Chapter 4
The triumphant expressions on my in–laws‘ faces froze, as if someone had flipped a switch.
A second later, my mother–in–law screeched, her voice shrill with disbelief. “Impossible! I saw you and Derick walk into the Civil Affairs Bureau myself!”
My father–in–law’s eyes turned sharp as he shot a glare at Derick. “What’s going on? Didn’t you say you already got the certificate?”
Alpha Derick hastily pulled a marriage certificate from his pocket and waved it like a trophy. “I did! Look! It’s got the official seal -it’s real!”
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I smirked, savoring the moment. “Oh? Just because it has a stamp doesn’t mean it’s valid.”
Derick’s face contorted in confusion. “What the hell are you talking about?”
lifted my chin, calm and composed. “It’s just a steel stamp. Without our information officially entered into the system, it’s nothing more than a piece of paper. We’re not legally married.”
“You–fucking–bitch!”
Derick’s face turned an alarming shade of red as he jabbed a trembling finger in my direction. “You tricked me!”
I laughed coldly. “You cheated before the wedding, got Beta Rebecca pregnant, and expected me to go along with it. Why
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shouldn’t I trick you?”
Taking a step closer, I met his fury head–on, unwavering.
“Let’s not pretend. You and your parents wanted to use this fake marriage certificate to control me. You wanted to make Rebecca’s child part of your perfect little family. Well, congratulations–you can do that without me.”
Derick’s hands clenched into fists, trembling with barely restrained rage. “Forging a government document is illegal! Believe it or not, I’ll call the police on you right now!”
I folded my arms, unbothered. “Go ahead. Call the Werewolf Council while you’re at it. Let’s see how they react when they hear about the Red Moon Pack Alpha’s dirty little schemes.”
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Derick froze, his bravado faltering.
I leaned in slightly, my smile sharp as a blade. “At most, I’ll spend a few years in jail. But your pack? Your reputation? Finished.”
His father narrowed his eyes, his voice low and calculating. “Clarissa… you knew all along, didn’t you?”
I widened my eyes with mock innocence. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t play dumb!” my mother–in–law snapped, her mask of civility slipping
entirely. “If you didn’t know about Derick and Rebecca, why didn’t you go through with the marriage?”
Her eyes burned with fury as she sneered. “You call us despicable, but look at you! You
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set this whole thing up just to humiliate us. You’re even more ruthless than we are!”
I chuckled, unbothered. “If you hadn’t schemed against me first, we wouldn’t be here right now.” I met her glare without flinching. “In the end, this is all your doing.”
I crossed my arms, tilting my head mockingly. “If I hadn’t accidentally caught Alpha Derick and Beta Rebecca fooling around in a parking garage before the wedding and hired someone to investigate, I’d be trapped in your little game right now.”
My mother pulled me into a fierce hug, her voice full of pride. “My daughter, you’ve outdone yourself.”
I smiled, then turned back to my in–laws. Their faces were pale, as if the ground had been yanked out from under them.
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Derick clenched his fists, his voice low and bitter. “So this is what you’ve been doing? Pretending not to know?”
I tilted my head, a smirk tugging at my lips. “Not as exhausting as you, I imagine.”
His frown deepened.
I continued, “You had to keep Beta Rebecca happy, pretend to be a loving fiancé to me, and secretly plot against me with your parents. That must’ve been exhausting. How did you even find time to sleep?”
Clicking my tongue, I added with feigned sympathy, “Honestly, thinking about it makes me almost feel sorry for you. Almost.”
“Enough!” Derick roared. “You bitch! Just wait–I won’t let you off so easily!”
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“And what exactly can you do to me?” I asked, scoffing.
Then, with unflinching resolve, I said the words that would sever every tie between us:
“I, Clarissa Kinsman, reject you, Derick Delgado, as my mate.”
The pain of breaking the mate bond hit me like a sledgehammer, nearly buckling my knees. It was worse than my first shift- searing, relentless–but I refused to let them see my pain.
When the worst of it passed, I straightened my back and shrugged, my voice calm and cold. “Now we have no mate bond, no marriage certificate. You and I? We have nothing to do with each other.”
