Chapter 3

*Fated mate.*

Those words drove into my chest like a silver blade, twisting cold and mercilessly.

"Fated mate?" My voice was pure ice. "Ethan, you and I are already mated. Have you forgotten the vows we swore before the Moon Goddess seven years ago?"

"I haven't forgotten," he gritted his teeth. "But Lily is my true mate. What we had... it was just a political alliance. Clara, you should understand this better than anyone. An Alpha's bloodline needs to thrive, and Lily can give me stronger heirs."

*A political alliance?*

Seven years of love and devotion, reduced to nothing more than political convenience.

"So you brought her into my territory? Into my home?" My voice shook, not with sorrow, but with searing rage. "Ethan, this is Silver Creek Pack, and I am its Luna! You have no right to smuggle an outsider into our borders, let alone install her inside the Alpha manor!"

"Your territory?" He let out a harsh bark of laughter. "Clara, don't forget that I am the Alpha! Silver Creek belongs to me. I don't need your permission to invite anyone here. What's the big deal about letting Lily stay for a few days? Swallow your pride and tolerate it for my sake!"

"Tolerate it?" Disgust bubbled up inside me. "Why the hell should I? Ethan, either she walks out that door right now, or I go straight to the Alpha King to demand the severing of our mate bond!"

"Sever our bond?" Ethan looked at me as if I had told a joke. "Clara, who do you think you're going to find that's better than me? Don't let your Alpha blood get to your head. Without the Silver Creek Pack, you are nothing!"

His words were dull blades, hacking away at the past. After seven years, he genuinely saw me as nothing more than a dependent parasite living in his shadow.

Lily burst into theatrical sobs, clutching Ethan's sleeve. "It's all my fault... Ethan, please don't fight with Luna Clara because of me. I'll leave. I'll just go back to Red Stone..."

"You're not going anywhere!" Ethan pulled her behind him and glared at me. "Clara, hear me loud and clear: Lily stays. If you dare kick her out, I'll strip your standing in this pack. I'll make sure you remember who the real Alpha is!"

An outright threat.

I stared at Ethan. My inner wolf roared in fury, the Alpha blood in my veins blazing hot. Without hesitation, I swung my arm and slapped him across the face with enough force to send him stumbling two steps back.

"That slap was for me," I said, my voice dead and chilling. "Ethan, the mate bond was forged under the moon. You don't get the final say, and neither do I. But I will bring this before the Alpha King and let him judge you. Just you wait."