4. Disowned and Demoted.

On her way back, Scarlett’s steps grew heavier. She couldn’t believe she’d ended the chapter of her life with George with finality, accepting his rejection and choosing the path of becoming a mateless wolf. Her knees weakened, and she came to a halt, leaning against a tree.

Even though her aunt and uncle had deprived her of parental love over the past four years, she’d ignored it by dreaming of building her own family with her mate. Now what? She never imagined he’d choose another, especially Olivia.

She slid against the tree until her bottom hit the ground. Tears of anguish welling, wanting to break free. At that moment, she felt a soft touch of sympathy. Without turning, she knew it was Alaina, the one who would stand by her no matter what.

Alaina approached and hugged her. “It’s all right. Everything will be fine.” Her words broke Scarlett’s emotional barriers, and tears streamed like she was a lost child. She cried for quite some time, and Alaina remained by her side for the duration.

Once Scarlett finally regained her composure, she said, “It’s getting late, Al. We should return home.”

They went back to the pack house. Before they parted, Alaina whispered, “You know, my door is always open for you, Scar.”

Scarlett nodded and smiled weakly, then entered the alpha’s quarters, a separate area within the pack designated for alpha breeders. Only a few of the high-ranking packs had such areas, and Night Walker was the seventh strongest pack of them all.

The moment Scarlett entered, Olivia said, “Who the hell dared to let her in?” in her high-pitched tone.

Scarlett’s face wrinkled at the sound.

“Didn’t I tell you not to let her in?” Olivia shouted. “Who did it?” Then she did the unthinkable. She rushed forward to strike Scarlett.

Scarlett, a seasoned warrior, easily dodged her delicate attack, and Olivia stumbled awkwardly before regaining her balance.

But missing seemed to enrage her even more. “You,” she growled. “How dare you?” Olivia’s pale face turned red with fury and embarrassment.

“This is my home too,” Scarlett reminded her. “Well, it’s been my home from the beginning, actually. You’re the intruder here.” She said the words matter-of-factly.

“You!” Olivia raised her hand against Scarlett again, but failed miserably. Her anger flared even more. “You shameless bitch! You dared return here after he rejected you?”

Scarlett wanted nothing more than to ignore the worthless woman. So she turned away and said, “Don’t overdo it, Olivia. Let’s live in peace.”

“We all know why you’re here. You think you can win George back, don’t you?”

Scarlett rolled her eyes but didn’t bother looking at her.

“Well, you’re mistaken,” Olivia sneered. “George is mine.”

“Yeah, you can keep him for yourself,” she said flippantly. “You want my used goods? Have at him.”

“See, George?” Olivia said, her voice going all sugary. “She thinks of you as used goods.”

Scarlett froze, then turned to see the hurt expression on George’s face. She couldn’t help but chuckle. Was she supposed to feel sorry for him after what he did? Well, to hell with that. If anything, she found it amusing.

She shifted her eyes back to Olivia. “It doesn’t matter now. I’ve already accepted his rejection.”

She hoped that would be the end of it. She was done with George, and she was done with Olivia. If she had a choice, she’d leave that accursed place and never return, but she had no alternative. As one with alpha’s blood, Scarlett had to follow the pack’s protocol, even if it was merely a facade.

“Oh, you have? Good for you,” Olivia said mockingly. “I’m glad you saw you were never right for George. All you could do was accept the rejection.”

Scarlett clenched her fists, swallowing the taunt, trying to ignore it.

But Olivia persisted. “You’re utterly useless, you know that? Nothing more than a burden, bearing the family name. You were even a curse on your parents.”

Scarlett’s head snapped in Oliva’s direction.

Olivia smirked. “What? Hurt? It’s not my fault that the moment you were born, the Night Walkers lost their Alpha and Luna.”

“Shut it, Olivia,” Scarlett said between clenched teeth, taking a step forward.

“What?” Olivia asked. “You think you can intimidate me? You think a worthless wolf who’s a burden to everyone could intimidate me?”

“You’re taking it too far, Olivia,” Scarlett warned, her tone deep and threatening as old wounds reopened and she began losing control over her human side. She felt Ulva pushing her out of the way as the wolf took over.

“I don’t think I’m taking it far enough,” Olivia argued, excitedly stepping closer. “The truth is, you’re the reason your parents are dead. You killed them, Scarlett. And everyone despises you for it. They gossip about the darkness you brought upon our pack. You’re a scar on the Night Walkers!”

Filled with rage, Ulva emerged, coming to the surface with a deep growl and completely taking over. With all the booze she’d consumed, Scarlett didn’t have the strength to rein her in or regain control. She could do nothing but watch helplessly as Ulva erupted, punched Olivia, and sent her flying until her back collided with the wall.

Servants gasped. Some cried in fear, and pack members started gathering in the Alpha’s quarters. Her aunt and uncle also raced to the scene.

Helen cried, “Oh, my baby!” as everyone rushed to come to Olivia’s aid. She ran to her father and leaned against him, tears of fear and agony in her eyes. “Ssh-she hit me!” she said, her tone so innocent, as if she had done nothing wrong.

Ulva calmed after her outburst, and Scarlett regained control and pushed her back. “I—It was an accident. I—”

Her uncle slapped her hard. So much for him being a good uncle… or alpha.

“Accident?” he yelled. “How dare you call this an accident? How could you use your power against a wolf who’s still in training?”

Scarlett clenched her fists. “She provoked me. My wolf—”

“Shut up!” Helen shouted. “She provoked you? How? By hitting you? I knew you were jealous when Geo and Olivia became chosen mates, but I never thought you’d take it this far. How dare you strike your future Alpha?”

“Future Alpha?” Scarlett eyed her in disbelief, then recalled George’s words about making Olivia Alpha. It seemed he hadn’t been lying. Still, she had to stand up for herself. “How can you declare that now? Shouldn’t we compete for the position after her training?”

“An impulsive girl like you isn’t fit for the Alpha position,” her uncle declared in his alpha’s voice with all the authority that went with that.

So they were just going to hand over the throne to their daughter, competition or not. Scarlett’s anger flared. “You can’t be serious?” she said. “It wasn’t my fault alone. She provoked me and even tried to hit me several times. Ask George. He witnessed it all.”

All eyes turned to George, who glanced at Olivia, then at Scarlett.

“Tell them, George. Please,” Scarlett pleaded, hoping he would be truthful, at least for the sake of their past bond.

“George...” Olivia almost moaned his name.

Scarlett’s heart sank as George turned to her uncle and said, “Scarlett acted impulsively.”

Scarlett stared at George as he lowered his gaze. She wasn’t sure if she had been too emotional to believe that he would be truthful or just plain foolish.

Helen shook her head as though she were disappointed. “We should have known better. She’s a danger, and we should have disowned her a long time ago.”

Whispers rose among the pack members, and her uncle cleared his throat until they subsided. Then he spoke to the group in his commanding alpha voice. “As the witness has made clear, Scarlett, a highly trained wolf, was the aggressor. She’s shown that she’s overly emotional and has no control over her wolf, which means she is not fit to be the next alpha.”

He shifted his eyes to Scarlett. “As Alpha of the Night Walker pack, I hereby disown you, Scarlett Rowan. You are no longer a member of our family, and you no longer have a right to the throne. Further, as punishment for your reckless behavior, I demote you. From this point forth, you will be an omega.”