The Cursed Alpha’s Mute Bride – Episode 14
Elder Matthias unrolled the ancient parchment across the table with deliberate care. Every gaze in the great hall fixed on the faded writing and the dark red seal of Alpha Aldric Wolfhart. Age had yellowed the page, but preservation runes shimmered faintly along its edges, confirming that no ordinary hand had altered the text.
Wren stood beside Hunter, unable to look away. Her father’s hand had touched this page. For years she had possessed nothing of him except fading memories, while Gertrude insisted he had left no place for his defective daughter.
Matthias cleared his throat. “This is the final will of Alpha Aldric Wolfhart, witnessed by three Elders and sealed six days before his death.” His voice lost some of its arrogance beneath Hunter’s stare.
He began to read. “To my beloved daughter, Wren Wolfhart, should anything happen to me, she alone shall inherit my personal estate and the Moonstone Amulet that has protected our bloodline for generations.” Each word carried Aldric’s formal authority, yet beloved daughter sounded painfully personal in the cavernous hall.
A murmur swept through the Silver Moon wolves. Wren’s fingers went cold. Her father had not merely remembered her in his final days; he had named her with love.
The Elder continued. “Until Wren comes of age, the amulet shall remain hidden. Whoever attempts to seize her inheritance through deception shall answer before the Moon Goddess herself.”
Hunter slowly lifted his eyes from the will. “Gertrude knew.” It was not a question.
Matthias hesitated before nodding. “The former Luna was appointed guardian of Wren and temporary steward of the estate. She was granted authority to preserve the Wolfhart holdings until the rightful heir could claim them.”
“She was never meant to rule permanently,” Clay said. One of the younger envoys shifted uneasily before confirming it. “No. Her authority was conditional. When Wren reached adulthood and awakened her full Alpha blood, the stewardship was meant to end. Gertrude was required to present the will to the full council on Wren’s twentieth birthday.”
The meaning settled through the hall with terrible precision. Gertrude had controlled the Eclipse Pack only because Wren appeared unable to shift or speak. A wolfless girl could not challenge an acting Alpha, invoke the will, or claim an heirloom no one told her existed. By sealing Wren’s wolf, Gertrude had manufactured the very condition she later used to disqualify her.
Wren touched the mark beneath her collarbone. The years of abuse, the forbidden spell, the lies repeated until the pack despised her—none of them had been random cruelty. Gertrude had built a prison around the only person who could end her reign.
Hunter’s jaw tightened. “She destroyed Wren’s life for an inheritance.” Cursed energy stirred around him, cold enough to make the envoys retreat another pace.
Matthias lowered his voice. “Gertrude claimed the girl’s condition proved the Moon Goddess had rejected her. Most of the council accepted that judgment.”
“You accepted what was convenient,” Hunter replied. “You watched a child lose her name and called it divine will because the truth would have required courage.”
The Elder had no answer. Wren stared at the lines her father had written, tears blurring the page. She had believed he abandoned her to Gertrude’s household. Instead, he had tried to protect her until his final breath, entrusting sworn Elders to enforce his wishes. Their silence had allowed Gertrude to turn protection into captivity.
A memory rose from beneath years of pain: Aldric fastening a silver chain around her neck for a birthday portrait, promising that Wolfhart daughters carried moonlight in their blood. She had been too young to understand why Gertrude removed the chain that same night.
Hunter placed one hand over hers on the table. “Your father never stopped loving you,” he said. The mate bond carried the quiet certainty behind the words.
Wren closed her eyes. Grief and relief struck together, mourning everything stolen while reclaiming one truth Gertrude could no longer poison. Her father had wanted a future for her.
Clay studied the will, following a column of witness signatures beneath Aldric’s seal. “Why bring this to us now? Gertrude threatened war to reclaim Wren, yet this document proves Wren has the stronger claim. You could have presented it at the engagement feast before she was cast out.”
Matthias’s mouth tightened. “Not everyone on the Wolfhart council supports Gertrude’s actions. Once Alpha Silver declared the mate bond, hiding the will became more dangerous than revealing it.” He did not call the delay cowardice, but shame kept him from meeting Wren’s eyes.
