The Pup He Never Wanted Chapter 08
“No.”
The word exploded in the council hall like a bomb.
The master of ceremonies froze, nearly dropping the parchment scroll in his hands. The elders in the front row stared at each other, some of them losing control of their pheromones—the air filled with a chaotic mix of anger and confusion.
Caden’s face went white with rage. His wolf began to surface—his pupils turned gold, his canines lengthened. As the succeeding Alpha, his pheromonal dominance washed over the hall like a tsunami.
My own wolf cowered inside me, a primal instinct to submit. But I clenched my jaw and forced myself to stand tall.
“Moon.” Caden’s voice was a low growl rumbling from deep in his chest. “Do you have any idea what you’re doing?”
“I know exactly what I’m doing.” I turned to face everyone in the hall, my voice loud and clear. “I refuse to renew my vow. Because this man—”
I pointed at Caden.
“—is not worthy of my loyalty.”
All hell broke loose.
Someone shouted, “This is blasphemy!” Another asked, “What’s going on?” Marcus and Vivian were on their feet, their faces as pale as death.
The head elder—an old Alpha in his seventies with a mane of white hair—raised his hand for silence.
“Luna Moon, you must provide a reason. To publicly refuse the vow is a grave violation of pack law.”
“I will.” I pulled a small digital recorder from my clutch. “But first, I’d like you all to listen to something.”
I pressed play.
The voices of the doctor, Marcus, and Vivian echoed through the hall’s sound system—the conversation about the drugs, about intentionally destroying my fertility.
“…long-term use of this kind of agent will permanently destroy her reproductive system.”
“Do your job, doctor. The tonic continues.”
“It’s just a child. We can adopt if we have to. It’s better than her risking her life to give birth, isn’t it?”
When the recording ended, a dead silence fell over the room.
Then, an even greater chaos erupted.
“Is that true?”
“My God, they’ve been poisoning the Luna?”
“That violates the Mating Accords!”
The head elder’s face was grim. He looked at Marcus and Vivian. “Mr. and Mrs. Graymark, these accusations—”
“They’re lies!” Vivian shrieked. “She’s lying! Recordings can be faked—”
“DNA tests can’t be faked.” I cut her off, pulling out a file folder. “Here are my blood analysis reports from the past six years. Every single one shows high concentrations of chemical suppressants.”
I threw the folder at the head elder. The papers scattered across the table in front of him.
“And this.” I opened my phone and projected it onto the hall’s large screen.
The photos Chloe had sent me—the “family portraits” of her with Caden, Marcus, and Vivian on their trips—flashed across the screen, one after another.
“For the six years I was told Chloe was banished and likely dead,” my voice was as cold as a razor blade, “she was actually living in the border villa, being cared for by my adoptive parents and my husband. And I…”
I unzipped the side of my dress, revealing the jagged scar on my lower abdomen—the kind of wound a silver blade leaves, a mark that never truly fades.
“…I was fed poison for six years, lost my fertility, and was robbed of my right to ever be a mother. All of it, just to clear the way for their ‘real’ daughter.”
The hall was in an uproar.
People started shouting. “Caden, is this true?”
“The Graymark family owes us all an explanation!”
Caden finally spoke. His voice was hoarse, but he still tried to cling to his Alpha authority.
“Moon, you don’t understand—”
“What don’t I understand?” I turned to him, the tears finally breaking free. “That you used me as a scapegoat to protect Chloe? That every single night you were in my bed, you were thinking of her? Or that you never, not for one second, loved me?”
He was silent.
And his silence was more damning than any confession.
The head elder slammed his gavel on the table. “According to Article Seven, Section Three of the Werewolf Council Law, any form of forced sterilization is a Class-A felony. Caden Graymark, Marcus Graymark, Vivian Graymark—you are hereby stripped of all pack duties, pending a full council investigation.”
“No!” Vivian lunged forward. “This isn’t fair! Chloe is our daughter! She’s the one who deserves—”
“Enough!” The elder’s roar vibrated through the hall. “Everyone here has heard your crimes. You will be confined to your residences during the investigation and are forbidden from leaving the territory.”
Two pack enforcers stepped forward and took Marcus and Vivian by the arms.
Caden just looked at me. For the first time, I saw real emotion in his eyes—not anger, not threats, but… despair.
“Moon,” he said softly. “I never meant to hurt you this deeply.”
“But you did,” I said, wiping my tears, my voice calm again. “And you will never get the chance to fix it.”
I turned and walked off the stage. The sound of my heels clicking on the marble floor echoed in the silent hall.
No one tried to stop me.
At the door, I glanced back one last time.
Caden was still standing on the stage, all alone, like a statue that was about to crumble.
I pushed the door open and stepped out into the night.
The moon was full and bright, but I no longer felt its blessing.
Maybe losing my wolf spirit was a form of freedom after all.