Chapter 4

Maya POV:

The anger, when it finally came, was not hot and messy. It was cold and sharp. It was the first time I felt the true power of my bloodline-the ancient, royal fury of the White Wolf I was only just beginning to understand. There would be no tears, no screaming matches. There would only be erasure.

Back at the manor, I made a call to a different contact within the Phoenix network. This one didn't help people disappear; they made things disappear. They had ties to an underground auction house that specialized in the "dirty laundry" of the supernatural world.

"I have a collection I'd like to liquidate," I said, my voice devoid of emotion. "Anonymously."

Over the next few days, a discreet team came and went, cataloging everything Liam had ever given me. The priceless paintings, the couture gowns, the antique jewelry stamped with the Goldstein family crest. Every single gift.

The proceeds, I instructed, were to be funneled into a secret fund run by Project Phoenix. A fund dedicated to helping she-wolves and Omegas who had been rejected or abused by their Mates. His betrayal would fund their freedom.

The last item was the Moon Goddess's Tear. I held it in my palm, the sapphire cold and heavy. This would be the grand finale of the auction.

A few days later, Liam stormed into the house, his face a mask of thunder. He must have gotten word of the auction. His powerful Alpha presence slammed into me, an invisible force designed to bring me to my knees.

"Tell me why you did this!" he roared, using his Alpha's Command. The Alpha's Command is a primal vocalization, a vibration of power that resonates in the bones of a lesser wolf, compelling absolute obedience. Any other wolf in the pack, even a Gamma, would have collapsed, babbling the truth.

But something inside me, the ancient power in my blood, pushed back. It was like leaning into a hurricane, but I did not break. My own dormant, Alpha-grade power, the legacy of the White Wolf, rose to meet his, forming a shield around my will.

"They were gifts," I said, my voice chillingly calm. "Once given, they became my property. I have the right to dispose of my property as I see fit."

My defiance stunned him. He stared at me, his golden eyes wide with disbelief, as if seeing me for the first time. The next day, he showed up at the auction himself. He bought back every single item, paying more than double the final bid price in a furious, public display of ownership.

He came home that night and found me in the library. He didn't speak. He walked over to me, took the Moon Goddess's Tear from its box, and fastened it around my neck. He pulled the chain so tight it was almost choking me.

His lips were against my ear, his voice a low, menacing growl that bypassed speech and went straight into my mind.

"You are mine," the Mind-Link hissed, raw and possessive. "Everything you are, everything you have, is mine."

I met his furious gaze in the reflection of the dark window and gave him a small, sweet smile. The feeling of the cold sapphire against my throat was no longer one of love, but of a collar. It rested against the sensitive skin of my neck, the very spot where his teeth should have left a permanent, loving Mark of a true Mate. Now, it just felt like a brand of ownership, a mockery of the sacred bond. And it only strengthened my resolve to break free.