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Valerie went back to sit on the chair facing Aticus when Alpha Denzel retired to his room. Aticus wiped the corner of his mouth with a napkin and pointed out,

"If you are the Luna of this pack, is it not demeaning to not give you a coronation? It’s not as if Alpha Denzel cannot afford it. Val, you deserve better than this."

Valerie’s expression changed instantly, feeling it was too harsh for Alpha Denzel to be seen as stingy. It might be his fault that she lost her wolf the first time, but it was not as if he was aware it was going to happen.

"You are right in saying that we haven’t seen each other in decades, so what right do you have to judge me when you don’t understand the genesis of the problem?"

There was no amusement in her voice as she spoke, and Aticus was slightly guilty, deciding to proceed with caution.

"I’m sorry I wasn’t there when Tristan did that to you. I would have made sure he paid for it. I would have never allowed it," he said seriously.

Somehow, Valerie was rather grateful for Tristan’s betrayal. Imagining if that had not happened, Valerie would have been Tristan’s Luna and still remained in her pack.

At that time, it sounded perfect, and she was content with it, but after all she learned from Alpha Denzel, the exposure he gave her with more in store for her, she felt lucky and content with her life.

"Well, if he had not rejected me, then I would not have been mated to Alpha Denzel. I love him very much and have no regrets."

That was not what Aticus expected to hear, his expression turning grim. "Are you sure you love him from your own will? Val, we share something special."

Valerie held Aticus’s gaze. It had been so long, and their time spent together was when they were kids. The memories had become a blur, and she felt drawn away from the man in front of her.

"What are you talking about, Aticus?" Valerie already stood up and was walking towards the entrance to send him away.

She did not want more than friendship from Aticus, and anything directed in that angle only got her upset. Aticus panicked and rose to his feet.

Valerie was no longer the eight-year-old he left behind. "Val, I just don’t want you to regret this. I’ve known even as a child that we were meant to be."

Valerie’s expression darkened. It seemed that Alpha Denzel was right in not trusting Aticus. It was not jealousy that caused him to be distant. Never would she allow the cub to grow into a hyena. It was better to kill it before it. She was beckoning him to the door.

"No. If we were, things would not have turned out this way. I changed my mind, Aticus. You can’t sleep over in this pack."

Aticus stiffened. Regret washed his face for having allowed his emotions to take a better toll on him. Patience would have warmed Valerie’s heart towards him, and he would have patiently gotten what he wanted.

Perhaps the sight of her kissing Alpha Denzel caused him to lose his mind, making him overstep his boundaries.

"Are you sending me away?" Remorse laced his tone as he ambled to Valerie, so close, he casually hugged her, but she did not hug him back. Also, she never uttered another word, making it obvious that she was greatly upset.

"I’m sorry, Val. I just thought you should know."

Valerie stiffened as his arms wrapped around her. Her teeth gritted as she spoke. "Move away. I said no hugging."

Valerie was pushing him away, only for his grip around her to tighten. "Stop or I’ll punch you," she snarled.

Knowing that he already lost his chance to go gently, Aticus was ready to force his way into getting what he wanted.

If he marked her, she might be upset, but he would apologize and work things out with her. If Alpha Denzel loved her, then what stopped him from marking her? Aticus could not understand.

"I’m sorry, Val, but you are mine."

Valerie thought she was not hearing right and would have been certain of it if Aticus’s canines did not graze her exposed neck.

Realizing what he was about to do, Valerie was enraged, and before she could control it, her claws elongated, and she grabbed Aticus on the jaw.

The pain caused his hands around her waist to loosen, but when he looked into her eyes, they were pitch black.

Aticus heard that Valerie had a Luna wolf, but why did it look like an Alpha wolf instead? Blood was already dripping from his face due to the claws sinking into them.

"How dare you try to mark us?" Valerie’s voice turned hoarse. It was as if two people were speaking at once. Aticus knew she wasn’t herself, and it was too late to save himself from her wrath.

A loud growl left his throat as he tried to call for help, but Valerie’s claws moved from his jaw, sinking into his throat and pulling out all his lungs and esophagus.

Aticus’s eyes rolled to the back as life drained out of him. The door to Alpha Denzel’s room swung open, the same time the parts in her hands dropped on the dead body on the floor.

Valerie regained herself to realize that blood splattered everywhere. "What happened?" Alpha Denzel asked worriedly.

Valerie took a deep breath before she explained. "He wanted to mark me, and I got upset, but I don’t know how I killed him."

"Oh," Alpha Denzel sensed a pending problem with Valerie’s wolf. It used to be the same with Brutus, taking over without Alpha Denzel’s permission.

With time, he learned to tame his beast, but it was even better when he went to Las Vegas as the beast himself would not dare to take charge. "Go shower. It’s not you. It’s her."

"Astrid?" Valerie asked from shock, and Alpha Denzel nodded his head. "But she hasn’t possessed me yet." Valerie was surprised. If Astrid did this when she did not even have control, then what would she not do if she did?

"Ask her why," Alpha Denzel said softly. Valerie was still in a daze as she went up the stairs.

Alpha Denzel was happy for her wolf, though. If Astrid had not done it, he, Alpha Denzel, would have still done it.

How dare he try to mark his woman? Aticus had some guts and deserved exactly what he got.

’Burke, I want you to take care of something in my living room. Do it discreetly and cremate the body. Let the maids clean up after that. If the sofas can’t be cleaned, just replace them,’ Alpha Denzel mind-linked Burke and rushed back to his room.

The dress Valerie wore before was in the bin, and when he entered the shower room, she had washed off the blood but was still naked as she stood in front of the mirror.

"It was you. Why did you do it?" Valerie asked Astrid.