"Ash, are you ready?" Cynthia asked softly, rubbing Ashley's hands with her thumb in an unconscious attempt to steady her own nerves.

Ashley jolted in surprise, drawn back to reality. She had been distracted by the stranger she had caught sight of earlier this morning.

Today was the day Ashley would finally meet her wolf, and she had been preparing for this momentous occasion since dawn. However, when she passed her father's office a while ago, her steps faltered. A scent caught her attention, rich coffee laced with the burn of rum. It was unexpectedly intoxicating and strangely alluring.

She hadn't stopped thinking about it since. The fragrance curled through her senses, making her head swim, and her stomach tighten, not with hunger, but with a slow, unfamiliar stirring that left her breath unsteady.

Before she could make sense of it, the door had burst open. Startled, she stumbled back, only to find herself caught in the gaze of smoky grey eyes, watching her with a flicker of unmistakable amusement.

The stranger was devastatingly handsome, every feature carved to perfection, yet it was his presence that struck first, a crushing, suffocating weight that bent the air around him.

Even when her father had stepped in between them to break their locked gazes, Ashley found herself unable to look away. It took the sudden intrusion of Nathan's image in her mind to make her look away, to remind herself to pull back.

"Is everything alright, my dear?" Cynthia asked when Ashley didn't reply.

"Everything is fine," Ashley said, smiling. 

She had to forget about the stranger she encountered this morning. His presence, his oppressive aura, and even the way he carried himself hinted at his formidable power. That stranger was most definitely an Alpha that even her father could not hope to rival.

"Mom, why does it feel like you're more nervous than I am?" Ashley teased with a light chuckle. "I mean, not that I am. After everything you and Father have prepared me for, I'm more excited than anything. I can't wait to finally meet my wolf…"

Her eyes sparkled as she imagined that long-awaited moment. Today was the coming-of-age ceremony for all who had just turned eighteen. For every werewolf, this was the most anticipated day of their life.

As the Alpha and Luna's daughter, Ashley naturally stood at the center of attention. The Black Mountain Pack might not be the strongest in the country, but among the smaller packs, it was considered formidable and rising fast. Ever since the Royal Family's collapse, the entire werewolf kingdom had been thrown into reform and quiet competition.

With the Alpha King's seat now vacant, many packs were striving to climb their way to the top and claim leadership. The Black Mountain Pack was no exception. More than ever, they hoped Ashley would successfully awaken her wolf and, in time, marry her childhood sweetheart, Nathan.

"Seems like you don't need my comfort now, hmm?" Nathan said as he came over, offering Ashley a warm, reassuring smile.

"Nate! What are you doing here? I thought you had a business meeting today. And isn't your pack busy forming alliances with two other packs right now?"

Ashley hurried toward Nathan like an excited child, her eyes crinkling with delight at the sight of him. After all, he wasn't just her childhood sweetheart; their families had already arranged a marriage alliance to strengthen both packs.

"How could I possibly miss your coming-of-age ceremony?" Nathan chuckled softly. The warm timbre of his voice rang in Ashley's ears like music. She stepped into his arms without hesitation, and he hugged her back, pressing a light kiss to her cheek.

"Don't be nervous," he murmured. "You've got this."

"Do I look nervous to you?" Ashley shot back playfully.

Around them, members of the Black Mountain Pack who had gathered to witness the coming-of-age ceremony watched the exchange with fond smiles. Everyone knew Ashley and Nathan's story. As they had been promised to each other since childhood, they had grown up inseparable, and their wedding had long been arranged. In just a month, after the ceremony, they would be officially mated and become husband and wife in the truest sense.

"Alright, you two, that's enough," Brent called out with exaggerated disgust. "I've had my fill of watching you acting all that lovey-dovey and with this nonsense. Ash, Father's already waiting for you at the altar. The participants are in position, and the moon will be rising soon. You should get ready and take your place."

"Alright…" Ashley stuck out her tongue playfully before jogging off. Just before she left, she glanced back at Nathan. He gave her a reassuring nod.

Moments later, she stood at the altar beside her father. She wore a simple white chiffon dress that fluttered lightly in the night breeze. It would be torn apart once she shifted into her wolf form, but she didn't mind. 

Her second brother had already prepared a fresh set of clothes for her after the ceremony. Absentmindedly, she smoothed the fabric and lifted her gaze to the sky, waiting for the moon to climb to its peak and for the clouds to part to reveal the full moon.

"Everyone, thank you for attending tonight's coming-of-age ceremony," Derek, the Alpha of the Black Mountain Pack, began, his deep voice carrying across the clearing. "Today is especially meaningful, as my precious daughter comes of age alongside the rest of you. This will be a joyous occasion for us all. May the Moon Goddess bless each of you with strong wolves."

His eyes swept across the young werewolves gathered for the ritual before settling briefly on Ashley, his pride and joy, who had excelled in every warrior training and even in the successor trials.

He gave her head a gentle pat before stepping back.

Ashley, along with the other young werewolves, lifted her gaze to the rising moon. As it climbed higher and the clouds drifted aside, a tense silence fell over the clearing.

Then the first cries rang out.

Pained sobs and strained grunts echoed through the night as the youths doubled over, their bones beginning to crack and reshape, their skin prickling as fur pushed through.

"Argh!"

"I–It hurts!" someone screamed, his voice warping into a raw blend of human and beast. No one found it strange. This was how a first shift always sounded.

All around her, bodies convulsed as the transformation began.

Everyone was shifting—

Everyone except Ashley.

She felt nothing.

No heat under her skin. No cracking bones. No violent pull beneath her muscles. A cold, dreadful weight sank into her chest as the air filled with gasps and cries. She had heard countless stories of the first shift: how it felt like every bone in the body was shattered, forced into a new shape, then fused back together, over and over, until the wolf fully emerged.

But none of it was happening to her.

Her body remained painfully, terrifyingly still.

Ashley lifted her gaze to the moon, her thoughts turning frantic as fear clawed up her throat.

"Moon Goddess, I pray for your blessing…" she whispered again and again, clinging to the words like a lifeline.

The screams around her rose to their peak.

And still—

She felt nothing.

"What's going on? Why isn't Ashley shifting?" someone murmured from the crowd.

Ashley heard it clearly.

She didn't know if her senses had suddenly sharpened from panic or if the speaker simply hadn't bothered to lower their voice. Either way, the words pierced through her like a blade. Fear coiled tighter around her heart, making her insides tremble, but she clung to hope with stubborn desperation.

"There's still time… I just need to wait," she whispered to herself, her voice barely steady as tears threatened to spill.

A sudden wave of gasps rippled through the clearing.

Ashley's head snapped up.

She scanned the crowd, and her heart shattered.

Among the newly shifted wolves stood a massive brown wolf, larger than the rest, its presence commanding and unmistakable. The aura around it was powerful and noble.

It has an Alpha bloodline.

The brown wolf tipped its head back toward the moon and let out a long, triumphant howl, as if proclaiming its successful emergence to the heavens.

"Awooooo!"

"What's going on?! That wolf… it looks exactly like Alpha Derek's—" someone gasped.

The remark snapped the crowd's attention toward the massive brown wolf.

Up on the altar, Ashley felt her hands and feet turn ice-cold.

A terrible thought surfaced in her mind, one she didn't dare voice. Could her father have fathered a child outside his mate bond? But if that were true, how could her mother not have sensed it? As Luna, she would have known.

Ashley's gaze locked onto the brown Alpha wolf in the middle of the clearing.

And the wolf looked back at her.

A heavy, sinking sensation dropped into her stomach. Her heart pounded wildly against her ribs, and dread began to churn inside her. Fear crept up her chest, tightening its grip, but she couldn't understand why.

She wasn't afraid of the Alpha wolf itself.

It was the feeling.

An unnamed terror clawed at her from within, as if something irreversible was about to happen… and whatever it was, it would not be good for her.

Overcome by fear, Ashley dropped to her knees and forced herself to try to shift. She clawed inward, searching for any trace of power, any sign of the wolf she believed was sleeping inside her.

She had to shift. She had to.

She didn't even dare imagine what would happen if she couldn't.

Ashley gasped, her fingers digging into the earth. "Argh!" she cried out, lifting her face to the sky as desperation overwhelmed her. Once more, she called silently to the Moon Goddess for help.

But no answer came.

She waited and waited, but an hour passed, and still, she failed. The ceremony had ended, and she couldn't shift. She couldn't even bring herself to look at anyone; the weight of their gazes felt like molten glue, burning into her skin. She didn't need to look up to see the mocking, gloating eyes surrounding her.

She had always stood at the top, envied by many, and now, at last, they got what they wanted: to see her stumble, to see her fall from her high horse. And fall she had, so spectacularly, so utterly. Ashley could feel their eyes piercing through her, searing her very soul. Her heart shattered again and again. She held back a sob and finally dared to glance at her parents… and Nathan.

Nathan.

The name alone sparked a fragile thread of hope. Her childhood sweetheart, her fiancé, he wouldn't hate her, right? He'd always been there for her, always protected her. But as her gaze lifted, the hope was mercilessly crushed.

They weren't looking at her. Not her. They were talking to a frail-looking girl draped in a white cloak. Her own family, her parents, seemed to have erased her from their vision entirely.

And Nathan, her beloved Nathan, had his arm protectively around the girl's shoulders.

...

Ashley didn't understand what was happening, but everything about her family seemed to have changed overnight, right after the coming-of-age ceremony. 

Was it because she had failed to awaken her wolf? Maybe, but it wasn't just her parents who seemed different. Even Nathan's attention appeared to linger on that girl more than on her.

Now, her father had called for a family meeting. Ashley felt like a cornered cat, bracing herself for judgment as she fidgeted nervously at the side of the living room. But what unsettled her most was the sight of that same frail woman from last night, now seated between her mother and father, treated as though she were their own daughter.

As that realization sank in, Ashley trembled, and that nameless fear clawed at her chest once again.

Although Ashley had countless questions swirling in her mind, she felt too embarrassed to speak. She felt like she had failed her family, and no one even tried to reach out to her. Before, if something upset her, her parents, her two brothers, or even Nathan would have rushed over to see what was wrong. 

But now… her brothers were clustered around that same girl, and Nathan was nowhere to be seen.

Ashley didn't know what to do. Fear gripped her, tightening around her chest like a vise. The sudden shift in her family, combined with that nameless dread gnawing at her heart, left her frozen, unable to move, unable to speak, unable to stop the panic rising inside her.

Ashley pursed her lips and lowered her gaze, trying to make sense of the scene. She knew the girl, Maddison, the daughter of an Omega who worked in the packhouse.

Rumors had long swirled around them that Maddison's mother was called a whore who had seduced someone's mate, been cast out, and eventually found refuge in the Black Mountain Pack. 

Because of that, neither mother nor daughter ever received much respect. They were given the dirtiest, hardest tasks in the packhouse, and the male werewolves often tested their luck at taking advantage of them. Maddison, by extension, had inherited that same treatment.

Ashley had always been too absorbed in her training to involve herself in the lives of others, and she had never exchanged a single word with the mother-daughter pair. But now… Maddison was here, and Ashley didn't understand why.

Before she could even process what was happening, the door slammed open, and there was Nathan. Ashley's eyes sparkled with unshed tears; for a fleeting moment, she thought she had found her anchor, the one who could give her strength when everything around her felt uncertain.

But Nathan didn't even glance at her. Instead, his gaze was sharp, cold, and edged with something almost murderous.

Ashley froze, her feet rooted to the spot. She wanted to run to him, to fall back into the familiarity of his embrace, of being his pampered childhood sweetheart, but his presence, his Alpha aura, pressed down on her like a physical weight, making her body feel like lead. 

She had never seen Nathan like this, and he hadn't even directed his aura at her before. For the first time, she felt like she truly didn't know him, and that unnamed fear clawed more heavily at her chest, whispering that she was about to lose something precious.

It was only then that Ashley noticed that Nathan was dragging a frail, middle-aged woman by the collar, as if even touching her had sullied his hands. Before the woman could even regain her footing, Nathan flung her to the ground like a discarded rag.

"Ah!" the woman cried, her voice weak and trembling. She looked around helplessly, fear etched into every line of her face. And then, their eyes met, Ashley and the woman locked in a silent, suspended moment, as if the world had stopped around them.

"Oh?! So it seems you've noticed the bond that ties both of you together… mother and daughter, huh?!" Brent sneered, his voice dripping with sarcasm. His words hit Ashley like a sudden blow, and for a moment, her head spun. 

She caught each word, but strung together, they made no sense. Combined with the sharp shift in her brother's attitude, from warmth to coldness, Ashley's heart twisted painfully, leaving her bewildered and shaken.

"W-What?" she stammered, her voice barely above a whisper. "What do you mean?"

"I thought you were smart… but I guess I was wrong," Brent added, his eyes flashing with a murderous gleam as he stared at Ashley, as if he wanted to tear her apart on the spot. 

Ashley felt the killing intent pressing down on her like a physical weight, and her knees nearly buckled beneath her. She looked around at her family, disbelief frozen on her face, every gaze was filled with the same hatred, the same murderous intent, as if she were the worst criminal who had annihilated their entire clan.

The sheer level of hatred directed at her was unlike anything she had ever felt. Trembling, she tried to understand why her family had suddenly turned against her. Then her eyes landed on Maddison, whose triumphant, vindictive glare burned into Ashley's chest, as if she were savoring the moment everyone despised Ashley to the core.

A cold shiver ran through Ashley's body, as if she had just awoken from a nightmare, and not just any nightmare, but one so vivid it blurred the line between dream and reality. How could her loving family, the same people who had joked and laughed with her just yesterday, suddenly turn against her with such hatred, their eyes sharp and ready to tear her apart?

The weight of their animosity crushed her chest, and Ashley felt her heart shatter into a million pieces. She couldn't accept it, couldn't believe her family could despise her so completely, without reason.

Desperate for some anchor, she looked up at Nathan, who had remained silent all this time. But when her eyes met his, she froze. His expression was equally cold, brimming with a silent, lethal intent. Her body trembled, and with every passing second, her heart seemed to sink further, fracturing all over again.

She wanted to call out to Nathan, but the pressure radiating from him felt as though it were closing around her throat, stealing the air from her lungs. It wasn't his Alpha aura she feared; it was the fear of losing him. Right now, it felt as though he was already slipping away.

Was it because of how he was acting?

No.

When he first entered the room, he had looked cold, yes, but there had been a brief flicker of emotion in his eyes, something entirely different from the killing intent she felt now. She tried to convince herself that she had imagined it, that it was only an illusion born from her own insecurity.

But how long could she keep deceiving herself?

She had clearly seen the way Nathan looked in Maddison's direction, a gaze that was gentle, almost affectionate. If that wasn't her imagination, then what else could it be?

Was it meant for her parents, who were seated beside Maddison? That didn't make sense. Nathan respected her father, Alpha Derek, but they were both Alphas, equals in status. There was no reason for Nathan to look at him in such a way, much less at her mother, who was Alpha Derek's mate and Luna.

Which left only one possibility.

Maddison.

But why?

Ashley didn't know the answer, nor did she have the capacity to understand it right now. Her mind was in chaos, struggling to process what was happening and why her own family had suddenly turned hostile toward her… and toward the woman Nathan had brought with him.

Her gaze shifted back to that woman, then to her parents, as if silently begging them to explain. Her head was already spinning with countless possibilities, yet none of them felt certain. Still, she never imagined that the truth, whatever it was, would be something so completely beyond her expectations.

"Mom… Dad… Brother Brent… Brother Blake…" Ashley asked again, her voice trembling this time. "What's really going on?"

A sob crept into her words as her eyes reddened and blurred. She didn't even realize she was crying until cold tears dripped onto her hands. She felt deeply wronged, abandoned, and with no one to turn to, no one to comfort her, the ache in her chest only grew heavier, threatening to break her heart entirely.

"Hmph! Why don't you ask your whore of a mother what she's done?!" Brent roared at Ashley, his glare fixed on the woman lying on the ground.

The words hit Ashley like a physical blow.

Her sobbing stopped abruptly as a loud buzzing filled her ears. It felt as though something had exploded inside her mind. A chill swept through her body, leaving her trembling as her head slowly turned back toward the woman. Her eyes widened in dawning horror.

She would have to be a complete fool not to understand what Brent was implying, why everyone in the room had suddenly become so hostile toward her and the woman on the floor.

And yet, even with that realization creeping in, she still felt as though she couldn't fully grasp what was happening.

...

How could this even be possible?

For werewolves, bloodlines were unmistakable. From the moment a pup was born, the parents could sense and recognize their child by scent alone. For an Alpha bloodline, the connection was even stronger; the father could often feel the presence of his cub while the mother was still pregnant. And at birth, the pup's scent would only grow more distinct.

So how could they possibly claim that she wasn't the daughter of the York family?

"I-It's impossible…" Ashley whispered, instinctively rejecting the idea. It made no sense. She looked at the parents who had raised her, the brothers who had protected her for eighteen years. Yet her voice came out weak, trembling, like a frightened calf cornered by predators.

"Mom… Dad… please tell me what Brent said isn't true…" she pleaded, her eyes searching theirs desperately, hoping, praying, that this was some cruel misunderstanding.

"Ashley."

After a long, suffocating silence, her father finally spoke. His voice was heavy and stern, not the voice of a father addressing his daughter, but that of a judge speaking to a criminal.

The moment she heard it, Ashley felt her heart shatter all over again. In the span of mere seconds, it seemed to break a thousand times. She felt drained, hollow, as though no amount of crying or screaming could fill the emptiness spreading through her chest.

Then her father delivered the truth.

"What Brent said is true. We only just discovered that you are not our biological daughter."

He exhaled slowly, as if releasing a burden that had weighed on him since last night. When his gaze returned to her, it had turned sharp and cold, so cold it felt as though it could cut her and the woman on the floor to pieces.

After all, for eighteen years, Ashley had unknowingly taken Maddison's place. She had lived in comfort, respect, and privilege, while their real daughter had suffered in her stead, treated worse than a rat in a gutter, humiliated day after day, harassed, and called names too cruel to repeat.

Now that they had discovered Maddison was their real daughter, the truth, unbelievable as it was, had been accepted with little resistance.

As for how such a switch could have happened… only Ashley's real mother could answer that.

And that was precisely why Nathan had brought the woman here.

"Of course," Brent sneered. "How could a wolfless mutt like you ever be the daughter of an Alpha? My father and mother are both powerful wolves, carrying Alpha and Beta bloodlines. It would have been natural for them to give birth to a strong Alpha heir, or someone even stronger."

He laughed coldly.

"But look at you. Do you really think you deserve the respect of our pack members? The title of an Alpha's daughter? In your dreams. A fish eye can never become a pearl, no matter how hard it tries to pretend."

His gaze shifted briefly toward Maddison before returning to Ashley.

"It was only after last night's ceremony that we discovered the truth. Maddison carries not only the York scent, but her wolf is identical to Father's, the kind that only appears in our bloodline. In fact, she has the purest Alpha blood among the three of us siblings."

His voice dropped, sharp and merciless. "But you… What do you even have?"

Brent didn't bother softening his words, uncaring that each one struck Ashley like a blade to the heart.

Yes, every word Brent spoke felt like a blade driving deeper into Ashley's chest.

She felt insecure because she couldn't shift, and everyone in the pack saw it clearly. 

She had built years of respect, admiration, and affection from the people around her. She had stood like a princess on a lofty throne, someone others aspired to be, someone admired, even idolized. She had been the apple of everyone's eye.

And now, in a matter of just one night, she had fallen from that height straight into the mud.

The same people who once looked up to her now seemed ready to trample her. Even the family she had known for eighteen years didn't step forward to protect her. Instead, they stood there, demanding answers, demanding justice.

But what could she possibly say?

That she didn't know what had happened? That she was just as innocent as Maddison? That the blame should fall on the woman lying on the floor, the stranger she had only just learned was her real mother?

Her mind spun helplessly.

She wanted to beg her family to understand, but no words came to her. It felt as though she were sinking deeper and deeper into thick mud, powerless to stop it, while everyone simply stood by and watched her drown, with cold, satisfied expressions on their faces.

Ashley bit her lip until she tasted the metallic tang of blood, forcing herself not to cry. Tears wouldn't change what was happening now. With reddened eyes, she looked at the woman sitting silently on the floor. As if sensing her gaze, the woman slowly lifted her head, her body trembling.

She parted her lips, but no words came out, as though she, too, was lost.

Ashley didn't even know what she was supposed to feel toward this woman. Should she be grateful for the eighteen years of comfort and luxury she had unknowingly enjoyed because of her? Or should she be angry that everything had led to this moment?

The conflicting emotions churned violently inside her, leaving her unsure of what to say or do. Nathan, once her anchor, remained silent as well, and she knew she could no longer rely on him now. So she kept staring at the woman, waiting.

At last, the woman seemed to find her voice. She spoke in a trembling tone, looking small and terrified.

"I… I didn't do anything. Please, believe me…"

"Liar!" Brent growled. His canines appeared, and his nails sharpened into claws, as if he were ready to lunge at the woman for daring to speak.

"Brent, stand down," Alpha Derek ordered.

A heavy wave of Alpha aura pressed down on Brent, forcing his wolf into submission. With visible effort, Brent reined himself in and slowly shifted back to his human form, though his chest still rose and fell with anger as he continued to glare at the woman.

Beside him, Maddison's eyes burned with naked hatred, as if she wished the woman had never existed. All the humiliation and suffering she had endured to survive until this day seemed to surface at once. Then her gaze shifted to Ashley, carrying the same venom, as though she were already calculating how to make Ashley's life as miserable as her own had been.

"You say you didn't do it, so that makes it true?" Alpha Derek growled, his voice low and dangerous.

Though he still held his temper, it was obvious his wolf was close to the surface. His eyes glowed gold, and the oppressive aura in the room grew heavier and colder. Ashley felt her knees nearly buckle under the pressure. The woman kneeling on the floor was already groveling, shaking her head frantically as sobs tore from her trembling lips.

Without another word, Alpha Derek hurled a hard-covered folder at her. It struck her forehead with a dull thud. Blood immediately trickled down her skin, but she did not dare look up as the folder fell to the ground between them.

Despite her fear, Ashley forced herself to step forward. With trembling hands, she picked up the folder and opened it.

Inside were the paternity test results and DNA reports between Alpha Derek, Luna Cynthia, Maddison, and Ashley.

The results were mercilessly clear.

Both Alpha Derek and Luna Cynthia showed a 99.99% parent-child match with Maddison.

While there was no genetic match with Ashley at all.

The document left no room for doubt that Maddison was their true daughter by blood, and Ashley was not related to them in any way.

Now, with proof of Maddison's bloodline and the paternity test laid bare before them, anything Ashley or her biological mother said would sound like nothing more than excuses.

The only reason they had brought the woman here was to hear her motive and to learn how she had managed to deceive an Alpha. How had she swapped the infants? How had she masked Ashley's scent and concealed Maddison's so completely that Alpha Derek and his family never sensed the exchange?

The one thing they still lacked was the hospital's CCTV footage from that year. Every record had mysteriously vanished, leaving a crucial gap in the truth. If they had possessed that evidence, they would never have allowed this woman to step into their home. To them, her very presence felt like a filthy stain on their living room, her scent an offense to their senses.

For everything Maddison had endured over the years, they would have gladly taken revenge and tortured the woman without hesitation.

But because they did not know exactly what had happened that night, they restrained themselves. They wanted the full truth first.

After that… they would deal with her.

And that, of course, included Ashley.

...

"Still not telling the truth?" Brent snarled at the woman, but she only kept shaking her head.

After seeing the paternity test, Ashley slowly sank to her knees. Even now, she found herself believing that her biological mother must have done it for her sake. And if that were true, then in a way, this was also her fault.

She had enjoyed eighteen years of a comfortable life while Madison had been forced to live like a rat in a gutter. No wonder everyone was furious.

More than anything, guilt crushed her chest. She could no longer meet their eyes. Any resentment or questions she once had vanished. Her mind buzzed, then went completely blank.

Ashley tried to think of a way to fix this, but her mind came up empty. The only thing that could truly resolve it now was for them to vent their anger, and for her biological mother to finally tell the truth.

She glanced sideways at the woman, who was still trembling under the crushing weight of Alpha Derek's aura. Her mother couldn't even lift her head, forced into submission by the Alpha's wolf.

Perhaps it was because Ashley had no wolf that she wasn't affected as severely. Aside from the suffocating pressure in the air, she felt none of the instinctive fear her mother did. And yet, guilt and heartache weighed her down just as heavily. She knelt there, trembling, as if trying to atone for what her mother had done.

"I apologize on my mother's behalf…" Ashley began, bowing her head in submission.

Brent let out a harsh snort, as if her words amused him.

"Apologize? You think a simple apology can end this?" he roared. "What about the years, months, weeks, days, my real sister spent swallowing humiliation? What about the cruel words she endured and the tears she shed? Do you think your apology can make up for any of that?"

The veins on his forehead and neck stood out as he struggled to contain his fury. His eyes glowed gold, his wolf surfacing along with his anger.

Ashley fell silent, lips pressed tightly together. She had no words left to offer.

"Then if you're truly apologizing, you should show some sincerity, don't you think?"

After a long stretch of silence, her elder brother finally spoke. Blake stepped forward and looked at Ashley with chilling coldness. The warmth of the doting brother she once knew was gone, replaced by an icy stare that felt sharp enough to cut her into pieces. There was unmistakable malice in his gaze, something Ashley could not pretend not to see.

Hearing his words, Ashley knew her brother too well. Though he appeared calm and composed, he was far colder and far more ruthless than Brent.

Brent's anger was loud and explosive, easy to see and just as easy to anticipate. Blake, however, was the opposite. He was the kind who stayed silent, who did not need to raise his voice. And when he finally acted, he did so with terrifying finality.

The quieter he was, the more dangerous he became.

Now that he had stepped forward and spoken, Ashley understood what it meant. He had already decided the fate of both her and her mother.

A chill crawled up her skin, as if a venomous snake had slithered from her ankle and coiled around her body, tightening its hold and freezing her in place. The cold dread wrapped around her slowly, leaving her unable to move or even breathe properly.

"B-Blake…" Ashley whispered, her face draining of color.

Blake acted as if he hadn't heard her.

"Since that woman refuses to tell us the truth," he said evenly, "then we'll force it out of her."

A slow, dark smile curved his lips, and a sinister glint flashed in his eyes. Both Ashley and her biological mother trembled as a chill ran down their spines, the air around them suddenly feeling tight, as though it were closing around their throats.

"All of you, come in. Take this filthy creature to the dungeon," Blake ordered coldly through the mindlink.

Before either of them could speak, the door slammed open, and a line of warriors poured into the room, responding to Blake's command through the mindlink.

By now, everyone had seen that Ashley could not even shift into her wolf form. Whatever respect they once had for her seemed to vanish overnight. After bowing to Alpha Derek, Nathan, and the two brothers, the warriors moved without hesitation. They seized Ashley and her mother and began dragging them away without a word.

Her mother broke into sobs, shaking her head frantically. Ashley, on the other hand, could hardly process what was happening. She could not believe that her own family had given the order to have her taken to the dungeon.

As if to make it unmistakably clear, Blake had even included both her and her mother in the mindlink so they could hear the command themselves.

Ashley's eyes slowly widened in disbelief as she was dragged across the floor. Around her, the others watched in silence, their gazes heavy with anger and a grim sense of vindication.

And in the corner of her vision, Maddison's triumphant smirk cut into her like a blade, sending a sharp sting through her already aching heart.

As she was dragged away without ceremony, Ashley's gaze met Nathan's.

His eyes were calm, like a still lake without the slightest ripple. That calmness hurt more than anger would have. Seeing that he, too, seemed unchanged and distant made her chest ache with the crushing realization that she truly had no one left.

"Wait…"

Nathan finally spoke.

And just like that, the faint, dying ember in Ashley's heart flared back to life. Her nose stung. Earlier, no matter how painful her family's words had been, she had somehow managed to hold back her tears. But with that single word from Nathan, her composure shattered.

Her heart trembled, her eyes burned, and all she wanted in that moment was to break free, run to him, and cry out all the pain she had been holding inside.

"She's still my fiancée," Nathan said at last. "I hope you can keep that in mind and allow me to handle this. As for Ashley's mother, let's give her some time to tell us the truth."

He exchanged a long, meaningful look with Alpha Derek, as if the two of them were communicating without words.

Alpha Derek's expression darkened, and even Maddison looked at Nathan with visible hurt. Seeing their reactions, Nathan clenched his fists so tightly that a vein stood out along his jaw. Still, he did not back down.

To Ashley, it looked as though Nathan was standing up for her with everything he had.

'Maybe I was wrong to doubt him…' she thought.

She lowered her head quickly so the others wouldn't see her expression, biting her lip hard to stop herself from sobbing aloud, afraid that any sound from her might provoke her brothers again.

"Nathan, I hope you know what you're doing," Alpha Derek growled, his gaze sharp enough to cut.

"I do. Trust me. I'll give you a satisfactory explanation later," Nathan replied, just as firmly.

Hearing this, Ashley felt a swell of emotion in her chest. To her, it sounded as though Nathan was standing by her side, ready to shield her from everything, just as he had always promised when they were younger.

After a tense moment, Alpha Derek shot Ashley and her biological mother one last look of disdain before turning away with a cold snort, as if even looking at them any longer offended him.

Taking that as permission, Nathan gestured to the warriors. They released their grip on Ashley. He helped her to her feet and, without sparing a glance at her mother, said quietly, "Let's go."

"Yeah, leave!" Brent shouted after them. "You have no place here! Don't you dare show your face in front of me again, or I'll make sure you regret ever being born!"

Ashley trembled at his words as she walked beside Nathan, the threat hitting her like a knife in the back.

"As the Alpha of the Black Mountain Pack, I hereby announce Ashley York's banishment and exile from this pack. From this moment on, she is no longer a member of this pack, nor is she a daughter of the York family…"

Alpha Derek's voice carried both finality and cruelty.

He didn't limit the announcement to those present in the room. Through the pack mindlink, his decree echoed across the entire pack territory, ensuring that everyone would know of Ashley's disgrace.

And with that declaration, he mercilessly severed the pack bond.

Ashley and her mother instantly felt the invisible thread connecting them to Alpha Derek snap.

Pain exploded through their bodies.

The sudden loss of the pack bond felt like their souls were being violently torn apart. Ashley staggered under the assault, but her mother, already weak, couldn't endure it.

Before she could even reach the door, her mother collapsed and lost consciousness.

Nathan didn't even spare her a glance.