Chapter 19
The Shattered Illusion
The investigation results arrived the following dawn. Qiana’s betrayal was laid bare, a stark and painful revelation. From the moment she’d joined the Voss pack’s household, her wolf had targeted Lanie. Lanie’s refined bearing, the inherent aura of privilege that emanated from her alpha bloodline, was immediately apparent.
Qiana, an omega, feigned vulnerability, shedding carefully orchestrated tears, even employing others to fabricate messages from her family, skillfully manipulating Lanie’s compassion.
It wasn’t until Qiana witnessed Benjamin and Adam, their powerful auras – Benjamin’s loyal Guardian wolf, Adam’s strategic Shadow wolf – that her envy intensified. She had seen them only in pack chronicles and newsfeeds, symbols of power and status Lanie effortlessly possessed,
Jealousy, a consuming fire, ignited within her.
Her wolf, starved of the resources and power
Lanie held, ached for what she could never attain.
Qiana’s wolf had relentlessly whined and pleaded, clinging
to
Lanie, using their proximity to cultivate relationships with Benjamin and Adam.
She hadn’t anticipated their susceptibility to her manipulations, their repeated abandonment of Lanie.
To solidify their love for her, she orchestrated the staged injury, feigning hardship, damaging Lanie’s prized possessions, and even sending the seafood porridge- knowing of Lanie’s asthma and allergy.
It was a deliberate act of malice. Her wolf exulted in the near–fatal outcome, disappointed only by Lanie’s survival.
The recovered data logs revealed her taunting message:“Oops, I managed to get Benjamin and Adam to leave you again. We’ll be living together now! Take care!”
The words were a venomous strike to Lanie’s heart, a betrayal that pierced beyond the simple romantic rejection. The fury of the Alpha she–wolf was immediate.
Adam, his Shadow wolf blazing, slammed the datapad onto the floor near Qiana.
His teeth ground together.“How dare you speak to her like that? Without “her*, do you think you deserve our attention?” His wolf snarled, his voice raw with anger.
Benjamin, his Guardian wolf’s calm demeanor masking a deep–seated fury, leaned back, his eyes closing for a moment as he contemplated the depth of Qiana’s treachery.
“Remove Qiana’s belongings. And bring her family here.”
His voice held the cold authority of a Beta, but his wolf’s grief over Lanie’s suffering was palpable.
Lee, his Tracker wolf ever vigilant, readily obeyed, directing the workers. Qiana collapsed, her eyes vacant, her wolf utterly defeated.
“No… don’t take my things!” she cried, desperately trying to prevent the removal of her possessions.
She’d barely tasted the luxury, the fleeting dream of acceptance shattered. Why?
Her wolf whimpered, its hopes dashed, its dreams reduced to ashes.
“It’s over… everything is over…” she wailed, realizing the depth of her failure.
She’d clawed her way from her humble beginnings, landing a position within the prestigious Voss household, only to be cast back into the pack’s social underbelly. The past two months had been a shimmering mirage; now, she faced the harsh reality of her inherent status. She remained the omega, never transformed into anything more. Her wolf, small and weak, howled its despair in the emptiness of her heart.
