Chapter 3

In the past, whenever he gave me this tired, devoted look, my heart would soften.

I would believe he was sacrificing so much for his career, and I would give him my last cent.

"Play along?" I sneered. "Does playing along require buying her a limited-edition star gown? Does it require a pink diamond ring? Does it require naming an adopted child after my dead baby?!"

Nathan froze.

But he quickly regained his composure.

"Scarlett, those are just props provided by the Stone Creek Pack. I didn't buy them. As for the name... it’s just a coincidence. Vanessa insisted on it, and I had to compromise for the bigger picture."

He stepped closer, grabbing my shoulders tightly. His eyes were so full of fake devotion they could have dripped oil.

"Babe, you have to trust me. Everything I do is for our future. Once this formula passes final approval, I will easily inherit the Alpha position. When that day comes, I will announce to the entire werewolf community that you, Scarlett Vance, are my one and only Luna!"

"Just give me a little more time, okay?"

I stared at him, saying nothing.

If I hadn't seen the genuine, deep satisfaction on his face when he kissed Vanessa on stage... If I hadn’t noticed the boy's facial features, which were a carbon copy of his...

I might have actually believed him.

Besides, it had been seven years, and he had never Marked me. Every time I brought it up, he made excuses about waiting for the formula.

Now I finally understood. He never planned on making me his real wife.

"Fine," I said, forcing a tight, mocking smile.

Nathan let out a massive sigh of relief.

"I knew my wife was the most understanding woman in the world." He reached out to hug me.

I pushed him away.

"I'm tired. I’m going home."

Without waiting for his response, I turned, opened the door, and walked out without looking back.

Behind me, Nathan didn’t follow.

He probably thought I was just like before—easily pacified by a few sweet words.

He didn’t know that the moment I turned my back, my tears had completely dried up.

All that was left was a freezing coldness and a burning desire to drag him down to hell with me.

When I got back to my apartment, it was already late at night.

The place was empty and quiet.

Because of my hidden identity, I chose not to live in the Silvercrest Packhouse, renting my own apartment instead.

Nathan barely visited once a month anyway.

I walked over to the cabinet, poured myself a shot of strong whiskey, and downed it.

The burning liquid slid down my throat, but it couldn't warm my frozen heart.

I pulled out my phone and dialed the number of my trusted Beta, Jen.

"Jen, run a background check on Vanessa Hart. Also, do a complete audit on every asset I’ve transferred to Nathan over the past seven years. I want to see where every single dollar went, down to the last cent."

On the other end of the line, Jen paused before her sharp instincts kicked in.

"Scarlett, are we finally making our move?"

"No," I said, staring at the dark night outside. My voice was as cold as winter. "It's time for the slaughter."

After hanging up, I opened my laptop and logged into my secure account.

I began searching for "Vanessa Hart" across various social media platforms.

A woman who loved to show off as much as she did was bound to leave a massive digital footprint.

Sure enough, it didn't take long to find her public profiles.

Her bio read: *Lifestyle influencer, wife of the Alpha’s son.*

She had over a million followers.

I clicked on her feed. It was filled with posts showcasing an insanely luxurious lifestyle.