---- Chapter 21 ROSALIE POV: "He's just sulking, dear. Men and their fragile egos. He'll get over it." My mother's words were like a weak bandage on a gaping wound. | sat on the silk chaise lounge, the fabric feeling coarse against my skin. The silence from Laurence on the Mind-Link was a physical weight, pressing down on my chest. "But he blocked me, Mother," | said, my voice trembling. "He's never done that before." "He's throwing a tantrum because his little Omega toy ran away," she sniffed, adjusting the pearls at her throat. "He'll realize his mistake. He needs a true Luna, a Harris, by his side. Not some... orphan." Her confidence was a fortress, but | could feel cracks forming in its walls. A shadow fell over the sunlit room, and | looked up to see a procession of black SUVs pulling up the long, winding driveway. They bore the silver wolf emblem of the Silver Creek Pack. My pack. "Is that Chris?" | asked, a flicker of hope igniting. Maybe he had come to his senses. ---- But the man who stepped out of the lead vehicle was not my brother. It was Winchester, Chris's Gamma, his face as hard and unmoving as granite. He was flanked by a dozen pack warriors, their expressions grim. My mother stood up, her posture radiating indignation. "Winchester. What is the meaning of this intrusion?" Winchester didn't even look at her. His cold eyes found me. "Rosalie Harris. By order of the Alpha, Chris Harris, | am here to enforce the ancient statutes of the pack." He unrolled a scroll of parchment, the paper yellowed with age. His voice boomed through the opulent room, each word a hammer blow. Let it be known that any member of the Beta's family line found guilty of high treason against the Alpha, including conspiracy to murder, shall be stripped of all titles, assets, and pack protections. All properties and funds granted by the pack shall revert to the Alpha's control."" My mother gasped. "That's absurd! That law hasn't been invoked in centuries!" "It was signed by your husband, Gary Harris, upon your marriage into this pack," Winchester stated flatly. "A contingency to protect the pack from outside greed." He gestured to the warriors. "You have one hour to gather your personal belongings. All bank accounts have been frozen. This house no longer belongs to you." ---- The world tilted on its axis. My mother started screaming, a shrill, ugly sound. | just stood there, frozen. This couldn't be happening. Just then, my father, Gary, burst into the room, his face a mask of confusion. "What in the Goddess's name is going on?" My mother ran to him. "Gary, tell them! Tell them they can't do this! It's Chris, he's gone mad!" Winchester simply handed the scroll to my father. As Gary read it, the color drained from his face. He looked at my mother, then at me, his eyes wide with dawning horror. "You signed it, Gary!" my mother shrieked. "You signed it when you married me "It was a formality!" he yelled back. "A precaution! It was never meant to be used! What did you do?" he demanded, his gaze locking onto me. "What did you do to your brother?" In the crushing silence, my mother's desperate voice filled the air. "She just... she tried to get rid of him. A few times. It was for the good of the family! So you could have more influence!" My father stared at her, then at me, as if seeing us for the first time. The truth of our ambition, our poison, was laid bare. His face twisted into a snarl of pure rage. "You tried to kill my son?" he roared. His hand flew out, and the sharp crack of his palm connecting ---- with my mother's cheek echoed in the vast room. She crumpled to the floor, sobbing. He turned on me next, his eyes burning with a hatred | had never seen. "You scheming, venomous little bitch!" He raised his hand to strike me, but Winchester stepped between us, a silent, imposing wall. "The Alpha wants them unharmed, Beta Harris," the Gamma said, his voice low. "Just removed." My father backed away, breathing heavily, looking at the ruins of his family. The beautiful house, the perfect life-it was all a stage for an ugly, pathetic play. And the final act was just beginning. Winchester nodded to his men. "One hour."