Julian’s POV

"Roxanne," I said, my voice dropping to a dangerous growl that carried unmistakable warning. "Show them the jewelry."

Her hand flew to her throat, fingers scrambling to conceal the necklace beneath her shirt. Luna Vivian was still reeling from the shock of Seraphina’s accusation about the initials, her composure cracking at the edges.

This family’s loyalty puzzled me completely. They stood united behind Roxanne, painting Seraphina as some delusional liar when the truth was staring them in the face. I couldn’t fathom how they operated, how they could twist reality so easily.

Roxanne had become something I didn’t recognize. A thief. A manipulator. Had I ever truly known her at all?

"Seraphina, sweetheart, what are you talking about? There are no letters," Luna Vivian stammered, desperately trying to regain control of the situation spiraling beyond her grasp. Her words died in her throat as Alpha Maxwell reached for the necklace himself.

At least he understood that protecting Roxanne wouldn’t work against me. They could spin whatever stories they wanted about Seraphina, but I wasn’t someone they could intimidate or fool.

When I’d purchased that jewelry, it had been nothing more than a business transaction, fulfilling my father’s contractual expectations. But anger or not, I’d been the buyer. I knew every detail of those pieces better than anyone in this room.

Maxwell’s eyes widened as recognition dawned. He grabbed Roxanne’s wrist, turning the matching bracelet to catch the light.

"They’re engraved," he said, his voice hollow, stripped of its earlier certainty. "F.G. Seraphina Sterling."

Roxanne’s carefully constructed world collapsed around her. Her crocodile tears transformed into genuine ones of humiliation and rage. She hadn’t bothered erasing the initials, either from lack of opportunity or sheer arrogance that she’d never be caught.

Luna’s mask of maternal authority shattered completely, revealing raw panic underneath. Her gaze darted between Roxanne, Seraphina, and me, searching for an escape route that didn’t exist.

"Julian, please," Luna Vivian’s voice cracked as she dropped to her knees, all pretense of dignity abandoned. She reached toward me with clasped hands. "You have to understand. Roxanne is just a child. She’s immature, foolish. She was only exploring Seraphina’s belongings. It was a mistake, a terrible mistake. For the family’s sake, please find it in your heart to forgive her."

Alpha Maxwell nodded frantically, his previous support for Roxanne replaced by desperate attempts to appease me. His eyes flickered toward Nolan, still slumped against the ruined table, clutching his bleeding jaw as a stark reminder of what happened to those who wronged Seraphina.

My expression remained stone cold, unmoved by their pleas. Did they seriously expect me to dismiss Seraphina’s pain, to declare her suffering irrelevant? This was her battle, her moment of vindication, and only she held the right to decide its outcome.

"My opinion is irrelevant," I declared, my voice cutting through their desperation like steel. Every person in the room turned to stare at me. "This isn’t my grievance to settle. Seraphina was the victim here. Seraphina was the one you all accused, humiliated, and gaslighted. The decision of what happens next belongs entirely to her."

I turned toward Seraphina, my eyes carrying a silent vow that I would support whatever choice she made.

The power in the room shifted, settling squarely on Seraphina’s shoulders.

"Seraphina, my darling," Luna scrambled toward her, attempting to grasp her hands, but Seraphina stepped back. "You know Roxanne adores you. She simply got overwhelmed. She’s always admired you, coveted your beautiful things. We’ll ensure she returns every piece immediately. And we’ll purchase you something even more exquisite. Just please, forgive your sister. Don’t let this destroy everything."

Alpha Maxwell took a more blunt approach. "Seraphina, be reasonable. A slap and some borrowed jewelry isn’t worth tearing the family apart. We’re all adults here."

I watched Seraphina with growing admiration, my heart swelling with fierce pride. Her chin remained lifted, her eyes clear and determined, no trace of the uncertain woman they’d tried to break moments earlier.

"No. I refuse to forgive this. Not now. Not after everything that’s happened." 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

I suspected her words encompassed far more than today’s events, perhaps years of accumulated wounds that this family had inflicted. Maybe someday she’d trust me enough to share those deeper hurts.

Roxanne stared in complete shock at being exposed and rejected, her expression twisting into naked fury directed at Seraphina.

"I didn’t mean to steal anything!" she screamed, her fake innocence wearing thin. "I just wanted the life you took from me! I just wanted to feel important for once!"

Her pathetic attempt to resurrect old grievances made my stomach turn.

Before I could respond, before I could remind her that Seraphina had stolen nothing, Nolan hauled himself upright from the table. His lip was grotesquely swollen and bleeding, his face a canvas of bruises, but his loyalty to Roxanne or perhaps his sheer stupidity remained intact.

"See?" Nolan slurred through his injuries, pointing an unsteady finger at Seraphina. "She’s always like this! Always so vindictive, so theatrical! Everything revolves around her! Roxanne will never find happiness with her around. You’re still an insane, violent witch, Seraphina. You always have been!"

The temperature in the room plummeted. A growl rumbled from deep in my chest, more primal and menacing than before. My fist, which had already delivered one devastating blow, clenched again.

Insane. Violent. Witch. The words echoed in my skull like poison. These weren’t just insults hurled at Seraphina, they were attacks on her very essence. He’d learned absolutely nothing. None of them had learned anything.

They called her theatrical. Vindictive. A witch.

They were about to discover the true meaning of vindictive. Of theatrical. Of unleashed fury.

They had awakened something dangerous. And I was that danger.

My eyes, still blazing gold, fixed on Seraphina. They hadn’t just wronged any woman. They had wronged my Luna. That was an unforgivable sin.

Perhaps I bore the greatest responsibility for this situation. I should have intervened long ago instead of believing Seraphina needed to fight these battles alone. I’d failed to protect her before, but never again.

"Nolan, you are hereby stripped of your gamma position and banished from my pack, effective immediately," I announced, watching him crumble in anguish and disbelief. But I wasn’t finished. "Alpha Maxwell, while I respect your position and your role as my mate’s father, I cannot accept what just transpired. If you wish to maintain our alliance, Roxanne must go. I don’t care where you send her, but I never want her near my mate or my territory again."