My Mate Sent Me To Prison I Return As His Nightmare novel Chapter 6

The den keeper took one look inside the box and recoiled as though he'd been electrocuted, flinging it away from him.

The contents spilled across the polished marble floor with a sickening thud.

Inside the festive gift box sat a smaller, dark crimson urn. Its contents now scattered across the floor, fine powdery ash mixed with tiny bone fragments.

Grayson lurched forward, his legs barely cooperating. With trembling hands, he picked up a small red booklet among the ashes.

His pupils constricted to pinpoints when he realized what he was holding: Mate-severance papers with his signature on them.

"What the fuck?" he whispered hoarsely. "I never signed any—"

Then he flipped it open to find a death certificate nestled inside.

With his mother-in-law's name printed in stark black letters.

"This—this isn't real," he stammered, his voice rising with panic. "It's fucking impossible. This has to be some sick joke!"

When he'd left that day, her head had barely been bleeding—just a minor injury, nothing life-threatening.

"Adira!" he bellowed, whirling toward the stairs. "What kind of sick game are you playing?!"

"Get Luna down here NOW!" he demanded, his voice cracking as he fixed wild, bloodshot eyes on the den keeper.

A pack member stepped forward hesitantly. "Alpha... I—I saw Luna leave an hour ago."

"Left?" Grayson's voice dropped to a horrified whisper.

His legs gave out, and he crumpled onto the floor among the scattered ashes.

Since my release from the Silver Cage, no pack would display my work. No sacred carving lodge would hire me. He'd made sure of that.

He'd given me no access to their pack accounts. I had nothing.

"SHUT YOUR FUCKING MOUTH!" he roared, spittle flying.

"Luna has NOTHING! No money, no power. If I don't find her, she could be aimed as a rogue and die out there! Is that what you want?!"

He struggled to his feet, swaying slightly.

Sylvia froze in genuine shock before quickly recovering. Her eyes filled with perfectly timed tears, her lower lip trembling on cue.

"I can't believe you're howling at me because of her," she whimpered, voice cracking. "Everything I say, everything I do is because I care about you, Grayson."

"Adira survived being beaten so badly in the Silver Cage that she coughed blood and lost control of her wolf. Do you honestly think missing the full moon would drive her to... leave you."

"She's obviously using her mother to manipulate you, to make you feel guilty and responsible..."

Grayson had never heard Sylvia talk so much or so callously. Strange, revealing words poured from her mouth, and his eyes grew increasingly hostile as he stared at her.