Chapter 157 Blood in the Water


    Aubrey’s POV


    +8 Pearls


    “So I deserved to be used by you? Used, hated, and trampled underfoot? Mariana – and who exactly gave you that right?”


    I spoke slowly, each word pressing down on what was left of her dignity.


    “Family background? You can’tpare to the White family or the Howard family. Looks? You’re not even a tenth of me. As for ability or character-”


    I let out a short, derisiveugh and shook my head. “With your petty, thieving nature and almost nonexistent talent, what makes you think you’re in any position to look down on me?”


    Her pupils contracted sharply.


    “But I’ll give you this – there’s one thing you do better than me…” I leaned in close, my voice low at her ear. “Your shamelessness far surpasses mine.”


    “Bitch!” Mariana shrieked, swinging her hand toward my face only for me to catch it midair.


    In my eyes, her flushed, furious face was no more threatening than a clown stumbling in a circus act.


    “Angry? Rattled? What a rare sight – I didn’t think you had it in you to lose control. Do you know what you remind me of? A hyena catching the scent of carrion – revolting.”


    I stared her down. “I still can’t fathom how you could be brazen enough to steal credit for saving a nine- year–old girl’s life. Just looking at you makes me feel filthy.”


    “And stop dragging omega and beta status into this. In terms of character, you as a beta aren’t even worth as much as me – a wolf–less omega.”


    I spoke each word like a sentence passed. “You are the lowest kind of werewolf.”


    I shoved her then. She copsed backward onto the ground – not because I’d used much force, but because the killing intent in my eyes had turned her knees to water, though she probably didn’t even realize it.


    Pathetic.


    I took a moment to appreciate her humiliation, then turned to leave. But I hadn’t expected that I’d pushed her too far.


    With a snarl, Mariana shifted into her wolf form on the spot and lunged for me.


    <i>“</i><i>Watch </i><i>out</i><i>!</i><i>” </i>


    E’s warning snapped me into motion. I tried to sidestep, but my gown snagged on the jagged stone of a nearby rock formation, trapping me just long enough that I couldn’t escape.


    “Aubrey!”


    Alpha Henry’s voice cut across the night. He’de looking for me and in a blur too fast for the eye to follow, he closed the distance, pulling me into his arms and turning sharply to shield me.


    In that split second, Mariana’s ws were already descending toward him. My heart clenched. I could not let


    11:11 Sat, 30 Aug


    Chapter 157 Blood in the Water


    him bleed.


    42%


    +8 Pearls


    His blood was dangerously contagious. If Mariana touched it, she’d be infected with the Kajit virus. It wasn’t her life I cared about it was the certainty that if this got out, Shadowmoon Pack would be thrown into


    chaos.


    If Mariana contracted the Kajit virus, Henry’s illness could no longer be hidden. The rebel–minded alphas from other packs would descend like hyenas on fresh meat, and Henry would lose any chance to recover. The result would be the total destruction of both him and Shadowmoon Pack


    So I moved without thinking, twisting to reverse our positions and shield him instead.


    A heartbeatter, Mariana’s ws tore deep into my bare shoulder. Pain red white–hot, and I let out a muffled grunt as blood spilled freely down my arm.


    Henry’s pupils contracted violently. A wave of sheer, suffocating alpha fury exploded from him, heating the very air.


    “Alpha, I- I didn’t mean to-” Mariana stammered, shifting back into human form, her voice trembling.


    But Henry’s reaction was pure instinct. His boot caught her mid–chest in a vicious kick..


    With a ssh, she hit the pool – and a scream split the air almost instantly.


    “Ah! Help me-!”


    Her face twisted in agony, skin erupting into swollen, angry welts the moment it touched the water. My stomach dropped. The pool water had beenced with wolfsbane – and a lot of it.


    The noise brought the banquet guests rushing outside.


    “Oh gosh – it’s wolfsbane! How could there be wolfsbane in the pool?!”


    “Damn it, get her out!”


    A few stepped forward, but Henry’s voice cracked like a whip.


    “I’d like to see who dares.”


    His rage pressed down on them like a physical force, so potent it was as if the thing thrashing in that water was his most hated enemy.


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