafted trap hadn't just failed-it had completely collapsed on top of them.

If Darcie woke up and spoke, Denisse was ruined.

Moving with desperate, frantic speed, Denisse rushed forward and slapped Darcie hard across the face. The sharp crack echoed over the lake.

Darcie gasped, her eyes fluttering open in a daze.

"You treacherous, ungrateful wretch!" Denisse screamed, unleashing the full, suffocating weight of her high-rank Female aura. It slammed into the low-level Omega, forcing Darcie to her knees. "You stole from my family to elope with this Mason Pack filth? Confess your sins right now, before the Alpha tears you limb from limb!"

Darcie looked up, her eyes wide with terror. She saw the murderous warning in Denisse's gaze. She was a sacrificial lamb, and if she didn't take the fall, Denisse would ensure her death was slow and agonizing.

"I... I did it!" Darcie sobbed, trembling violently under the aura. "I'm sorry! We just wanted to run away!"

A terrifying, guttural snarl ripped through the air. Alpha Derrick Mason's eyes glowed a lethal, glowing gold. The idea that a servant of his Pack was involved in a petty theft and elopement on Russell territory was a humiliating stain on his honor.

"You dare shame the Mason Pack?" Derrick roared.

He didn't even use his hands. Derrick stepped forward and delivered a brutal, bone-shattering kick to Johnny's ribs. The wolfless man flew backward, crashing into the dirt. Johnny coughed violently, spraying dark blood onto the grass, his fragile body completely broken by the Alpha's wrath.

Denver scrambled backward, his face ashen, desperately trying to distance himself from his own hired pawn. "Father, I swear, I knew nothing of his disgusting behavior!"

I stood quietly in the shadows of the weeping willows, the scent of lilies masking the cold, calculating smile on my lips. Johnny was bleeding out, terrified and desperate. And a desperate rat would always bite the closest hand to survive.