Shadows Of Revenge

Chapter 4

Evelyn counted to 180 in her head.

One minute. Two. Three.

She gave Samuel time to disappear before she moved.

Then she ran.

All the way to her father’s office, tears already in her eyes. Her breathing was ragged. Her hands shook.

Through the open doors she saw him. Alpha Logan sat at the round war table with the pack elders. Maps and scrolls were spread out. The moment couldn’t have been more perfect if the Moon Goddess herself had arranged it.

She knocked once, then burst in. "D-Dad!"

Every head turned.

Alpha Logan stood immediately. "Evelyn? What’s wrong?"

Evelyn pressed a hand to her chest like she could barely speak. "I... it’s Elira. She... she’s fooling around with an Omega."

The word echoed.

"What?" Alpha Logan’s voice cracked through the room.

Gasps. Whispers. The elders leaned forward.

The eldest elder frowned, his white brows pulling together. "Child, are you certain of what you’re saying?"

Evelyn nodded, eyes wide and wet. "Yes. I saw them with my own eyes."

"Where?" Alpha Logan demanded. Fury was already rising in his face.

"The servant’s quarters," Evelyn whispered.

Alpha Logan didn’t wait. He shoved his chair back and strode out. The elders followed, robes rustling. Evelyn fell into step behind them, head down. A small, ugly smile tugged at her lips where no one could see.

**_

The door to Elira’s room burst open.

Elira jerked up from the floor. For half a second her heart leapt. _Help._

Then she saw her father’s face.

Alpha Logan crossed the room in two steps and slapped her.

The sound was loud in the small room. Pain exploded across Elira’s left cheek. She stumbled and caught herself on the bed frame.

Her father had never hit her. Not once. Not even after her mother died and she became "worthless."

"D-Dad?" Her voice broke. Tears spilled hot down her face. She couldn’t breathe. "Why?"

"Elira!" Alpha Logan roared. "Couldn’t you control yourself? You become Luna today, and on your first night you go and bed an Omega? In the servant’s quarters?"

"What? No, I didn’t—" Elira choked on the words. "Dad, he attacked me, I—"

"Oh, sister," Evelyn cut in from the doorway. Her voice was soft. Broken. "I know you’re stressed. The ceremony, the title... but you didn’t have to do _this* to cope."

Elira stared at her. Stunned. Betrayed. The lie was so smooth, so practiced.

Alpha Logan’s jaw clenched. He turned to the guards waiting in the hall.

"Guards! Lock her up. She is stripped of her title, effective immediately. She will face punishment according to the laws of the Blood Moon Pack."

Two guards stepped forward and grabbed Elira’s arms.

As they dragged her out, Elira looked back one last time hoping her father would stop them but he didn't.