Chapter 110: Chapter 110
Sarina’s Point of View
The morning light was only starting to form when Bastian finally slipped through the room door. His hair was slightly dishevelled, his jaw tight with the exhaustion of a man who had spent hours balancing on the edge of a m blade. I sat gracefully by the vanity, my as I painted a light layer of rose oil across my lips.
"You look tired, husband," I murmured softly, my tone smooth, warm, and entirely devoid of anger.
Bastian stiffened, his eyes scanning my face for any trace of anger. He took a slow step forward, his voice dropping to a cautious tone.
"Sarina... about last night. Delia came running to the pavilion doors. Seraphina’s health was bad, and the physician ordered strict bed rest. I only intended to stay until the crisis passed."
"There is no need to explain, Bastian," I interrupted gently, turning around to offer him a completely serene, supportive smile.
I never mentioned Bastian’s midnight visit to Seraphina’s room, completely burying my knowledge of his broken promise.
"A true man must prioritize his bloodline. Your child’s safety will always come first in my eyes."
Bastian let out a long sigh of relief, his entire body visibly relaxing as the suffocating tension drained from his shoulders.
"You are truly magnificent, Sarina," he said, a sudden, burning heat flaring in his eyes as he walked forward and pulled me up from the stool.
"Seraphina only gives me tears and shouting matches. You are the only one who understands the weight of my heart."
He didn’t wait for a response. Bastian swept me into his arms, lifting me onto the sheets as his hands eagerly unfastened the clasps of my robe. The delayed passion of the wedding night erupted between us with a possessive intensity. As his lips dragged hungrily down my neck, he let out a low, rough sigh against my skin.
"This is the real wedding night, Sarina... this is what a true union should feel like."
I wrapped my arms around his broad shoulders, spreading my legs wide for him to thrust into me. Matching his affection with a practiced, intoxicating warmth. Inwardly, my mind remained ice-cold and calculating. Let Seraphina keep his midnight tears, I thought to myself as I scratched my nails lightly along his back. I will hold his desire, his secrets, and his throne.
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*
The grand hall of the Silvermoon palace was packed to the brim by mid-morning, the long tables lined with the high elders, noble lords, and senior warriors of the pack. As a newly married daughter-in-law, court protocol demanded that I walk through the assembly to formally greet the elders and present the customary morning teas to the royal bloodline.
"Where is the legal Luna-to-be?" a neighboring Alpha’s wife whispered loudly near the dais. "Shouldn’t she be presiding over the tea trays?"
"Seraphina claimed to be severely ill," a woman murmured back behind her hand. "The palace physician ordered her to stay in bed for ten days without moving a single muscle."
Hearing the malicious snickers of the court, a confident smile touched my lips. Seraphina thought her public absence would cast a shadow over my celebration, but I was exceptionally well-prepared for her childish schemes.
I glided across the floor, followed tightly by my maid, Veda, who carried the presentation platters with fluid grace. I knelt before the high throne, offering the first cup to Alpha Alaric and Luna Helena.
"May the Silvermoon lineage prosper under the light of the Goddess, Mother, Father," I spoke out smoothly, bowing my head with flawless humility.
Alpha Alaric nodded firmly, his expression unreadable as he reached down to hand me an ancestral silver token. Luna Helena, offered me a matched pouch containing rare northern gems.
It was the exact same formal gift they had given to Ivy during her own presentation... a standard, polite gesture to maintain equality inside the palace gates.
"Thank you, Mother, Father," I murmured, passing the cups to the side tables.
Suddenly, Mrs. Margot stood up from her seat near the high elders. She gestured for her personal servants to bring forward a gold-embossed ivory chest. The entire hall went dead silent, every eye in the house locking onto her movements.
"A daughter of the Amber Fire Pack deserves more than standard silver tokens, Alaric," Mrs. Margot declared.
She opened the latch, revealing a blinding, brilliant red fire beneath the lid. "As a token of my deep affection for our new daughter-in-law, I am presenting her with this ancestral set of ruby heads and matching gold combs, worth ten thousand imperial gold coins."
A collective gasp of shock erupted across the entire room, the magnificence of the jewelry instantly attracting the wide, whispering attention of the whole house. Ten thousand gold coins was a king’s ransom... a gift far grander than anything ever given to Seraphina or Ivy.
I bowed deeply, my fingers tightening around the cold ivory box as Veda took the weight of the chest. I caught Mrs. Margot’s gaze, realizing the unspoken treaty between us. She is buying my claws, I realized, a dark smirk touching my heart. And she wants me to tear this palace apart.
*
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Ivy’s Point of View
I sat quietly near Dominic’s wheelchair at the side table, as I watched the grand performance unfold on the dais. The glittering rubies in Sarina’s hands weren’t just a gift, they were an open declaration of war against our branch of the family.
Mrs. Margot didn’t waste a single moment of the court’s attention. She took the immediate lead, stepping into the center of the marble floorboards, and strongly recommended Sarina to take over the daily management and financial affairs of the entire pack.
"Elders of the Silvermoon line, look at the reality before us," Mrs. Margot spoke out, her voice dripping with a fake, persuasive sympathy as she gestured toward the throne.
"Our supreme Luna Helena has been blessed with a late pregnancy, and the physical strain of managing our winter storehouses and border trade routes will endanger the new baby. Seraphina is bedridden, and Ivy is carrying twins and must focus on her health. Sarina is highly noble, exceptionally capable, and her hands are entirely free to handle the ledger."
The high elders began to murmur in approval, nodding their heads as they looked at the wealthy Amber Fire daughter. Dominic’s mother, Luna Helena, clutched her apron, her face turning pale with anxiety.
She opened her mouth to object, but looking at the strict gaze of the clan elders, she dared not speak a single word. Alpha Alaric sat tall on his throne, his jaw clenched into a tight line of pure, unyielding vigilance, but he did not say a word, keeping his thoughts entirely hidden.
I watched Sarina’s fingers trace the ruby combs, her eyes scanning the room with a cold, hungry ambition. I saw right through her humble posture and instantly realized that she intended to make an immense amount of money and forge internal alliances from controlling our pack’s resources.
If she gained control of the keys, our military supplies and hidden shamanic labs would be completely exposed. But I also knew that if Luna Helena kept fighting for the keys, the extreme emotional distress would threatened the pregnancy we needed to protect.
"Mother, Mrs. Margot’s words actually carry a great deal of sense," I spoke up loudly, my voice cutting through the whispering council as I stood up from my seat.
Dominic snapped his head toward me, a sudden look of confusion flaring in his eyes, but he kept his body anchored.
"Ivy, what are you saying?" Luna Helena whispered, her lower lip trembling.
"In order to let the Luna rest assured of her pregnancy and protect the new life inside her womb, we must not let her body be broken by daily palace ledgers," I advised her smoothly, offering a calm, reassuring smile to the assembly.
"I also highly advise our supreme Luna to completely let go of the keys for this season. In fact, the air inside this valley is growing too damp for the winter freeze. I formally invite Mother to go down to our secluded country estate with me tomorrow to rest our bodies and care for our children in peace."
Luna Helena looked at my gaze, reading the hidden, defensive strategy mapped out in my eyes. She knew I was pulling her away from the poisoners.
With a sudden wave of relief, Luna Helena readily agreed. "You are entirely right, Ivy. My grandchild and my baby come first. I accept your invitation. Let the new bride handle the ledgers."
Sarina offered a neat, victorious bow, her chest swelling with pride.
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