I drew in a steadying breath and spoke slowly. “The wolf in that image… is my brother.”
“Your… brother?” Lilith’s laughter rang sharp and cruel. “Do you take us for fools? A ‘sworn brother’ your real brother? Or is that what you call every wolf you sleep with? Must admit, that does make things… more interesting!”
The laughter around me grew louder, sharp like snapping teeth; someone even whistled mockingly.
Alaric’s eyes were ice. “Enough,” he said, voice cutting through the noise. “Stop humiliating yourself. Take your banishment scroll and leave. From this moment, you no longer exist to me or to this pack.”
I gripped the scroll tightly, feeling only emptiness crawl through me. For five years, I had hidden my true identity, living as an ordinary wolf in his ranks, working tirelessly to help him rise to power.
And now, after personally laying the path to his dominance, he was ready to cast me aside like a used tool. I could endure loss—but I would not be made a fool. The last five years of my youth might have been wasted on an ungrateful alpha, but I would not break.
“Alaric… you’ll regret this,” I whispered, low and deadly.