In desperation, she drove a silver dagger into Ethan’s heart, then killed herself beside his body.
In her final moments, she clutched Ethan’s cold hand, mumbling:
1/3
+15 Bonus
“Now, you’re mine forever.”
This incident caused tremendous upheaval in Shadow Moon, their reputation plummeting
But more important than reputation was the pack’s bloodline.
Ethan’s grandmother and the pack elders visited multiple times, hoping to take Lily back to raise her.
I turned them away each time.
Finally, with no other options, they selected a child from among the orphans of fallen warriors–the very group they had once looked down upon.
But these matters no longer concerned me or Lily.
Five years after becoming Alpha, I stood on our pack’s highest ridge, watching my daughter train with the other young wolves. At
twelve years old, Lily showed all the signs of becoming a powerful Alpha herself someday. Her silver fur–a rare trait even in our
bloodline–gleamed in the sunlight as she outpaced her cousins.
The amethyst hung around her neck now, glowing with steady purple light. It had chosen her as the next heir, just as it had once
chosen me.
Sometimes at night, when the moon was full, I would catch Lily staring toward Shadow Moon territory, a question in her eyes
that she never voiced.
I knew she remembered Ethan, remembered calling him “Daddy.” Children don’t forget so easily.
But wounds heal, and new bonds form. My second–in–command, a strong and gentle wolf named River, had become a father
figure to her. They would spend hours together by the lake, him teaching her to fish with her claws the way Silver Crescent wolves
had done for generations.
As for me, the mark on my neck had faded to nothing, not even a scar remained to remind me of what once was. The pain had
dulled too, replaced by a calm certainty that I had made the right choice.
Silver Crescent flourished under my leadership. Our crystal trading network extended to packs we once considered enemies.
Peace brought prosperity, and prosperity brought strength
Sometimes I wondered if things could have been different–if Ethan had made different choices, if I had been less forgiving, if we
had never met at all.
But such thoughts served no purpose. The path forward was clear, unburdened by what might have been.
Lily would grow into her role as heir. I would continue to lead until she was ready. And the legacy of our matriarchal line would
continue, stronger than ever.
The tragedy of Ethan and Victoria became nothing more than a cautionary tale, a whispered story of ambition and obsession gone
wrong.
And I? I was finally, completely free.
