Chapter Three: Adelaide's POV
1059 Words
Tamara's face went pale.
"No, I—I'm not good enough. Everyone's happy with how you do things. Let's keep it that way."
My lips curved. Happy because I pay for everything.
But things change. Once, I really wanted to be Ulrik's perfect mate.
Now? I wouldn't be a fool anymore.
"Enough," I said. I stood up. "I'll hand over my duties tomorrow. After that, Bloodmoon's problems are yours."
I turned to leave. But Luna Rosemary let out a wolf howl behind me.
"Wait!"
I looked back but didn't return.
Rosemary's face got dark.
She yelled at me, "Adelaide, how can you be so foolish? Ulrik's an Alpha—he'll have more than one woman. Every pack works this way. You're still his mate—what more do you want?"
Her words made me want to laugh.
A year of doing what they wanted made them think I was weak.
They forgot I was Alpha Bentley's daughter.
"Calm down," I said flatly. "I don't care about other packs."
Rosemary started coughing.
Usually, I would help her. This time, I stayed where I was.
Sabrina rushed over, her eyes angry.
"Look at Luna Rosemary! You're embarrassing us! Frostfang already fell—your family's gone. Why do you think your Alpha blood matters now? Ulrik can reject you too!"
I looked at Sabrina. She wore the pale yellow dress I made for her last fall.
Now she wore it to yell at me. How thoughtful.
"Take it off first," I said coolly. "Then you can be angry."
Sabrina's face turned red.
"I didn't beg for this dress! I'll give it back!"
"Go ahead," I said. "And those jewels on your neck and wrist? Return those too."
I looked around the room. Only Rosemary kept her face blank.
"Anything else?" I asked. "No? Then I'm leaving."
I walked out and didn't look back.
But I didn't leave right away. I stood at the door. My wolf snarled in my mind.
"You should have let me take over. Let me rip their throats with my claws," my wolf said.
I rubbed my temples and answered silently, "We're in Bloodmoon territory, near Lycan Erasmus's palace. I don't want to be a criminal."
Quiet voices came from inside. My ears moved, and I told my wolf to be silent.
Sabrina said, "I can't believe Adelaide's being so stubborn. She even ignores you, Luna Rosemary."
Rosemary replied coldly, "She'll bend eventually. She has no choice."
Oh?
A smile pulled at my lips.
To Bloodmoon, I was a lone wolf with nowhere to go.
Many she-wolves, after mating with other packs, could go back to their birth pack. But Frostfang was gone—only land and ruins remained, like a museum.
Everyone thought I was stuck here.
The next morning, Beata and I reached Frostfang's border.
The protective wards still worked.
As I got close, my wolf let out a sharp snarl, then a howl—only Beata heard it. She shivered behind me.
Her ears sprouted wolf-tipped fur.
We walked in. The plaza hadn't been cared for in half a year. Tall grass grew everywhere, piled like forgotten memories.
Stepping back into Frostfang made my heart ache.
Six months ago, I collapsed crying at the attack scene, kneeling beside my grandmother and mother's bloody bodies.
Now the sacred plaza held a stone altar.
Beata and I stood in silent sadness, tears falling.
I ran my fingers over my family's grave markers. I whispered firmly, "Mom, Dad, forgive the path I've chosen. I won't be a Luna for any pack—not when Ulrik's not the mate the Moon Goddess chose for me. Rest easy. I'll survive."
Beata knelt beside me, weeping.
After paying our respects, we went to the palace.
For two hours under the autumn sun, we waited outside the gates. No one noticed us. We didn't move.
By noon, the heat was terrible.
Beata worried, "Lycan Erasmus might not see you. You haven't eaten since last night. Let me get you something."
"I'm not hungry," I said. My mind was set—get the rejection order and return to Frostfang.
"Maybe we should just leave?" Beata suggested.
I turned to her. My voice was cold.
"Beata, if you ever say such weak words again, I'll leave you behind."
Beata didn't argue anymore. She could feel my determination.
I wasn't angry at her. Beata was an Omega who grew up in Frostfang. She still had that innocence—they didn't bully Omegas there.
But I was Alpha-born. I had to stand my ground.
Outside the palace, time felt endless.
Finally, the doors opened. Fabian, Lycan Erasmus's Beta, came out.
"Adelaide, Lycan Erasmus will see you now."
Relief washed over me. I nodded gratefully and followed him inside.
The black tiles smelled like dragon's breath. Every step felt like walking on ice.
I stared at the patterns under Fabian's red cape. Blood rose in my throat as my wolf clawed at my mind, fighting against the invisible power coming from the throne.
The cedar scent that once clung to my father's armor now made my neck freeze with cold.
I knelt before Lycan Erasmus with my head bowed.
My eyes fell on the broken moonstone patterns on the floor.
A bronze candle holder sparked as Erasmus's snow-leopard boots crushed wolf-shaped carvings beneath him, grinding my shadow's head to dust.
"Speak on your feet," he said. His voice boomed like glaciers crashing, sending dust falling from the ceiling.
I pressed my hands to my throbbing neck, then bowed properly.
"Lycan Erasmus, I'm sorry to intrude, but I beg your mercy."
The golden throne creaked. A surge of white musk hit the air.
My knees slammed the floor. My shoulder blades groaned under the pressure.
Through blurred vision, I saw my broken nails digging into my palms.
"Adelaide, I've already declared my orders to all Alphas," Erasmus said. His voice was as hard as three years ago in Silvermoon Canyon. "I can't take it back."
Fighting against the suffocating power, I lifted my chin.
His dark-gold slit pupils narrowed. Aurora-like energy swirled in his eyes—the legendary "Sky's Eye" that once destroyed the Northern Bear Pack.
"I'm not asking you to cancel your order," I said. Every word was a fight. "I'm asking for a new one—permission to reject my mating bond with Alpha Ulrik."
- Writer
