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Scott’s face drained of color, and for the first time, he looked shaken. He glanced at me, his lips parting as if to speak, but I didn’t wait to hear what he had to say.
The rain poured harder, drenching me as I knelt once more beside my mother‘ s desecrated grave. My hands hovered over the earth, trembling.
“Mom,” I whispered, my voice breaking. “I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you.”
The weight of Scott’s betrayal, Winona‘ s cruelty, and the loss of my mother crushed me in that moment. But as the rain washed over me, something inside began to shift. My wolf, silent and restrained for so long, stirred faintly.
Not yet.
But soon.
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I stood, my soaked dress clinging to me, and turned away from Scott and Winona without another word. Their voices faded into the background as I walked away from the cemetery, each step heavier than the last.
The storm raging within me was far from over, but I vowed then and there that I would rise above this. Scott had betrayed me, but he would regret the day he chose
her over me.
One way or another, I would make them all
pay.
“What nonsense are you talking about? How is that possible?” Scott’s voice. cracked, his usual confidence evaporating. His wide, disbelieving eyes darted between me and the phone in his hand, his
knuckles white from gripping it too tightly.
“It’s true, Alpha,” the voice on the other end confirmed.
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Chapter 4: Luna’s Resolved (Ariana’s POV)
Scott lowered the phone, his face as pale as the moonlight breaking through the storm. clouds above. Slowly, he turned toward me, kneeling in the dirt, frantically gathering the rain–soaked ashes of my mother. The urn lay tipped over, forgotten.
“Ariana…” His voice wavered as he crouched beside me. “I didn‘ t know… I’ll help you. Please-”
“Don’t you dare touch my mother!” I snarled, slapping his hands away. The growl that followed tore from my chest, raw and primal, my wolf raging inside me despite her silence.
Scott flinched as if struck, his hands frozen in the air. “Ariana, I… I didn’t kill her. I thought-”
“You thought what?” I stood abruptly, my fists clenched, fury rippling through me like a storm. “You thought she was fine? That everything was okay while you were off with her?” I spat the word like venom, glaring toward Winona, who watched us
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from a distance with feigned innocence.
“Ariana, I swear I didn‘ t know she was
“You want to know why, Scott? Fine. I’ll tell you why.” My voice broke, but I pushed forward, the memories slicing through me like a blade. “Do you remember our mating ceremony? My mother woke up at three in the morning to help me get ready. She was so excited. She wanted to see her daughter happy, standing beside the man she believed was perfect
for me.”
Scott’s lips parted, his face stricken, but I didn’t let him speak.
“She told everyone how lucky we were. How proud she was to call you her son–in- law. She loved you, Scott. She believed in you, even more than I ever did.”
I stepped closer, the distance between us shrinking as my anger towered over him.
“We waited for you. Morning turned into
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noon. Noon turned into night. I called you dozens of times, Scott. My mother defended you every single time, telling everyone you must have had a good reason for being late. She was humiliated in front. of the entire pack, but she still believed in you.”
I paused, my breath hitching as the painful memory clawed its way to the surface. “By midnight, the guests were gone. My mother -she was exhausted, Scott. She wasn’t well, but she kept waiting. She kept saying you’d show up, that you’d never abandon us. And then…”
My voice faltered, but I forced myself to continue. “And then her heart gave out. She collapsed right there, wearing the dress. she had picked out for our mating
ceremony. She died, Scott. She died waiting for you, still holding on to that undying trust she had in you.”
Scott staggered back as if struck, his mouth opening and closing, but no words came.
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Chapter 4: Luna’s Resolved (Ariana’s POV)
“And where were you?” I demanded, my voice trembling with fury. “You were with her. With Winona. At a funeral for her
damn pet.
Tears streamed down my face as I pointed toward the ground where my mother‘ s ashes lay scattered. “She trusted you, Scott. I trusted you. And this… this is what we got in return.”
“I–I didn’t know…” he stammered, his voice barely above a whisper. “Ariana, I didn’t mean for this to happen. I’m so sorry.”
I laughed bitterly, the sound hollow and filled with pain. “Sorry? Do you think. sorry can bring her back? Do you think sorry can fix this?”
Scott fell silent, his head bowed, tears. glistening in his eyes. But his regret meant nothing to me now.
“You let Winona bury her dog in my mother‘ s grave,” I said coldly, my voice
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devoid of the warmth it once held for him. “That alone tells me everything I need to know about the man you‘ ve become.”
His head snapped up, his eyes wide with shock. “I didn’t know-”
“Enough!” I cut him off, my voice a low growl. “You don‘ t deserve my forgiveness, and you‘ Il never have it. You betrayed us both.”
I turned away, clutching the urn at my chest. Each step felt heavier than the last as I walked past Scott, his silence louder than any apology he could muster.
As I neared Winona, she didn’t even try to hide the smirk on her face. Her victory was written in every smug line of her expression.
I stopped in front of her, meeting her gaze with unflinching resolve. “How does it feel to win?”
She raised an eyebrow, her smirk widening, but I didn’t wait for her
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(
response. I walked away, the rain masking the tears that refused to stop falling.
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