I paused deliberately. "These documents stipulate that custody of the child will transfer to his mother, and the beneficiary of all asset agreements is Serenity Keller."
Alfred's casual composure vanished. His eyes widened in disbelief. "What are you talking about?"
"I'm saying I've completed all the paperwork. From now on, Arian's custody returns to Serenity. And according to human marriage law, she's entitled to half of my wealth." I paused again. "Every page bears my seal. The moment these reach her, they take effect."
"Bastard!"
Alfred shot to his feet in rage and hurled a water glass at me, the first time I had ever seen his calm mask crack.
"Do you have any idea what you're doing?" he roared. "That child carries your blood! He's a Lycan descendant! And you're saying you'll hand him over to some lowly Omega to raise?"
"You're the one who needs a reality check, Father." I didn't flinch. "Serenity is the child's mother. She has every right to him."
"She's fooled you! She's nothing!" Alfred's face was crimson. "She's just a tool, a breeding machine! She should be grateful I let her live?—"
"Enough!" I cut him off sharply. "Your era is over, Father. I'm in charge now."
"Fool! You're giving away generations of pack wealth to a woman who doesn't even love you anymore?" He glared at me. "The pack will decline because of your weakness!"
"That's still a hundred times better than treating everyone like chess pieces the way you do." I stared at this gray-haired old wolf. "Admit it, Father. You talk about pack interests all you want, but you don't care about anyone. You're just a broken man who doesn't even understand what love is."
"Elias!" Alfred looked on the verge of madness. But I had accomplished my purpose here. I ignored his manic shouting and turned to leave without hesitation.
Outside the sanatorium, I met up with Herman and the others.
I was about to get into the car when Herman stopped me, his expression grave. He handed me a strange red envelope.
"Alpha, look at this. The warriors you sent to protect the Luna found this in her residence."
I took the envelope. Before opening it, my wolf nose caught a faint trace of blood. A bad feeling crept over me. "What happened to Serenity? Why did the warriors enter her home?"
"Because they said the house was empty," Herman answered. "Sometime this morning, the Luna and the human man vanished without a trace."
I tore open the red envelope. Inside was a thin invitation card.
I opened it to find neat handwriting:
Dear Alpha of Vernal,
We cordially invite you to attend a very special wedding at the old church in Tara. Your Luna is waiting for you. Please come alone. Otherwise, the bride will unfortunately miss her own ceremony.
My hands began to shake uncontrollably. Because I knew exactly whose blood scented that card.
It was Serenity's.
Her life was in danger!
CHAPTER 21
SERENITY KELLER
Iwoke from unconsciousness. My body was in pain.
When I opened my eyes, I saw the soaring vaulted ceiling and beautiful stained-glass windows of a church. This place was unfamiliar—nowhere I knew. My hands were locked in icy silver shackles. Even the slightest contact with the metal sent searing pain through my skin. I couldn't move.
I called out to Novella. She whimpered weakly inside me, unable to respond clearly. My heart sank. I couldn't shift.
"Don't move!"
