Finished
Third Person’s POV
To Elira, Alpha ric was never deserving of love–only maniption. A heart as ck as his was made for using others, not for receiving true loyalty.
She couldn’tprehend what kind of cursed bloodline had given rise to such a monster.
Dean Elira ckthornposed herself quickly. Her gaze sharpened as she turned toward the stunned medical staff.
“Well? Don’t just stand there–save him!”
Snapping to attention, the medics rushed to ric, fumbling to stabilize the blood–soaked Alpha and wheel him out of the
room.
Not far away, Luna Zara copsed to the floor, unconscious and drained, her rage having consumed thest of her strength.
Dean Elira ordered her taken to the operating room as well–not out of mercy, but because the medics were watching. As the Dean of the Mooncrest Medical Wing, even she had to pretend she cared about saving the disgraced Luna.
Once the chaos cleared and silence returned to the hallway, Caelum Knox stepped to the side, revealing Riley, who had been shielded behind his tall, imposing frame.
“Why didn’t you tell Alpha ric the truth?” Caelum asked quietly. “That Scarlett isn’t even his blood? If he knew… it’d destroy him.”
Riley gave <b>a </b>soft<b>, </b>cool smile. “That’d be letting him off easy.”
“He loves draining people dry. So I’ll y by his rules–let the she–wolf he loves bleed him of every ounce of value he has.”
She folded her arms, her eyes calm yet icy. “Scarlett’s locked in a <b>cell </b>now. He’ll do anything to get her out. Even if it means selling off what remains of the Ebonw legacy.”
“And just when he thinks he’s sacrificed everything for his daughter-” <b>Her </b>voice dipped, poisonous sweet. “I’ll tell him the rest of Dean Elira’s pups? Not even his.”
“He sent his real son, Kael Vale, <i>to </i>prison for them. Imagine how that will taste when the truth hits<b>.</b><b>” </b>
Caelum arched a brow. “You don’t pull punches<b>.</b>”
“Thanks,” Riley replied, her tone casual.
The two exchanged a quiet smirk.
They left the medical wing, heading for the parking lot. But just as they turned a corner, a figure rolled toward them in <b>a </b>rusted wheelchair.
The man was barely recognizable. His once–polished appearance <b>was </b>gone, reced by sunken cheeks, hollow <b>eyes</b>, and tattered clothing. He looked like a wolf who’d <b>been </b><b>cast </b>from his pack and left to rot.
It was Maddox–Riley’s former mate.
He hadn’t seen her in nearly two months<b>. </b>And now, suddenly, here she <b>was</b>–transformed.
Riley looked different. Her face was fuller. Her hair sleek and glossy Her <b>skin </b>glowed. She <b>was </b>no longer the girl who had once cowered beneath the weight of the Ebonw name.
She looked free.
And Maddux? He was nothing but a shadow of who he once was.
The difference between them was humiliating
3:53 PM PP.
Finished
He had once been proudmanding courtrooms, respected across Mooncrest and beyond. Now he couldn’t even walk.
And standing next to Riley was a towering, broad–shouldered male whose presence radiated raw dominance.
A surge of jealousy roared through Maddox’s chest.
“Who is he?” he growled, eyes burning as he looked at Riley like a wolf who’d just caught his mate in another male’s bed.
Riley didn’t even flinch. She nced at him with chilling detachment–as if she were looking at a stranger begging on the street–and then turned her gaze away.
Maddox had lost control of his emotions ever since those two guards at Silverfang Den shattered his legs under orders from Duke.
After that came the disbarment. His license revoked. His career annihted.
Thest pieces of his life–his car, his condo, his savings–all gone in days.
Now he lived in a damp, mold–infested basement, the stench of decay and failure clinging to him like fleas.
Even during his worst years, he had never known this level of shame.
But through all of it, he clung to one thought: Riley.
He dreamed of her forgiveness. Of their past.
And now, here she <b>was</b>.
With another male.
Like he never mattered.
Maddox wheeled forward with a jolt, blocking her path. His voice cracked as he repeated the question, desperate and angry.
“Riley, I asked you<b>–</b>who <b>is </b>he?<b>” </b>
Riley’s gaze narrowed. She sighed, tired of the scene already.
“Who he <b>is</b>… has nothing to do with you.”
Her voice was like a dagger dipped in silver.
The wordsnded with a force that knocked the breath from Maddox’s lungs. His mouth opened, but no words came.
The wolf she once was–gentle, soft–hearted, eager to please–was gone,
And he had no ce in the world she now walked.
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