Adeline POV:
"Ahhh! Help! It hurts so much!"
A horrifying, theatrical shriek tore through the cheerful noise of the pack's annual gala.
The heavy thud of a body tumbling down the marble staircase silenced the grand ballroom. Werewolves rushed over from all directions, the crowd growing thicker by the second.
I stood frozen at the top landing of the second floor. I stared blankly down at Dayana Winters, who lay crumpled on the plush runner at the bottom, and then looked at my own hands, completely bewildered.
"How did she fall down the stairs?" someone asked in shock.
"She... she..." Dayana choked out, tears spilling from her beautiful eyes. She lifted a trembling finger, pointing directly at me.
"It was Adeline! The Luna pushed her!" "Goddess! How could she be so vicious? Dayana is carrying her late brother-in-law's pup! That is Arthur's only remaining bloodline!"
Faced with the overwhelming wave of accusations, the color drained from my face. "No, no..." I hadn't even touched her!
"Move!"
A low, booming voice sliced through the chaotic crowd. The sheer force of his Alpha aura slammed into the room, forcing the weaker wolves to instinctively bare their necks in submission.
It was Alston Roman. The Alpha of the pack, and my fated mate of less than two months.
"Alston..." My eyes filled with tears of relief. I stumbled down the stairs, my inner wolf whining, instinctively wanting to rely on our mate for support. "Alston, please..."
But Alston's head snapped up, and his gaze landed on me like a physical blade. "Look at what you've done!"
My breath hitched. "No!" I denied immediately, my voice cracking. "It wasn't me! You have to believe me!"
I reached out, my trembling fingers desperately trying to grasp his sleeve.
Slap.
He struck my hand away as if I were a disease. The absolute disgust in his eyes ripped my heart out. My inner wolf whimpered, pressing herself against the bars of my mind in sheer agony.
"If it wasn't you, then who?" he roared, his eyes flashing pitch-black-his inner wolf surfacing in pure, unadulterated fury. "Are you telling me Dayana threw herself down the stairs? Everyone in this pack knows how much you hate her! Do I need to list your sins one by one?!"
His ruthlessness struck me dumb. The mate bond connecting our souls stretched and burned in my chest, a suffocating pain that made it hard to breathe.
I looked at the man I had loved since childhood. He didn't trust me. He didn't even give me a chance to explain.
"Ah..." Dayana curled into a ball, clutching her flat stomach. "Alston... it hurts... Arthur's pup..."
"Blood! I smell blood!" a werewolf suddenly shouted.
The sharp, metallic scent of werewolf blood hit my nose. Beneath Dayana, a crimson stain was slowly blooming on the white marble floor.
"Alston!" Dayana cried out in sheer terror. "The pup... Arthur's pup...!"
"Don't be afraid! I've got you!" Alston scooped Dayana up into his arms with a tenderness I had never received. As he turned, his dark, furious eyes locked onto me one last time.
"You better pray to the Moon Goddess that my brother's pup survives. Otherwise..."
Carrying Dayana, he sprinted toward the doors. Right now, nothing mattered more to him than Dayana and his late brother's child.
I stood alone on the stairs, surrounded by disgusted whispers and hostile glares. I felt like I was drowning.
I didn't even remember how I walked back to our shared bedroom. I sat in the dark, my arms wrapped around my knees, waiting.
The hours dragged on. Midnight passed. He never came back.
Just as the first light of dawn broke through the window, I heard heavy footsteps downstairs, followed by voices.
"Alston..."
I jumped up from the floor and rushed out of the room. But as I reached the top of the stairs, my steps halted abruptly.
From the grand hall below, Alston's voice rang out, dipped in ice and absolute Alpha resolve.
"Grandma, I want a divorce. I am rejecting her!"