Ivy POV

I stood in the suffocating darkness of the terrace, the cool velvet of Dixie’s stolen jewelry box resting in my palm. Through the thick glass doors of the Grand Dining Hall, the heavy, dominant scents of powerful Alphas clashed with the sudden, shrill shriek of a low-ranking Omega.

"It's gone! My emerald jewelry box is gone!" Dixie wailed, her voice piercing the elegant hum of the banquet. "There's a thief in the estate! Or a Rogue!"

My father, Alpha Carlton, stiffened. His Inner Wolf released a low, irritated growl that vibrated through the glass. To have a theft declared in front of Alpha Derrick and Luna Jean Mason was a humiliating blow to his pride.

"Perhaps if our estate manager wasn't a wolfless incompetent, our borders would be secure," Ella, the fourth concubine, sneered, seizing the perfect moment to undermine Jackie. Jackie’s face flushed with barely concealed rage, but lacking an Inner Wolf, she could only swallow the insult to maintain her fragile authority.

Before the bickering could escalate, Denver Mason stepped forward. He puffed out his chest, radiating the arrogant, oppressive aura of a newly shifted Alpha. "Alpha Carlton, for the safety of your esteemed guests, I suggest an immediate search of the grounds. We cannot let a thief roam free."

Carlton’s jaw tightened, but he nodded, signaling the Pack Butler. "Take the Warriors. Search everywhere."

A cold smile touched my lips. The trap was set, but I was no longer the prey.

I didn't linger on the terrace. Relying on the heightened agility of my dormant White Wolf blood, I slipped back into the shadows. I moved swiftly toward the thicket where I had left Johnny. But as I approached, the sour, nervous scent of deceit hit my nose. Darcie, Denisse’s Omega maid, was creeping through the bushes, sent to check if the "adulterous" scene was ready.

I didn't hesitate. I materialized behind her, striking the nerve at the base of her neck. Darcie crumpled instantly. I dragged her limp body next to the unconscious Johnny near the ruined boundary wall, tossing Dixie’s velvet box directly into her lap. The perfect scapegoats.

With my alibi secured, I scaled the thick branches of a nearby oak tree just as the search party, led by a frantic Denisse, marched into the courtyard.

"Look! Over there, by the Ancient Pear Tree!" Denisse gasped with feigned horror, pointing a trembling finger at the dark corner. "I saw a shadow!"

The Warriors rushed forward, raising their lanterns. The golden light illuminated the damp earth, the rotting leaves, and absolutely nothing else.

Carlton’s eyes narrowed. A suffocating wave of Alpha command rolled off him, pressing heavily against Denisse. "Are you playing games, Denisse? There is nothing here."

Denisse turned deathly pale, her eyes darting frantically around the empty dirt. "I... I must have been mistaken, Father. The shadows..."

Below me, Denver looked as if he had been slapped. His Inner Wolf was pacing wildly in his mind, his scent spiking with utter confusion and rising panic. He had watched his men dump me here. He *knew* I was supposed to be lying in the dirt.

Desperate to deflect Carlton’s mounting fury, Denver cleared his throat. "Perhaps the thief fled toward the water. Alpha Carlton, why don't we escort the guests to the Moon Lake? The water lilies are blooming, and it will calm the evening's tensions."

Carlton, eager to smooth over the embarrassment, agreed. The group turned their backs on the pear tree and headed for the lake.

I dropped silently from the oak branches and sprinted through the hidden garden paths.

By the time the heavy footsteps of the Alphas and Lunas crunched on the gravel near the Moon Lake, the clouds had parted, bathing the water in brilliant, silver moonlight.

"Oh, my," Luna Jean breathed, her voice filled with sudden wonder.

I knelt gracefully at the edge of the water, dressed in a pristine, pale blue gown. A dozen small, floating candles drifted on the gentle ripples around the sleeping lilies, casting a warm, golden glow on my face. The crisp, clean scent of lilies and rain—my true scent—wafted through the cool autumn air, completely untainted by wolfsbane or deceit.

"Ivy?" Dixie gasped, her eyes wide with shock.

Denisse and Denver froze, looking at me as if I had crawled out of a grave. The color drained entirely from Denver's handsome face, his jaw slackening in sheer disbelief.

Hearing my name, I slowly turned my head. I blinked, letting my eyes widen in soft, innocent surprise as I looked up at the crowd of powerful wolves, my hands still gently cupped in the posture of a devout prayer to the Moon Goddess.

Ivy POV

"Ivy?" Carlton's voice was a low, dangerous rumble, laced with the suffocating weight of his Alpha aura. He stepped forward, his jaw tight. "What is the meaning of this? You abandon your duties to our esteemed guests to play in the dirt?"

I didn't flinch. Keeping my eyes lowered in a picture of perfect, submissive innocence, I gently set the last floating candle onto the rippling water.

"Forgive me, Father," I murmured, my voice soft but carrying clearly in the crisp autumn air. "Tonight is the full moon. The Moon Goddess's power is at its absolute peak. I came here to pray for the health of our High Luna Josephine, and for the continued prosperity of the Russell Pack."

A heavy silence fell over the lake. The oppressive Alpha aura rolling off Carlton instantly dissipated, replaced by a flicker of surprise.

Luna Jean Mason stepped forward, her eyes softening with genuine warmth. "Such a pure, devoted heart," she praised, turning to Carlton. "You are truly blessed, Alpha Carlton. A girl who honors the Moon Goddess and her Luna above her own vanity is a rare gem."

Denisse’s face twisted into an ugly sneer, her eyes flashing red with jealousy. "Devoted? Or just desperate for attention to mask her wolfless incompetence?"

"Denisse," Jean said, her tone cool and sharp enough to slice glass. "Piety is never incompetence."

Denisse snapped her mouth shut, her cheeks burning with humiliation.

Beside her, Denver Mason was staring at me as if seeing me for the very first time. The silver moonlight illuminated my pale blue gown, but it was my scent—the crisp, intoxicating blend of lilies and rain—that had him hooked. His newly shifted Dire Wolf, which had previously viewed me with disgust, was now pacing restlessly in his mind, thoroughly captivated.

Puffing out his chest, Denver approached me, a charming, arrogant smile playing on his lips. "It is a beautiful gesture, Ivy. Perhaps I could join you in your prayers?"

I felt a surge of pure, venomous hatred at the sight of him, remembering the agonizing ruin he had planned for me in my past life. But I kept my expression perfectly serene.

"Thank you, Denver," I replied, my tone polite but freezing cold. "But prayers to the Goddess require absolute silence and solitude."

Denver’s smile faltered, his Alpha pride stinging from the public rejection. Before he could push the matter, the heavy crunch of boots on gravel shattered the quiet night.

"Alpha Carlton!"

The Pack Butler emerged from the garden path, flanked by two Warriors. They were dragging two limp figures through the dirt. With a rough shove, they dumped them at Carlton's feet. It was Darcie, Denisse’s Omega maid, and Johnny, the wolfless servant Denver had hired.

"We found them unconscious near the ruined boundary wall," the Butler reported, holding up a familiar velvet box. "They were attempting to flee the territory with stolen goods."

"My emerald box!" Dixie shrieked, lunging forward. "I knew it! Filthy little thieves!"

The color drained entirely from Denisse and Denver’s faces. They stared at the unconscious servants, sheer panic replacing their earlier arrogance. They realized instantly that their meticulously crafted trap hadn't just failed—it had completely collapsed on top of them.

If Darcie woke up and spoke, Denisse was ruined.

Moving with desperate, frantic speed, Denisse rushed forward and slapped Darcie hard across the face. The sharp crack echoed over the lake.

Darcie gasped, her eyes fluttering open in a daze.

"You treacherous, ungrateful wretch!" Denisse screamed, unleashing the full, suffocating weight of her high-rank Female aura. It slammed into the low-level Omega, forcing Darcie to her knees. "You stole from my family to elope with this Mason Pack filth? Confess your sins right now, before the Alpha tears you limb from limb!"

Darcie looked up, her eyes wide with terror. She saw the murderous warning in Denisse’s gaze. She was a sacrificial lamb, and if she didn't take the fall, Denisse would ensure her death was slow and agonizing.

"I... I did it!" Darcie sobbed, trembling violently under the aura. "I'm sorry! We just wanted to run away!"

A terrifying, guttural snarl ripped through the air. Alpha Derrick Mason’s eyes glowed a lethal, glowing gold. The idea that a servant of his Pack was involved in a petty theft and elopement on Russell territory was a humiliating stain on his honor.

"You dare shame the Mason Pack?" Derrick roared.

He didn't even use his hands. Derrick stepped forward and delivered a brutal, bone-shattering kick to Johnny’s ribs. The wolfless man flew backward, crashing into the dirt. Johnny coughed violently, spraying dark blood onto the grass, his fragile body completely broken by the Alpha's wrath.

Denver scrambled backward, his face ashen, desperately trying to distance himself from his own hired pawn. "Father, I swear, I knew nothing of his disgusting behavior!"

I stood quietly in the shadows of the weeping willows, the scent of lilies masking the cold, calculating smile on my lips. Johnny was bleeding out, terrified and desperate. And a desperate rat would always bite the closest hand to survive.

Ivy POV

Johnny coughed up another mouthful of dark blood, his fragile wolfless body trembling violently under Alpha Derrick’s suffocating aura.

Luna Jean Mason stepped forward, her elegant features twisted in a frown. "Speak, servant. What exactly happened here?"

Terrified of being torn apart, Johnny scrambled backward, his eyes darting wildly before landing on the sobbing Darcie. "It was her!" he shrieked, pointing a bloody finger at the Omega maid. "She stole the box! She threatened to frame me if I didn't help her run away! I had nothing to do with it!"

Darcie gasped, too paralyzed by Denisse’s previous threat and the crushing class divide to defend herself. She just wept into the dirt.

Alpha Carlton’s jaw tightened. His Inner Wolf sensed the holes in the wolfless man's frantic story, but with the esteemed Mason Alphas watching, he needed to bury this humiliating Russell Pack scandal immediately.

"Enough," Carlton commanded, his Alpha's Command rolling over the lake. "Butler, drag this thieving Omega to the Dungeon. The Elders will deal with her."

From the shadows of the weeping willows, I watched with cold satisfaction. My Inner White Wolf was dormant, but my instincts were razor-sharp. Darcie and Johnny were nothing but pathetic scapegoats, entirely unaware that I had orchestrated their downfall.

But Denisse wasn't satisfied. Seeing her grand plot to ruin me end with a mere servant's punishment, her jealousy flared. She needed the final nail in my coffin—the forged love letter she had ordered Darcie to plant in Johnny's pocket.

"Wait, Father!" Denisse stepped forward, feigning deep concern. "The study... important Pack territory maps and documents are kept there. What if they stole more than just jewelry? We must search them thoroughly to ensure no Pack secrets are leaked."

Alpha Derrick released a low, warning growl, his Inner Wolf deeply offended that a Russell female was demanding to search a Mason servant. But Carlton, eager to prove his Pack's security, nodded.

The Pack Butler quickly patted down the weeping Darcie, finding nothing. He then moved to the trembling Johnny. Reaching into the man's inner coat pocket, the Butler pulled out a folded piece of parchment.

"A document, Alpha," the Butler announced.

"Read it aloud," Carlton ordered, his tone leaving no room for argument.

The Butler unfolded the paper. Instantly, his face flushed a deep, embarrassed red. He stammered, his eyes darting nervously toward the Mason family, completely unable to speak.

Before Carlton could bark another order, Dixie, sensing blood in the water, snatched the letter from the Butler's hands. The low-ranking Omega had suffered under Jackie and Denisse for years, and she wasn't about to miss an opportunity.

"Oh, my!" Dixie gasped with exaggerated shock, her eyes gleaming maliciously as she read the words aloud for the entire lake to hear. *"My dearest Denver, my body aches for your touch. Meet me beneath the Ancient Pear Tree tonight. I am entirely yours."*

A deathly silence fell over the lake.

"What?!" Alpha Derrick roared. He ripped off his heavy leather riding boot and swung it brutally against Denver’s head. "You dare sneak around with a Russell she-wolf behind our backs? You bring shame to the Mason Pack!"

Denver stumbled, clutching his bleeding lip. "Father, I swear I've never seen that letter!"

Jackie, her face ashen, rushed forward. "It's a setup! Someone is framing my daughter!"

But Carlton had already snatched the letter from Dixie’s hands. I watched his eyes scan the neat, elegant handwriting. Then, his nostrils flared.

In the werewolf world, scent was absolute. When I knocked Johnny out, I hadn't just changed the signature from 'Ivy' to 'Denisse'. I had meticulously coated the parchment in Denisse’s distinct, pungent rose scent, completely erasing my own crisp lily aroma.

The undeniable stench of roses hit Carlton’s nose, confirming the horrifying truth. The handwriting was hers. The scent was hers.

Blind with rage and absolute humiliation, Carlton turned to Denisse. He didn't speak. He simply raised his hand and delivered a vicious, Alpha-strength slap across her face.

The sharp crack echoed like a gunshot. Denisse was thrown backward, crashing hard onto the cold stone pavement by the lake. Blood instantly welled at the corner of her mouth, and a nasty bruise began to form on her forehead.

"You shameless, disgusting wretch," Carlton snarled, his eyes glowing with lethal fury.

Denisse clutched her swelling cheek, sobbing hysterically as the reality of her ruined reputation crashed down upon her. She had no defense. The trap she built for me had snapped shut on her own neck.

Standing quietly in the silver moonlight, smelling faintly of pure lilies and rain, I allowed a small, chilling smile to touch my lips.