Chapter 20
ELIAS VERNAL
Ihad come to think of myself as a useless wolf.
If I had said that to Alfred, or to any of the tutors who had trained me as a child, they would have either laughed at me or demanded to know why I would entertain such an absurd notion.
After all, I had always been the pack's golden child. The finest bloodline. The most handsome face. The sharpest mind. From birth, I was destined to be extraordinary.
But now, I truly felt powerless. This sense of failure came from Serenity's tears.
Once again, I had ruined everything. I hadn't caught Liv's treachery in time and had destroyed Serenity's home. Even though I'd captured Liv, all I could do was slink away under Serenity's furious accusations.
"Alpha, what should we do with her?"
After we left Serenity's café, Herman asked about Liv. My face was expressionless. I didn't even look at her. "No more chances."
Behind me, Liv screamed and begged. She must have heard what I said. But I finished my sentence anyway.
"Lock her in the dungeon. At the next full moon, I'll judge her before the entire pack."
Betrayal could only be repaid in blood.
Herman nodded, then his gaze fell to my shoulder. "Are you really not going to treat that wound?"
I looked down too. The gunshot wound from Liv's attack had only been hastily bandaged.
After the fight, it had torn open again, blood seeping through.
But I didn't want a doctor to re-dress it.
I wanted this pain to last longer. Only pain could truly punish my stupidity and remind me of my mistakes.
"Leave it," I said coldly.
Herman's expression grew more worried. I pretended not to notice.
My mind was consumed by Serenity. We had only just parted, but I was already overwhelmed by the urge to see her again.
But she didn't want to return to Vernal territory with me.
She wanted to leave alone. The thought of losing track of her again, of not knowing when I might see her next, made Fenrir howl with rage inside me.
But I never expected our next meeting to come so soon.
The warriors I had sent to protect Serenity told me she wanted to see Arian before she left. I agreed.
"Please don't go, Mommy! Don't leave us—"
I stood in the hallway, secretly listening to the conversation inside. Arian's crying made my hands clench involuntarily. He was only four years old. At an age when other children were wrapped in their parents' love, he had to be separated from his mother.
And all of it was my fault.
I was the one making my mate and my child cry!
Footsteps approached the door from inside. Serenity was coming out. I quickly left the hallway before she could catch me listening.
I moved fast, but when she burst out of the room, she still nearly ran into me. The moment she looked up, I saw so many emotions in her eyes, so intense they bordered on grief.
"I'll walk you out." The words escaped before I could stop them.
Serenity seemed numb. She didn't resist. She allowed it. I personally escorted her to the car bound for the train station. I watched as its taillights slowly disappeared into the night, swallowed by darkness. The sudden absence of those lights felt like the dying ember of our love.
I knew this time she was truly walking out of my life. Whatever memories we had shared had finally faded to black-and-white photographs, unable to hold any living warmth.
So when the warriors returned and reported that Serenity hadn't boarded the train, that she had left with the human man named Frank, I simply waved them away in silence.
The relationship between Serenity and me was truly, finally over.
But I made some important decisions.
I wanted to compensate Serenity for all the pain she had suffered. I wanted to give her what she deserved: Arian's custody and half of everything I owned.
When I told Herman my decision, the Beta who had been by my side for years looked more shocked than I had ever seen him.
For the first time in ages, he addressed me by name.
"Do you understand what this means, Elias?
You're the Vernal Alpha. Many of these assets, even in your name, are considered pack property.
The board of directors won't agree. Neither will the Elders.
And the old Alpha—he cares so much about the heir. He'll never allow this!"
"I don't need their permission or approval," I told him. "This is what I owe her. No matter who objects, I'm doing this."
"This will be incredibly difficult!"
"That's why I need your help."
I held Herman's gaze, not letting him look away. Finally, he raised both hands in surrender. "Fine. Whatever you say. After all, I swore my loyalty to you, not the pack."
I smiled.
For the next month, I barely left my study.
The Vernal pack's financial structure was vast and complex.
Dividing half of it wasn't easy. Documents piled up on my desk like mountains, each one requiring my signature.
Lawyers streamed in and out of the room, arguing over countless clauses and details.
And then there were the furious Elders and board members who stormed into my study regularly, pounding on my desk and screaming, only to be forcibly escorted out by Herman and the others.
Occasionally, between paperwork, I couldn't help asking about Serenity.
The warriors watching over her reported that she had accepted the human man's proposal.
A proposal. A wedding.
My heart sank. So she was going to become someone else's mate?
I sat in my study and snapped the pen in my hand. Ink splattered across the document I'd just signed, ruining it. Fenrir roared at me, telling me to follow my instincts and take back my mate. But the moment the thought surfaced, I crushed it. I no longer had the right to do that.
"Pull back," I finally ordered the warriors who had come to report. "You're dismissed."
"Should we continue attacking the hunters?" they asked.
Ever since I had learned that hunters had bought Liv's cooperation and were targeting Serenity, I had been planning counter-hunting operations.
The pack had raided hunter strongholds multiple times, trying to drive them permanently out of Vernal territory.
I hoped this would divert the hunters' attention from Serenity while creating a wider safety zone for her.
"Continue until those hunters are completely driven out," I said flatly. "This is war between us and them. Wars don't stop. Send more patrols and expand the perimeter. But don't let Serenity's side know we're still watching. We can't follow her forever."
Cutting the last tie between her and the Vernal pack—setting her free—this was the final thing I could do for Serenity.
Even if it meant spending the rest of my life enduring the pain of losing my mate.
I signed the last document. My fingers trembled slightly as I set down the pen.
But it wasn't from regret or reluctance. It was relief. I looked at the stack of contracts, agreements, and transfer documents I had organized. Each page represented wealth that had taken generations to accumulate. In one month, I had sorted through all of it and properly separated half.
"Done. Give this last one to the lawyers. The rest is up to you," I instructed Herman, who was waiting.
He looked at me with a complicated expression but didn’t argue.
Over this past month, he had witnessed my determination and effort firsthand.
He just sighed, stepped forward to collect the documents into a file folder, and asked, "Do you need to meet with the Luna now so she can receive these assets? "
I nodded, then shook my head. "That's not urgent. Since I've come this far, someone else should know about this first."
Herman immediately understood. "You're going to the sanatorium?"
"Yes." I stood and rolled my stiff shoulder. The gunshot wound from Liv had healed, but the silver still caused occasional pain. None of it dampened my mood. I smiled slightly. "That old man always wanted these things. Now they're about to disappear right before his eyes. I want to see his face."
Herman shook his head. "You and your father really are… Never mind. I'll have the car ready."
He arranged a vehicle, and soon I was on my way to the sanatorium where Alfred was being held.
The oppressive atmosphere of the place never changed. After all, the entire facility existed to watch over just one patient. I followed the medical staff to Alfred's room, opened the door, and found him lounging on a sofa with a book, looking nothing like a man who had lost his power.
I glanced around at the décor and furnishings of his room, then looked away.
As the pack's former Alpha, even under house arrest, his living conditions couldn't be too poor. Nothing like what Serenity had endured when she was imprisoned here.
But that only made me feel more off-balance. I was paying a massive price for hurting Serenity. Why should Alfred get to enjoy his life as if nothing had happened?
He needed to be punished too.
"You actually came to see me. What's wrong—is there something you can't handle and you need my help?" Even now, Alfred spoke to me in that condescending tone.
I walked straight to his side and showed him the backup copies of the documents. "No. I came to tell you something."
He glanced at the papers. "What is this?"
I pulled out document after document, explaining each one. "This is the custody transfer for Arian. These are the asset division agreements for half of my holdings."
I paused deliberately. "These documents stipulate that custody of the child will transfer to his mother, and the beneficiary of all asset agreements is Serenity Keller."
Alfred's casual composure vanished. His eyes widened in disbelief. "What are you talking about?"
"I'm saying I've completed all the paperwork. From now on, Arian's custody returns to Serenity. And according to human marriage law, she's entitled to half of my wealth." I paused again. "Every page bears my seal. The moment these reach her, they take effect."
"Bastard!"
Alfred shot to his feet in rage and hurled a water glass at me, the first time I had ever seen his calm mask crack.
"Do you have any idea what you're doing?" he roared. "That child carries your blood! He's a Lycan descendant! And you're saying you'll hand him over to some lowly Omega to raise?"
"You're the one who needs a reality check, Father." I didn't flinch. "Serenity is the child's mother. She has every right to him."
"She's fooled you! She's nothing!" Alfred's face was crimson. "She's just a tool, a breeding machine! She should be grateful I let her live—"
"Enough!" I cut him off sharply. "Your era is over, Father. I'm in charge now."
"Fool! You're giving away generations of pack wealth to a woman who doesn't even love you anymore?" He glared at me. "The pack will decline because of your weakness!"
"That's still a hundred times better than treating everyone like chess pieces the way you do." I stared at this gray-haired old wolf. "Admit it, Father. You talk about pack interests all you want, but you don't care about anyone. You're just a broken man who doesn't even understand what love is."
"Elias!" Alfred looked on the verge of madness. But I had accomplished my purpose here. I ignored his manic shouting and turned to leave without hesitation.
Outside the sanatorium, I met up with Herman and the others.
I was about to get into the car when Herman stopped me, his expression grave. He handed me a strange red envelope.
"Alpha, look at this. The warriors you sent to protect the Luna found this in her residence."
I took the envelope. Before opening it, my wolf nose caught a faint trace of blood. A bad feeling crept over me. "What happened to Serenity? Why did the warriors enter her home?"
"Because they said the house was empty," Herman answered. "Sometime this morning, the Luna and the human man vanished without a trace."
I tore open the red envelope. Inside was a thin invitation card.
I opened it to find neat handwriting:
Dear Alpha of Vernal,
We cordially invite you to attend a very special wedding at the old church in Tara. Your Luna is waiting for you. Please come alone. Otherwise, the bride will unfortunately miss her own ceremony.
My hands began to shake uncontrollably. Because I knew exactly whose blood scented that card.
It was Serenity's.
Her life was in danger!