Chapter 8

Ivy POV

The sharp crack of Carlton's slap still echoed over the Moon Lake. Denisse lay crumpled on the cold stone pavement, her pristine dress ruined, the pungent scent of her rose pheromones souring with sheer panic.

"Alpha Carlton, please!" Jackie shrieked, throwing her wolfless body onto the hard ground. She crawled toward him, her eyes darting frantically before locking onto me with pure, venomous hatred. "Someone is framing her! Look at Ivy! She was out here alone!"

I didn't flinch. I simply widened my eyes, letting my crisp, innocent scent of lilies and rain waft gently into the night air. I was the despised, wolfless fifth daughter. The idea that I could perfectly forge a high-rank female's handwriting and extract her exact scent was laughable.

Before Carlton could even entertain Jackie's desperate deflection, Alpha Derrick Mason unleashed a terrifying roar. He delivered another brutal kick to Denver's ribs. "You pathetic fool!"

The suffocating weight of Derrick's Alpha aura pressed down on the courtyard. Johnny, the fragile wolfless servant, completely broke under the crushing pressure. He sobbed hysterically, blood dripping from his chin. "It was her! Miss Denisse gave me the letter! She paid me to plant it! I swear to the Moon Goddess!"

"Shut up! You lying filth!" Denisse shrieked. Losing whatever shred of dignity she had left, she lunged at the bleeding servant, scratching and kicking him like a rabid dog.

"Disgusting," Elder Augusta spat, her gray eyes filled with absolute revulsion. Her Inner Wolf was thoroughly nauseated by the display. She slammed her heavy cane against the stone. "Carlton, you will clean up this humiliating mess. If you do not properly discipline this shameless she-wolf, I will strip her of her title and banish her to rot in The Dead Lands."

Without another word, the highest Elder of the Russell Pack turned and marched away, taking Denisse's last pillar of protection with her.

Alpha Derrick's chest heaved. Desperate to salvage the Mason Pack's honor from this sordid scandal, he glared at Carlton. "There is only one way to fix this. A forced mating. Denver will take her as his wife immediately."

Carlton's eyes flashed with calculation. He desperately needed the Mason Pack's military alliance to counter his growing political rival at the Royal Court, Alpha Fernando Navarro of the Southern Blood Pack. "Agreed," Carlton said firmly.

"No!" Denisse screamed, scrambling backward. Her Inner Wolf, bloated with arrogance, recoiled at the thought. "I will not marry this coward! I am going to be a royal! I am going to marry Alpha Prince Darius Wright!"

Luna Jean Mason let out a sharp, grating laugh that cut through the night. "A royal? With your reputation, you belong in the gutters."

Humiliated beyond measure in front of his esteemed guests, Carlton's fury boiled over. He stepped forward and delivered a second, Alpha-fueled backhand across Denisse's face. She flew backward, her head cracking against the hard stone edge of the lake. Blood spilled from her split lip.

"You dare reject my command?" Carlton roared.

Alpha Derrick sneered, his pride deeply wounded by the rejection. "Clearly, your she-wolf is entirely unworthy of the Mason Pack." He delivered one final, disgusted kick to Denver. "Get up. We are leaving."

Carlton watched in silent panic as his crucial political alliance evaporated into the night. He turned back to Denisse, raising his hand to strike her again.

"Have mercy!" Jackie cried, throwing herself over her bleeding daughter. "She and Prince Darius are deeply in love! She still has value!"

"A loving mother breeds a ruined daughter!" Carlton spat, his voice dripping with venom. He leaned down, mercilessly shattering Denisse's delusional dreams. "Darius is no conquering hero. He is returning to the capital as a defeated criminal. And even if he weren't, Former Luna Queen Florence has already arranged for him to take Adamaris Navarro as his Chosen Mate. After tonight, you aren't even fit to be his lowest mistress!"

Denisse's face drained of all color. She shook her head frantically, her Inner Wolf whining in absolute, soul-crushing despair.

Carlton threw the dirt-stained, forged letter directly into her bleeding face and stormed off toward the estate.

Standing quietly in the shadows of the weeping willows, I allowed a cold, mocking smile to touch my lips. Carlton didn't know the half of it. My past life had taught me exactly what was coming. Darius wouldn't just return defeated; he would be stripped of his military power entirely. Denisse's grand royal fantasy was dead, and her nightmare was only just beginning.