THE OMEGA WHO KNEW WHY THE ALPHA’S WIVES DIED

Chapter 4

Camille's pov

The sun had not even risen when the black car pulled up to the front of the pack house. Cold gray fog hung thick in the morning air, sticking to my clothes like wet ice.

I stood on the driveway holding a single, small suitcase. Inside were three plain dresses, a worn pair of boots, and nothing else. No one came out to say goodbye to me.

I turned around to look at the house one last time. The heavy wooden front doors clicked shut with a loud, final sound. Up on the second floor, a curtain moved slightly in the window. I caught a flash of Isabella’s satisfied smile, but I did not even bother to read her mind. I already knew what she was thinking. They were all happy to see me go.

"Get in," the driver said in a flat and emotionless voice. He was an enforcer my father hired to drive me away.

I climbed into the back seat, placing my suitcase on the floor. The driver slammed the door shut, got into the front seat, and drove the car down the long, winding road.

As the Frostbridge Pack house vanished behind the tall pine trees, I let out a breath I felt like I had been holding for twenty-two years. My home was gone, but so was my family.

For two hours, the ride was completely silent. The driver did not speak to me, and his surface thoughts were just boring noise about traffic and lunch. I closed my eyes, trying to rest my heavy, aching head.

Then, the car crossed a rusty iron bridge over a roaring river.

A large, wooden sign stood on the side of the road: 'Welcome to Silver Moon Pack Territory.'

The moment the car passed the sign, the air inside my head suddenly changed. It was like stepping out of a quiet room straight into a storm. But this storm was totally different from the loud, cruel voices of Frostbridge.

The mental noise here was thick, cold, and heavy with pure horror.

*Another one?* a man’s voice echoed in my head as we drove past a small roadside gas station. *They sent him another bride? Poor girl. She is going to die just like the rest.*

*The Alpha will kill her,* a woman’s thought cried out, filled with intense, raw grief. *Just like he killed lady Clara... just like he killed sweet Elena. No one ever survives that house.*

I sat up straight, clutching my seatbelt tight. The thoughts of the Silver Moon pack members poured into my mind from every house and shop we passed on the street.

*Six women dead.*

*Six young brides in six years.*

*He is a monster.*

*Did he strangle the last one? Or did he push her off the cliff?*

*The West Wing is cursed. The dead wives still haunt the halls.*

My heart pounded violently against my ribs. In Frostbridge, people hated me because I had no wolf. But here in Silver Moon, people felt pity and absolute terror for me. Every single person in this territory believed Alpha Lucian Simons was a cold-blooded killer.

The car turned onto a private stone road that led up a dark mountain. Tall, crooked trees leaned over the road, blocking out what little sunlight was left in the gray sky.

At the top of the mountain stood Silver Moon Manor.

It was massive, built out of black stone with high towers that looked sharp like claws pointing at the sky. It looked less like a house and more like a ancient fortress. Dark ivy covered the stone walls, and the windows were dark and empty.

The car stopped in front of the giant front doors.

"End of the line," the driver said, refusing to look at me in his mirror. He unlocked the doors, but he did not get out to open my door or carry my bag. He just wanted to leave as fast as possible.

I took my suitcase and stepped out onto the cold stone driveway. The moment my feet touched the ground, the black car sped away, kicking up gravel and leaving me completely alone in front of the silent house.

The giant wooden doors groaned open before I could even step forward.

A tall butler in a crisp black suit stood in the doorway. He bowed his head slightly, but his eyes were completely dead and empty.

"Welcome to Silver Moon Manor, Lady Camilla," he said softly. "I am Thomas. Follow me. The Alpha will meet you shortly."

"Thank you, Thomas," I whispered, my voice sounding tiny in the massive open space.

I stepped inside the grand hall. The ceiling was so high it was lost in dark shadows. Cold air blew through the hall, carrying the smell of old stone, wet rain, and metallic iron.

"This way," Thomas said, walking down a long, wide hallway lined with marble pillars.

I followed him, my small boots clicking loudly against the floor. As we walked down the hall, I saw a row of large paintings hanging on the tall stone wall. Each painting was lit up by a small wall light, making them stand out in the dark room.

I stopped walking and my eyes went wide.

They were portraits of six incredibly beautiful women.

The first was a woman with long golden hair and gentle green eyes.

The second had dark curls and a bright, soft smile.

The third was young, with blue eyes full of life.

Six distinct, breathtaking women. The former wives of Alpha Lucian. Every single one of them was dead. Official stories back home claimed they died from illnesses, sudden falls, rogue attacks, suicide, childbirth, or getting lost in the wild forest. But looking at their painted faces, my blood ran cold.

I stepped closer to the first painting. At the bottom of the heavy gold frame, words were carved into a silver plate.

I read the inscription out loud in a breathy whisper:

*"She was innocent."*

My heart gave a hard thud. I moved to the second painting. The silver plate below it said the exact same thing:

*"She was innocent."*

Third, fourth, fifth, sixth. Every single portrait had those exact three words engraved into the frame: *She was innocent.*

A sudden chill swept down the hallway, blowing out the small lights on the wall one by one.

Darkness rushed down the corridor toward me like a wave. I spun around, my breath catching in my throat as the heavy oak doors at the end of the hall slammed shut on their own with a loud, booming crash.

I was trapped in the dark with six dead women and the heavy, slow sound of footsteps echoing right behind me.