Accusing Her

"I did nothing to her!" Vivian’s voice cracked, raw with emotion, echoing off the high ceilings of the packhouse. Tears streamed down her delicate face, blurring her vision as she chased Dari up the grand staircase in a frantic sprint. Her bare feet slapped against the cold marble, desperate to close the distance between them.

For three agonizing years, she had stripped herself of her pride, bending over backwards to embody the perfect Luna. She stomached the toxic hostility from his family, swallowing their daily insults with a forced smile. She took on the grueling, demeaning work of a common maid without a single complaint. Scrubbing massive floors, washing mountains of laundry, and cooking meals for the very people who spat on her name. All this silent suffering was fueled by a one-sided love. She believed she could bridge the chasm between them and thaw his hardened heart.

Yet, despite her sacrifices, Dari refused to trust her. His unwavering faith lay exclusively with Camilla, his first love, who had conveniently waltzed back into the pack two days ago.

Dari paused near the upper landing, his broad shoulders locking into a rigid stance. He spun around, his chest heaving with terrifying anger. "You were the only one standing close to the staircase!" his voice boomed.

Vivian flinched, gripping the mahogany banister for balance. How could he look at her and see a monster? In three years, she had never raised a hand against another soul. She prepared their food daily; if she wanted them dead, she could have laced their meals with wolfbane.

"Dari, please listen to me!" Vivian begged, staring up at him in bewilderment. "I did nothing! She threw herself down the steep stairs to frame me!"

She attempted to lay out the undeniable truth. She and Camilla had been standing near the top step. Camilla had been taunting her, boasting about being Dari's true mate. Then, the precise moment Camilla caught sight of Dari approaching, her entire demeanor shifted. She seized Vivian’s arm with a vice grip, and begged for forgiveness out of nowhere in a fake, trembling panic.

Before Vivian could process the unprompted apology, Camilla released her hold. With a calculating glint in her eye, she hurled her own body backward down the steep wooden stairs exactly as Dari stepped into view. It was a vicious performance to cement Vivian’s image as a murderous wife.

Deaf to her frantic explanations, Dari stalked down the steps, the heavy thud of his boots echoing like a death knell. He closed the distance with predatory speed, his large hands shooting out to grab her shoulders. He shoved her backward, pinning her against the ornate staircase railing in a dangerous hold.

The sharp edge of the polished wood dug mercilessly into her back. Vivian gasped, her spine arching backward over the banister. Below her was a dizzying, fatal drop to the hard foyer floor. One slight slip, and she would plunge headfirst to her death.

She forced herself to tilt her head up, meeting Dari’s pitch-black eyes. They were the same bottomless dark wells she fell in love with three years ago. But right now, those eyes blazed with a murderous resentment. They looked unforgiving, ready to rip her throat out if she dared utter another lie.

"Vivian," Dari spat, the syllables laced with venom.

A cold chill ran down her spine. It was the first time he used her actual name since their sacred mating ceremony. Hearing it wrapped in such concentrated disgust felt worse than a physical strike.

"I never knew you could be such a disgusting liar," he growled, leaning closer until his hot breath fanned across her cheek. "I saw you. I saw your hands."

He snatched her wrist, his massive fingers clamping down like iron shackles. His grip tightened with bone-crushing force, the pressure grinding her delicate bones together. A hot, sharp pain flared up her arm, but Vivian bit the inside of her cheek to keep from crying out.

"These hands!" Dari sneered, lifting her trapped, trembling wrist into the air. "They were the very ones I saw extended toward Camilla as if to push her! Now you expect me to believe she threw herself down the stairs on her own?"

He let out a harsh, barking laugh. To him, she was a shameless gold digger, a parasite who had latched onto his alpha status and wealth, refusing to let go.

"You sicken me," Dari said, his voice dropping to a dangerous, icy register. He released her wrist so fast that she stumbled forward, her knees knocking against the wooden step as she barely caught her balance.

He turned his broad back on her, marching up the remaining stairs toward the hallway leading to their bedroom. Before he disappeared, he paused. He did not cast a single glance over his shoulder as he delivered a cold, final ultimatum.

"If you want my forgiveness, and if you expect a second chance, you will swallow your pride. Go to the infirmary, apologize to Milla, and beg for her forgiveness. If you refuse, prepare for an immediate divorce."

Vivian stood frozen, watching his retreating figure until the heavy oak door of their bedroom clicked shut, finalizing his cruel verdict.

She cradled her throbbing wrist. A stark red bruise was already forming against her pale skin. Yet, the physical pain paled in comparison to the righteous fury bubbling deep within her chest. She gritted her teeth, a primal growl echoing in the back of her mind. Her inner wolf, Tessa, paced relentlessly in her consciousness, purring in a deep, rumbling agreement with the anger taking root in Vivian's soul.

Apologize to that deceitful homewrecker? Beg for forgiveness from a lowlife husband thief who orchestrated this malicious charade? The mere thought was repulsive.

Vivian lifted her chin, the meek and submissive exterior she had worn for three years beginning to shatter. Beneath this fragile facade, she harbored a colossal secret.

Not a single soul in the Sanguine Moon Pack knew her true identity. They viewed her as a poor, ignorant orphan who hit the jackpot. They had zero clue she was the sole daughter and rightful heir of Alpha Magnus, the fierce leader of the mighty Stoneclaw Pack. Royal Alpha bloodline flowed pure and strong through her veins.

She defied her father’s strict warnings to pursue this tragic romance. She hid her royal lineage, desperate for a love based on her own merits rather than her title. Her father reluctantly let her go, but he imposed a strict three-year deadline. Make Dari fall for her, solidify their bond, or pack her bags and return to lead her people.

That three-year deadline officially elapsed today.

Vivian wiped the remaining tears from her cheeks. As the salty moisture dried on her skin, a profound awakening washed over her. The heavy fog of her blind devotion dissipated. She was done with the relentless mockeries, the backbreaking maid work, and the toxic stares. She refused to endure another second of this loveless hell for a mate who saw her as dirt beneath his boots.

If only she had listened to her father from the start. He warned her that a man who did not love her would never learn to love her. He reminded her she held the power to reject the bond. But she had been foolish, blinded by a mate bond she thought she could fix through sheer servitude.

Tessa let out a fierce, earth-shattering howl in her mind, demanding freedom.

"I would rather leave than apologize to that lowlife," Vivian declared into the empty stairwell, her voice steady, resonant, and dripping with newfound authority. There was no trace of the trembling girl from minutes ago.

She straightened her spine, feeling the long-dormant Alpha aura flicker to life within her chest. She resolved to listen to her father. She would abandon the Sanguine Moon Pack for good. She would leave Dari, his cruel family, and his manipulative mistress behind in the dust. It was time to return to Stoneclaw and claim her true destiny.