Terrified of being torn apart, Johnny scrambled backward, his eyes darting wildly before landing on the sobbing Darcie. "It was her!" he shrieked, pointing a bloody finger at the Omega maid. "She stole the box! She threatened to frame me if I didn't help her run away! I had nothing to do with it!"

Darcie gasped, too paralyzed by Denisse's previous threat and the crushing class divide to defend herself. She just wept into the dirt.

Alpha Carlton's jaw tightened. His Inner Wolf sensed the holes in the wolfless man's frantic story, but with the esteemed Mason Alphas watching, he needed to bury this humiliating Russell Pack scandal immediately.

"Enough," Carlton commanded, his Alpha's Command rolling over the lake. "Butler, drag this thieving Omega to the Dungeon. The Elders will deal with her."

From the shadows of the weeping willows, I watched with cold satisfaction. My Inner White Wolf was dormant, but my instincts were razor-sharp. Darcie and Johnny were nothing but pathetic scapegoats, entirely unaware that I had orchestrated their downfall.

But Denisse wasn't satisfied. Seeing her grand plot to ruin me end with a mere servant's punishment, her jealousy flared. She needed the final nail in my coffin-the forged love letter she had ordered Darcie to plant in Johnny's pocket.

"Wait, Father!" Denisse stepped forward, feigning deep concern. "The study... important Pack territory maps and documents are kept there. What if they stole more than just jewelry? We must search them thoroughly to ensure no Pack secrets are leaked."

Alpha Derrick released a low, warning growl, his Inner Wolf deeply offended that a Russell female was demanding to search a Mason servant. But Carlton, eager to prove his Pack's security, nodded.

The Pack Butler quickly patted down the weeping Darcie, finding nothing. He then moved to the trembling Johnny. Reaching into the man's inner coat pocket, the Butler pulled out a folded piece of parchment.

"A document, Alpha," the Butler announced.

"Read it aloud," Carlton ordered, his tone leaving no room for argument.

The Butler unfolded the paper. Instantly, his face flushed a deep, embarrassed red. He stammered, his eyes darting nervously toward the Mason family, completely unable to speak.

Before Carlton could bark another order, Dixie, sensing blood in the water, snatched the letter from the Butler's hands. The low-ranking Omega had suffered under Jackie and Denisse for years, and she wasn't about to miss an opportunity.

"Oh, my!" Dixie gasped with exaggerated shock, her eyes gleaming maliciously as she read the words aloud for the entire lake to hear. *"My dearest Denver, my body aches for your touch. Meet me beneath the Ancient Pear Tree tonight. I am entirely yours."*

A deathly silence fell over the lake.

"What?!" Alpha Derrick roared. He ripped off his heavy leather riding boot and swung it brutally against Denver's head. "You dare sneak around with a Russell she-wolf behind our backs? You bring shame to the Mason Pack!"

Denver stumbled, clutching his bleeding lip. "Father, I swear I've never seen that letter!"

Jackie, her face ashen, rushed forward. "It's a setup! Someone is framing my daughter!"

But Carlton had already snatched the letter from Dixie's hands. I watched his eyes scan the neat, elegant handwriting. Then, his nostrils flared.

In the werewolf world, scent was absolute. When I knocked Johnny out, I hadn't just changed the signature from 'Ivy' to 'Denisse'. I had meticulously coated the parchment in Denisse's distinct, pungent rose scent, completely erasing my own crisp lily aroma.

The undeniable stench of roses hit Carlton's nose, confirming the horrifying truth. The handwriting was hers. The scent was hers.

Blind with rage and absolute humiliation, Carlton turned to Denisse. He didn't speak. He simply raised his hand and delivered a vicious, Alpha-strength slap across her face.

The sharp crack echoed like a gunshot. Denisse was thrown backward, crashing hard onto the cold stone pavement by the lake. Blood instantly welled at the corner of her mouth, and a nasty bruise began to form on her forehead.

"You shameless, disgusting wretch," Carlton snarled, his eyes glowing with lethal fury.

Denisse clutched her swelling cheek, sobbing hysterically as the reality of her ruined reputation crashed down upon her. She had no defense. The trap she built for me had snapped shut on her own neck.

Standing quietly in the silver moonlight, smelling faintly of pure lilies and rain, I allowed a small, chilling smile to touch my lips.

Chapter 7

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