Stepping out of the forbidden territory, I cradled Lucia firmly in my arms, her body limp and cold against my chest. My expression remained stoic as Nixon recounted the events of the past three months in my absence.

It turned out that shortly after I left the pack, Alpha Sophie had brought a young girl named Jasmine into the fold. Sophie claimed she felt a strong connection with Jasmine and decided to take her under her wing as her protégé. Being chosen as the Alpha’s protégé was no small honor, and it was clear Sophie held Jasmine in high regard.

Not long after Jasmine joined the pack, she began to accuse Lucia of targeting her. She claimed that during pack training, Lucia had intentionally injured her shoulder during a sparring session. Then, a piece of clothing Sophie had gifted to Jasmine mysteriously appeared in Lucia’s room. The final straw came when, during a pack run, Jasmine returned in a disheveled state, claiming Lucia had pushed her into the path of a rogue wolf.

Sophie was furious. She ordered Lucia to be confined to the pack’s disciplinary cells, a cold and desolate place meant to teach a lesson through isolation. But that wasn’t the end of it. Jasmine later visited Lucia in her cell, only to emerge with a severe injury to her abdomen. The pack whispered that Lucia had attacked her in a fit of rage.

I cut Nixon off mid-sentence, my voice icy. “Such clumsy manipulation. Are you seriously telling me no one saw through it?”

Nixon hesitated, his voice tight. “Alpha Kaeli, I know you’re close to Lucia, but these are the facts as everyone witnessed them. You can’t just—”

I didn’t let him finish. “So, everyone’s blind, is that it?”

Nixon fell silent, his expression uneasy.

I adjusted Lucia’s body in my arms, brushing a strand of hair from her pale face, my expression hardening. “What happened to her strength? Her wolf? Where is it?”

Lucia had always been spirited, and though she had a playful streak, I had made sure she trained rigorously. Her wolf, Daisy, had shown immense promise. But now, her body felt hollow, as if something vital had been ripped out of her.

A sickening suspicion took root in my mind.

Nixon’s voice was matter-of-fact, as if he were stating the obvious. “She injured Jasmine, Alpha. It was only fair that Lucia’s wolf was killed to punish her. It’s what she deserved.”

His words ignited a fury in me that I could no longer contain. In one swift motion, I kicked Nixon with enough force to send him sprawling across the ground. The impact left him gasping for air, unable to rise.

“Alpha, why—” he choked out, his voice laced with pain and confusion.

But I wasn’t done. My eyes snapped to the figure who had just appeared behind him.

Jasmine.

The girl stood there, her expression a mix of fear and defiance. It seemed I wouldn’t have to seek her out after all—she had come to me.

Jasmine rushed over, hurrying to help Nixon up from the ground. As she passed by me, she stumbled and shoved her hand toward me, attempting to push me aside.

Pathetic.

I didn’t even flinch, holding Lucia’s body securely as I shifted my weight slightly, avoiding her clumsy attempt.

Jasmine, unable to stop her momentum, fell hard onto the ground, staring up at me in shock.

"Who do you think you are? How dare you act like this in the Blue Moon Pack?"

I looked down at her, my expression cold. "So, you’re Jasmine Fox?"

The girl on the ground had delicate features, her wide eyes and soft demeanor making her appear fragile and pitiful.

No wonder she had managed to manipulate others so easily with her shallow schemes.

Someone as innocent and trusting as Lucia would have stood no chance against her.

Jasmine scrambled to her feet, trying to muster some semblance of authority. "Before you ask me questions, shouldn’t you introduce yourself first?"

"My name?" I let out a humorless laugh, my tone turning icy. "You’re not worthy of knowing it."

"How dare you!" Jasmine’s face twisted in anger, her eyes blazing as she glared at me.

She helped Nixon up, lifting her chin haughtily. "I’m the most favored member of the Blue Moon Pack. If you mess with me, Alpha won’t let you get away with it.

"Let me warn you, the last person who crossed me ended up losing their wolf—"

*Crack!*

My hand struck her face with a sharp, resounding slap, sending her sprawling several meters away.

Nixon, still unsteady on his feet, stumbled as he tried to catch her, the two of them nearly collapsing together.

Jasmine lay on the ground, clutching her swollen cheek, her eyes wide with rage. "You hit me?"

Oh, I would do far more than hit her.

Did Alpha Sophie not warn this fool about me when she brought her into the pack?

Besides my cold detachment, I’m also known for my ruthlessness.

I ignored her dramatic tantrum, one arm cradling Lucia’s lifeless body while my other hand slowly reached to my side.

*Shing!*

My claws slid free, their sharp edges gleaming as I pointed them directly at Jasmine.

She finally realized the danger she was in, her bravado crumbling as she cowered behind Nixon.

"Kolton, help me!"

Nixon’s gaze hardened as he turned to me, all traces of his earlier subservience gone.

"Alpha Kaeli, this is going too far. Are you really doing this for someone who—"

Before he could finish, I gripped his throat, my fingers tightening as his eyes widened in fear.

I leaned in, my voice low and deadly. "If I hear you say that again, you’ll never speak another word."

Behind him, Jasmine tried to sneak away while I was distracted.

But I was already on to her. With a swift motion, I sent her sprawling with a kick to her leg, her body hitting the ground hard.

I released Nixon, stepping toward Jasmine with my claws extended.

Her fear was palpable now.

I didn’t waste time on words. With a flick of my wrist, I slashed the escape tool she had been clutching, severing the tendons in her hand as well.

"Ahh! It hurts—"

Jasmine’s screams echoed through the clearing, her body writhing in pain as she clutched her injured hand.

Nixon scrambled toward her, panic in his voice. "Jasmine, are you okay? I’ll get Alpha Sophie!"

I didn’t stop him. She would find out sooner or later anyway. It was better to settle this once and for all.

Jasmine’s cries were piercing, but I just watched her, a cold smile tugging at my lips.

"Does it hurt? I bet Lucia suffered a hundred times more than this."

The memory of Lucia’s pale face and the emptiness left by her stolen wolf fueled my rage.

I wanted to drive my claws through Jasmine’s heart right then and there.

But no. She would endure ten times, a hundred times the pain Lucia had suffered. Only then would it be fair.

Jasmine was terrified I’d kill her. She crawled on the ground, sobbing and wailing, her cries piercing the air. I cradled Lucia’s lifeless body in my arms, following her step by step, my claws slashing across her back again and again. I didn’t aim to kill—just to make her suffer.

Nixon, still recovering from the injuries I’d inflicted earlier, cowered in the corner, too afraid to intervene. I glanced down at Lucia’s pale face, her skin cold to the touch, and whispered softly, "Lucia, can you see this? Your sister will make her hurt a hundred times worse than she hurt you."

Lucia didn’t respond, of course. She was gone.

Jasmine’s tears and snot smeared across her face as she tried to muster her strength, her wolf’s aura flickering weakly in a desperate attempt to shield her. My eyes narrowed, my voice icy. "Jasmine, how does it feel to carry the pain of Lucia’s death within you? Does it haunt you?"

She flinched but still spat back, "So what? She ruined my wolf’s connection! She deserved to suffer!"

I slashed her across the mouth, leaving a deep, bleeding gash. The anger I’d been holding back surged again, threatening to consume me. Lucia’s body was still in my arms, and I had no time to waste here. But letting Jasmine die so easily would be too merciful. She needed to feel the pain of losing her wolf, just as Lucia had.

With a cold glare, I drove my claws into her abdomen, piercing deep. A furious voice roared from behind me, "Kaeli, you dare!"

Ah, Sophie had arrived.

I didn’t even look up. Instead, I poured more strength into the blow, my claws sinking deeper. With a sickening crunch, Jasmine’s body went limp, her eyes wide with shock. Without hesitation, I reached into her, tearing out the faint, flickering essence of Lucia’s wolf. It pulsed faintly in my hand, tainted by Jasmine’s scent.

Behind me, a powerful wave of Sophie’s Alpha aura crashed toward me, fueled by her rage. "Ungrateful wretch, kneel before me!" she commanded, her voice echoing with authority.

But I didn’t flinch. My claws tightened around Lucia’s wolf as I turned to face her, my voice steady but laced with defiance. "Alpha Sophie, your reign ends here."