CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN.

(OWEN'S POV)

I was lounging on my bed in my quiet room, trying to keep my mind occupied, when my phone buzzed with a new message.

Checking it immediately and seeing it was from my old friend James back at my former pack filled me with a mix of anticipation and dread. What news did he have this time?

I opened the discreet message, my eyes swiftly scanning the words on the screen. It read:

"Owen, it's been a few months since I last wrote to you, my friend. Not much of interest had been happening openly around here...until Prince Arthur himself showed up at the pack recently."

My brow furrowed at that name - Arthur, the weasel who had snatched away my beloved Meliora only to cast her out over false allegations of infidelity. Just the thought of that sniveling coward made my blood boil.

James's message continued: "So after the dinner gathering within the pack last night, I waited till everyone cleared out of the main hall, before I hung back hidden in the shadows. That's when I overheard a very interesting conversation. It's included in an audio recording below."

I quickly glanced down and downloaded the audio file James had attached. With trembling fingers, I tapped to play the audio, my heart pounding in my ears as the first voice filtered through the speaker - unmistakably Zoey's grating tone.

"No Arthur, it's too soon. We can't get married soon, everyone will suspect us," she said.

Then Arthur's despicable voice responded, "Who's left to suspect us? There's no one, my love."

The loathing I felt was like acid in my veins. How dare that wretched snake refer to Zoey with any endearment after the way he had brutally wronged Meliora?

"The pack members, Arthur!" Zoey's voice sliced through again, shrill and indignant. "This pack's members will suspect me and see me unfit to be their alpha."

So that was her game - she still coveted the Alpha's role that should have been Meliora's birthright. My jaw clenched as Arthur's smug tones answered.

"Who cares? You are destined by my side and to be my queen, not rule some old folks here at your father's pack."

I wanted to put my fist through the nearest wall at his arrogant dismissal of the noble position Meliora had been cheated out of through their deception. But Zoey's reply made me deeply uneasy.

"Well I want to be alpha here first, Arthur! So we can merge the two packs, mine and yours, and we can rule them both together."

Shivers raced down my spine. Clearly this vile pair had ambitions that extended far beyond just overthrowing and murdering Meliora and her father. They were aiming for total domination.

Arthur's simpering voice chimed in once more. "Well, that's very thoughtful of you, my love. That's why I've always liked you." He said before they both chuckled wickedly.

The clip ended with their shared laughter, a mocking sound that made my stomach churn.

I came dangerously close to swinging my phone across the room in a burst of rage. Only by clenching my fists until my knuckles turned white was I able to restrain myself.

Zoey and Arthur...the traitorous snakes had been in cahoots all along to bring about Meliora's downfall. I could scarcely breathe through the haze of fury consuming me.

That vindictive wretch of a stepsister and her opportunistic snake of a former husband had orchestrated everything - the false accusations, the murders, the power grab. It was all part of their sick, twisted grand plan for total domination of the packs.

"So Zoey and Arthur were both behind this?" I growled aloud through gritted teeth. My wolf Greil stirred restlessly, his rage mirroring my own.

We had our confirmation at last of who the true villains were, the schemers pulling the strings from the shadows like despicable puppeteers.

I took a deep, steadying breath in an effort to regain some composure. As much as I wanted to abandon all reason and march right back to confront those treacherous bastards, I knew I had to play this smart.

Reckless actions now could see me killed or exiled even further away before I got the chance to make them pay.

"Come morning, I'll find a way to deal with this properly," I told myself and my raging wolf in a low rumble. "I'll figure out how to approach the matter and expose them once and for all."

I replayed the audio clip again, committing every inflection and detail to memory. My heart thundered with righteous wrath, but also a grim sense of purpose.

After all this time, I finally had the truth I had sought so fervently. Zoey and Arthur's own smug words were the damning evidence I needed of their involvement in Meliora's downfall.

A vicious smile tugged at the corners of my mouth as a plan began to take shape in my mind. I would have my vengeance, make no mistake.

One way or another, I would make those two devious fiends answer for their crimes against my beloved Meliora and her poor father. They would regret the day they ever dared to cross us.

For now though, I would bide my time and move carefully, like a wolf stalking its prey. I quickly typed out a reply to James, thanking him profusely for his daring reconnaissance, and assuring him that I would be in contact soon with the next steps to take.

Meliora's betrayers had been unmasked at last. Soon, justice would be served.

I switched off my phone and moved to the window, gazing out at the tranquil forest surrounding my temporary refuge. A light breeze ruffled the trees, as if nature itself was cheering me on in my quest for vengeance.

"Don't worry, my dear," I murmured towards the dusky horizon. "They'll pay for what they did to you. I'll make them pay dearly."

My wolf rumbled in approval, both of us locked in unified purpose now that our enemies had been exposed.

Zoey and Arthur's reign of terror and deceit would soon be at an end, by any means necessary. Meliora's honor, our future together so cruelly shattered, would finally be avenged.