At the words “bad Omega,” Marcus’s cold expression turned dangerous, his Alpha power flaring visibly.
He turned sharply to Rachel, who took an instinctive step back.
“Did you teach him to say that?” his voice was deadly quiet. “Rachel, he’s just a pup. What poison are you teaching our son?”
His next words fell like ice: “If you can’t raise him properly, my parents will take over his training. You will step back. Immediately.”
Before Rachel could defend herself, Marcus strode back into the ceremonial hall, leaving her standing alone with their confused pup.
Her perfect future was beginning to unravel, one careful thread at a time.
The news of the rogue attack blazed on every phone screen in the ceremonial hall,
Marcus’s hands clenched until his knuckles went white, veins standing out like rivers against his skin. His claws threatened to emerge, drawing pinpricks of blood from his palms.
As he walked through the ceremonial hall to the altar, cruel whispers followed him like shadows, each one crystal clear to his Alpha hearing.
“I heard Rachel’s just standing in for the ceremony,” a Beta female muttered behind her champagne glass. “Surely the Alpha hasn’t actually grown attached to that Omega with the dead wolf? No one would be that foolish.”
Her companion snorted quietly. “Impossible! Sarah’s old pack abandoned her when she lost her wolf – they know damaged goods when they see it. She has no allies here, not a single pack member to witness her marking.
“The Alpha must still want Rachel – look how grand this ceremony is! The sacred scrolls, the ancient rites, the gathered Alphas…. He planned this all along.”
“Poor thing though,” a third voice added with false sympathy. “First the fire scarred her, then they killed her wolf with silver. Now she can’t even bear Alpha pups. She’ll spend the rest of her life as nothing but a burden. And she used to be from such a strong bloodline… How far the mighty fall.”
With each whispered word, Marcus’s expression grew darker, his wolf stirring with unexpected guilt.
How had this happened?
He’d silenced everyone involved in the fire, paid handsomely for their silence. The money had guaranteed their cooperation and subsequent disappearance.
The healer who’d injected the silver would never dare speak – not after Marcus had guaranteed the safety of their family in exchange.
Once the marking ceremony was complete, Sarah would have been his mate in name only. A convenient facade..
They would have lived together peacefully, each playing their assigned roles.
