Aurora’s POV

Alpha Keith’s voice cut through the hall again, harsh and sharp. “You’re hurting yourself on purpose! You want everyone to feel sorry for you.”

I stared at him, my voice cold but calm. “Am I really that despicable, Alpha Keith?”

My skin was still exposed, the bruises, burns, and silver scars clear under the lights.

For a moment, Alpha Keith’s eyes dropped to my skin. The marks were too real to deny.

His lips parted slightly with guilt flashing across his face. He couldn’t meet my eyes.

Before the silence could settle, Helen quickly stepped forward, lowering her head with practiced ease. Her voice trembled just enough to sound fragile.

“I… I didn’t mean to push anyone,” she whispered, glancing at the guests around us. “I was upset because I lost my diamond necklace.”

Her words immediately shifted Alpha Keith’s focus. His gaze snapped back to me, his voice rising as he pointed straight at me.

“You must have taken it! You’re the only one who touched the necklace.”

The guests stirred again, their whispers returning, watching the scene unfold like a spectacle.

Alpha Frank’s voice joined quickly. “Aurora, just apologize to Helen.”

Luna Melissa nodded beside him, her voice softer but no less forceful. “For the family’s sake, don’t make this worse.”

I let out a short, bitter laugh. My chest felt tight, but my voice stayed even.

“This isn’t the first time you’ve done this,” I said, my tone cutting. “It’s the same act. The same lies. Over and over.”

Helen lowered her head again, her hands twisting the fabric of her dress. But her silence was just part of her game.

I stepped forward slightly facing alpha Keith. My voice didn’t rise, but the weight behind my words grew stronger.

“If you really think I stole it,” I said slowly, “then let’s check the dashcam footage. Right here. Right now.”

The room went still. Guests held their breaths in anticipation.

Helen’s head jerked up. Panic flashed in her eyes. “There’s no need to check the footage,” she said quickly, her voice low.

Alpha Keith spoke again, his voice impatient. “Aurora, stop causing unnecessary trouble.”

I kept my eyes locked on him. “Why avoid the footage, then? If I’m guilty, the evidence will prove it. Isn’t that what you all want?”

Luna Melissa’s voice followed right after, nervous and rushed. “There are guests here. Don’t embarrass the family like this.”

A few of the elders exchanged glances, some whispering quietly among themselves.

I narrowed my eyes, pressing on. My voice remained firm.

“What’s wrong? Are you afraid of what the footage will show? Afraid there’ll be no one else to take the blame this time?”

The whispers among the crowd grew louder. Faces turned toward Alpha Frank, Luna Melissa, and Helen, their perfect image breaking piece by piece.

Alpha Frank’s expression tightened, but he remained silent, unwilling to challenge me in front of the entire pack.

I stood firm, facing them all, my voice steady.

“The necklace was perfectly fine when it was in Alpha Keith’s car,” I said slowly, letting every word land. “I never touched it.”

A few murmurs rippled through the room as I continued.

“So why did it go missing after Helen took it? Why only when it was in her hands?”

The whispers among the guests grew louder, their heads turning, watching Helen closely now.

“The answer is simple,” I said coldly. “You’re terrified that if the truth comes out, no one will be able to take the blame for her this time.”

Helen’s face paled, she glanced at Luna Melissa, who looked ready to fall apart.

Luna Melissa desperately stepped forward. Her voice trembled as she tried to keep her tone sweet. “It’s all my fault.”

Her attempt to shield Helen seemed all too familiar.

This was her usual way of trying to pretend it was all some misunderstanding, playing the loving mother in front of the guests.

I let out a bitter laugh. “Maybe five years ago, I would’ve believed that,” I said, my voice cutting through the air like a blade.

I stared directly at her tear-filled eyes. “But after spending five years locked inside a werewolf psychiatric hospital, after enduring beatings, silver chains, and torture, your words are meaningless to me now.”

The crowd remained silent. The weight of my words hung in the air.

I could feel every guest’s eyes locked on us, witnessing the truth unraveling before them.

One of the elders near the front crossed his arms, frowning. Another whispered, “Is this how the Alpha family has handled things all these years?”

Luna Melissa’s breathing quickened, her body trembling. Alpha Frank stood beside her, rigid and silent, his face cold, unable to fix what was unraveling.

I drew a long breath, feeling my wolf steady inside me, grounding me as I took the final step.

“I, Aurora Donald, voluntarily renounce my identity as the Alpha daughter of the Silver Moon Pack.” My voice rang out across the grand hall.

“This family game ends here.”

The words left my mouth like a final cut, sharp and irreversible.

For a moment, the entire hall stood frozen.

Every guest, every Elder, every pack member starred in stunned silence, as if they couldn’t quite believe what they had just witnessed.

I could see Luna Melissa clinging to Alpha Frank’s arm, but there was no panic in her eyes, only a quiet relief, like the weight was finally off their shoulders.

Alpha Frank stood tall, his face cold, lips pressed tightly together, as if satisfied to watch me sever myself from them.

Alpha Keith stood stiff, his jaw clenched, struggling to hold back any reaction. His expression was strained but controlled, like someone who didn’t dare object openly.

Helen stood, her hands folded neatly, eyes shining with thinly veiled satisfaction.

A small, victorious smile tugged at her lips, as if she believed she had finally won.

I turned and walked forward towards the exit of the hall, my steps slow but firm, my injured leg aching, but my back never bending.

Dozens of eyes followed me as I resolutely left.