Chapter 4
ELERA POV
"And let this be the last time," I interrupted sharply, "any of you use my parents to manipulate me. You are not worthy of speaking their names.”
Not one person answered. The silence itself was an admission of guilt.
Finally, I turned toward Aiden and Evelyn. They stood side by side, hands still intertwined. The sight no longer broke my heart. Instead, it disgusted me.
A faint smile touched my lips. "You wanted my blessing, didn't you? Fine. You have it." My gaze moved from Aiden to Evelyn. "You're perfect for each other. A cowardly, spineless Alpha, and a hypocrite who calls herself my sister. What a perfect match."
The smile on Evelyn's face faltered for the first time that night.
"Elera, we don't need your blessing," she said, quickly recovering, though I caught the brief twitch at the corner of her lips. "You're only saying all this because you're jealous. You can't accept that Aiden chose me."
I looked at her and smiled. Not the smile of someone defeated. The smile of someone who had finally seen the truth.
"Jealous?" I repeated softly. "I've spent tonight watching the two people I trusted most betray me without a trace of shame." I shook my head. "No, Evelyn. I'm not jealous. I just pity both of you."
My words wiped the smugness from her face.
Without sparing either of them another glance, I turned toward the crowd. The faces before me were no longer my family. They were strangers. Every one of them had watched me bleed. Every one of them had accepted my sacrifices. Yet when I needed them the most, they chose to abandon me.
A strange calm settled over my heart. The pain was still there, sharp, unbearable, but beneath it, something else had begun to grow.
Freedom.
I took a deep breath. "I, Elera Ashwood, from this moment onward, break every bond and every tie I have with Crescent Pack." A murmur spread through the crowd. Several wolves stared at me in disbelief. "I owe this pack nothing anymore. I release this place, and I release every promise I ever made to it."
The words felt heavy leaving my lips. This was the only home I had ever known, the place where I was born, where I laughed as a child, where my parents had lived and given their lives. For one brief moment my chest tightened. Then I remembered everything that had happened tonight, and the hesitation disappeared.
I closed my eyes. Deep inside me, I felt the final thread connecting me to Crescent Pack begin to loosen, slowly, painfully, unraveling like a goodbye to a part of myself. When I opened my eyes again, it was gone. The bond had disappeared completely. For the first time in my life, I truly belonged nowhere.
And strangely, I had never felt so free.
"I see now what kind of person you truly are," Aiden said, his voice cold enough to freeze the air around us. "So this is how you repay the pack after everything it has given you?" He looked at me without a hint of regret. "Since you've chosen to leave, I'll grant your wish. But remember this, Elera. You will regret walking away from Crescent Pack."
I met his gaze without fear. "I've already regretted staying."
Without waiting for anyone to stop me, I turned and walked away from the altar. No one followed. No one called my name. Each step felt heavier than the last, not because I wanted to stay, but because every corner of this place reminded me of my parents.
When I reached our house, I stood outside for a long moment. The familiar wooden door. The flowers my mother had planted. The training sword my father always left leaning beside the entrance. Everything was exactly as they had left it. A lump formed in my throat.
"Mom," I whispered. "Dad."
I pushed the door open. The house was silent. Painfully silent. I packed only what truly belonged to me: a few clothes, a small pouch of coins, my mother's necklace, my father's old dagger. Nothing more. I refused to carry memories that would keep me chained to this place.
Taking one last look around the empty house, I stepped outside. Waiting for me beneath the moonlight was Evelyn.
A satisfied smile spread across her face. "Our mating ceremony has been moved to tomorrow," she said sweetly. "Why don't you stay and watch it before you leave? You should at least attend your best friend's mating ceremony." Her smile widened. "You know what I enjoy most? I love seeing how miserable you are. I love watching everyone turn their backs on you."
She stepped closer, close enough that I could feel her breath against my ear when she finally leaned in.
"Since you're leaving anyway, there's something I've always wanted to tell you." Her voice dropped to a whisper, low and intimate, savoring every word. “Do you know why you were told becoming pregnant might be difficult for you?”
My heart skipped a beat.
A slow, victorious smile curved against my ear.
"I was the one who planned the rogue attack." She paused, letting the silence stretch, cruel and deliberate. “And those injuries… I planned them too.”