Kael's father, Roderick, was the Alpha of BlackPine Pack. He had just pulled the family business back from the brink of collapse. And the first thing he did was force his son to divorce me. "Cut ties with her. I'll find you a partner worthy of you." "A full-time housewife who only knows how to stay in the kitchen doesn't deserve to be BlackPine Pack's Luna." "I must have been blind to agree to your marriage in the first place." I could only laugh softly at his words. A year ago, when his family business imploded, it was me who anonymously bought up all his bad debts and filled the hole for him. Without my intervention, he wouldn't have any of his current glory. His entire family would have become homeless rogues. My phone screen lit up. My assistant, Liam, CEO of NorthPeak Capital, sent me an audio file. I didn't open it. The accompanying text summary already made the sordid contents clear. On the dining table sat a glass of warm milk I'd just prepared, mixed with calming herbs to soothe a werewolf's restless mind. Kael had been stressed about Pack affairs for the past six months. Every night, I'd prepare this milk and wait for him to emerge from his study in the late hours. The sound of the password lock came from outside. Kael was home. He looked exhausted, giving me a cursory glance before heading straight to his study and closing the door heavily. Once, he used to hold me first thing when he came home, sharing the day's events. Now, only silence remained between us. I picked up the milk and walked to the study door, knocking before pushing it open. "You've been up half the night. Have some warm milk to help you relax." He glanced at it, his brow furrowing. "That again. I told you I'm sick of it." My hand hung in midair, white steam from the glass blurring my vision. I suddenly remembered three years ago when we registered our marriage. Back then, he'd just taken over BlackPine Pack's mess, losing sleep every night over Pack affairs. I'd stayed up with him until dawn every night, preparing this calming milk. He used to hold me and say he could never live without this companionship, that with me there, he could move forward with peace of mind. He didn't look at me again, his gaze returning to the screen. He coldly threw out a sentence. "Get out. Don't disturb my work." I silently took the glass and left, closing the door behind me. The entire house fell completely silent. When Kael emerged from the study, it was already late into the night. At the dinner table, we sat in silence. He ate a few bites before putting down his fork. "Elara, we need to talk." I looked up at him. "This can't go on." His gaze was evasive. "Our lives are no longer on the same level." "My father's company is back on track, bigger than ever before. BlackPine Pack's position in North America is completely secure." "And you. You stay home all day with no job, no social circle of your own, completely disconnected from the outside world." He seemed to finally gather his courage and looked at me. "I think we should separate for a while. Give each other some space to think." I looked at his determined face and suddenly laughed. "Fine." One word blocked all the arguments he'd prepared in his throat. He froze, clearly not expecting me to agree so readily. I stood up to clear the table. "Kael," I said with my back to him, my voice flat, "once you've decided, don't regret it." The next day, I met my best friend Mia for afternoon tea. At the outdoor café, Mia sighed heavily. She complained about the hardship of raising two kids and her husband's complete indifference to family matters. "Elara, you have it easy. Kael gives you all the money, no strings attached, no family pressures weighing you down." She patted my hand. "Not like us, waking up to a mountain of problems every day." I smiled but said nothing. In werewolf circles, everyone thought I was mild-tempered and unambitious. As the only daughter of WhiteRock Pack's Alpha, they also thought I was utterly incompetent. Completely lacking the ability to be an heir. Last year when BlackPine Pack neared bankruptcy, everyone said I was jumping into a fire pit. Now that the Pack had made a comeback, everyone assumed I was just a woman living off Kael. My phone buzzed. A message from Kael came through. "Saturday night, my father's birthday. You're coming with me to the estate for dinner." Still that commanding tone, cold text without a trace of warmth. I sent him back a "Fine." But I knew in my heart that this family dinner was a humiliation trap prepared specifically for me. What was coming would come eventually.
Saturday was the sixtieth birthday celebration for Roderick, BlackPine Pack's current Alpha and Kael's father. I carried a gift and walked into the Pack's estate. The standalone manor that had once been deserted, with most of its security staff dismissed, was now brightly lit, a display of prosperity following their comeback. Roderick wore a bespoke hand-tailored suit, his face glowing as he stood in the center of the banquet hall. He raised glasses and laughed with business moguls and Alpha leaders from neighboring packs. When he saw me enter, the smile faded from his face, his eyes filled with contempt. "You're here. Find yourself a seat. Don't push to the front." He pointed to the most remote corner of the hall, right by the service station, then didn't spare me another glance. At the head table, Kael sat at an angle with an unfamiliar young woman beside him. The woman wore a silver haute couture evening gown, a limited-edition Patek Philippe watch glinting on her wrist under the lights. A collector's piece only accessible to children of North America's top Pack Alphas. Kael leaned close to her ear, speaking with a smile, his tone relaxed. "Elara." Kael's mother walked over holding a glass of champagne, her tone distant and perfunctory. "This is Sera, daughter of SilverMoon Pack's Alpha. She flew in specially from London for Roderick's birthday. Her family's business spans Europe and America. She's young and accomplished." I nodded and looked at Sera. She was sizing me up, her gaze like she was examining something beneath her station, superiority radiating from her. "Oh, so you're Luna Elara?" She drew out her words, a hint of a smile on her lips. "I heard you've been a stay-at-home wife since getting married? You've really sacrificed a lot for the family." Her words mentioned sacrifice, but the disdain in her eyes was overflowing. Kael's expression stiffened slightly. He glanced at me, then turned to follow Sera's conversation about future collaboration plans between the two Packs. Dinner was served. The table was filled with exquisite dishes prepared by a three-Michelin-star chef. After several rounds of drinks, Roderick took the microphone and went on stage to give a speech. "Thank you all, friends and allies, for attending my sixtieth birthday banquet!" He raised his glass high, full of vigor. "This time last year, BlackPine Pack was at rock bottom. It's because of your unwavering support that we're here today!" He drained his glass, then suddenly shifted his tone, his gaze locking onto me in the corner. "Of course, today I must also thank certain people." He emphasized the word "thank," dripping with sarcasm. "Some people benefited from our family's misfortune without contributing anything. Now that we've risen, she still has the gall to stand here, basking in our success and sharing in our glory." The moment he finished, the entire hall erupted in laughter, mixed with waves of agreement. "Exactly! Just a full-time housewife. What else can she do besides spend a man's money?" "The heir's wife is just a housewife? She really doesn't deserve BlackPine Pack." "Roderick is being too generous. If it were me, I'd have kicked her out long ago!" Sera laughed and chimed in, her voice loud enough for nearby tables to hear: "Roderick is being modest. Some people just want stability. They have no real abilities, so they can only stick to household chores. "But BlackPine Pack is on the rise. Kael has a bright future ahead. Naturally, he needs someone more suitable by his side, not someone irrelevant holding him back." The two of them played off each other like they'd rehearsed it, every word aimed at me. I never spoke, sitting quietly in place. My silence, in their eyes, became weakness, became incompetence. I became tacit admission that I wasn't worthy of Kael, wasn't worthy of BlackPine Pack. The birthday banquet's clamor gradually subsided. Roderick finally dropped all pretense, walking straight to me with his wine glass. "Elara, you can see for yourself. Our family isn't what it used to be." His tone was icy. "You being with Kael is holding back his future." "I'll give you five hundred thousand dollars. Divorce Kael. Stop pestering him afterward, and never set foot in BlackPine Pack territory again." Five hundred thousand dollars. To buy out our three-year marriage. To buy out the thirty-two million in debt I'd quietly covered for him. To buy out the entire BlackPine Pack I'd saved. What a joke. Everyone in the banquet hall focused their eyes on me, full of mockery and anticipation of a spectacle. Sera stood nearby holding her wine glass, a triumphant smile on her face, as if she'd already determined herself to be Kael's next partner, BlackPine Pack's future mistress.
I didn't look at Roderick, but turned my gaze to Kael instead. He was like a bystander, as if our three-year marriage had nothing to do with him. "Kael," I spoke, "is this what you want too?" His body jerked violently, his knuckles turning white around his wine glass. Every eye in the hall turned to him. Even the air went quiet. "Yes." That single word completely shattered the last bit of warmth remaining in my heart. I couldn't help but laugh. "Good. Very good." I stood up and surveyed the room full of people. Roderick's brow furrowed tightly, extremely dissatisfied with my reaction. "What are you laughing at? Five hundred thousand isn't enough? Elara, don't be shameless!" Sera leaned on Kael's shoulder looking at me, disdain practically spilling from her eyes. "A full-time housewife who's been freeloading for three years. Without Kael, you couldn't even earn five hundred thousand. What's there to be dissatisfied about?" And Kael just let her lean on him without even frowning. "Elara, be smart. Take the money and leave. Don't make this uglier than it needs to be." "Ugly?" I looked at him, the smile at the corner of my mouth growing colder. "Kael, from the moment you allowed Sera to sit here and humiliate me, things were already ugly." "I'll divorce you, but not now." The moment I said this, everyone in the room froze. Sera laughed mockingly, sitting up straight. "What, trying to drag it out? Even if you drag it out ten or eight years, it won't change the fact that he wants to divorce you. Stop wasting your energy." "I'm not trying to drag it out." I spoke calmly. "I just feel that when Kael and I got married, we didn't have a proper wedding. Now that BlackPine Pack is back at its peak, why don't we invite all our business partners to a grand press conference to announce our divorce." "It would be a proper ending to our marriage. A dignified conclusion." My suggestion left both Roderick and Sera stunned. They couldn't figure out what I was planning. To them, this was tantamount to public execution, trampling what little dignity I had left. A gleam flashed in Roderick's eyes. He immediately realized this was a golden opportunity for him! He'd been worrying about how to announce his powerful return to the business world, how to introduce Sera, the new daughter-in-law who could bring more resources to BlackPine Pack. I'd voluntarily given him this chance. How could he not seize it? "Good! That takes guts!" Roderick's face broke into a wide smile. "Elara, I didn't expect you to have some backbone! Let's do it! I'll arrange the press conference and make sure it's dignified!" Sera looked at me with eyes full of contempt and pity. "Elara, don't go crying when the time comes. Do you need me to sponsor a decent dress for you?" I ignored her, only giving Kael one last look. His face showed confusion and bewilderment, perhaps even a trace of barely perceptible guilt. But what did it matter? He chose this path himself. Then he must be the star of this grand finale. Over the next few days, Roderick indeed threw all his energy into preparing for this banquet. He booked the most luxurious hotel ballroom, inviting every business elite and Alpha from every Pack across North America he could reach. Word spread throughout the North American werewolf community. BlackPine Pack had risen from the ashes, and heir Kael was about to marry a noble new partner. I became a complete joke.
When Liam heard I was going to the press conference, he nearly exploded with rage, calling me immediately. "Elara, why are you rushing to hand them a knife? When they say something inappropriate, it's your face that gets lost." "For trash like them, the bigger the scene, the better. Solving everything at once will bring peace." I said lightly. "You!" Liam was too angry to speak. "I'll be watching to see how you handle this!" On the day of the press conference, I wore a simple evening gown and walked into the resplendent ballroom. Roderick and Kael's mother were dressed lavishly and glamorously, greeting guests with beaming faces. Kael wore an expensive bespoke suit, his arm linked with Sera's, accepting congratulations and envious looks from everyone. Seeing me, the smile vanished instantly from Roderick's face. He strode over quickly, lowering his voice, his tone full of warning and disgust. "You actually dare to come! Remember, today you're here to cooperate with the show. Don't try any tricks!" Sera also walked over, looking me up and down. "Elara, that outfit. Are you here to work as waitstaff? Let me remind you, everyone here today is someone important. You'd better shrink into a corner to avoid embarrassing BlackPine Pack." I said nothing, only smiled. Kael's gaze briefly met mine. He quickly looked away, his expression complex. I found an inconspicuous corner to sit in, watching this absurd yet real drama unfold before me. Watching Roderick circulate through the crowd, boasting about how he pulled his company back from the edge of bankruptcy. Watching Sera, acting like the lady of the house, introducing BlackPine Pack's grand blueprint to everyone. Watching Kael. The man I'd loved for three years, the one I thought I'd grow old with. Thriving in this vanity fair, slipping further and further away from me. Halfway through the banquet, the host invited Roderick onstage for a speech. Under the spotlight, Roderick held the microphone, full of vigor. "Good evening, friends!" "Thank you all for your support of BlackPine Pack, which has made us greater than ever before." Thunderous applause erupted below. He basked in it all, then changed his tone. "Besides announcing BlackPine Pack's magnificent comeback, my son Kael will be saying goodbye to the past and welcoming a brand new life!" As he spoke, he beckoned to Kael and Sera. The two walked onstage intimately and stood beside Roderick. "Some people are only suitable for sharing hardship, not prosperity." Every gaze in the hall turned to me in unison. Some sympathetic, some pitying, but most were mocking, enjoying the spectacle. I became the superfluous person in their eyes. Kael kept his head down, not daring to look at me. Sera wrapped her arm around Kael's waist, silently flaunting her victory to me. Roderick cleared his throat, preparing to announce my divorce from Kael and hint at Sera and Kael's upcoming engagement. I stood up and walked slowly toward the stage. Everyone froze. The music stopped. Roderick's face turned iron-dark, hissing into the microphone: "Elara! What do you think you're doing? Get down from here!" I ignored him, walking straight to center stage and taking another microphone from the host. The spotlight shone on me. I could clearly see every shocked face below. "Don't be in such a rush, Roderick." I smiled, my voice carrying through the sound system throughout the entire ballroom. "Today is my stage too, isn't it?"
? Continue the story here ?? ? Download the "NovelMaster" app ? search for "387039", and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster