After I pushed him away, a flicker of hurt crossed Kael’s eyes, quickly replaced by fury.
His scent turned dangerous.
An Alpha’s instinct was to take his mate by force.
“Clara, you can’t refuse me like this,” his voice was low and threatening. “I am your Alpha.”
“You are, but not now.” I hugged myself tightly. “I need time to calm down.”
He stared at me for a long moment before finally scoffing and heading upstairs.
The next morning, Kael came downstairs, his expression all business, clearly on his way to manage the fallout from last night.
“Clara, about last night…” He sat across from me, his expression serious. “I’ve looked into the matter.”
I put down my coffee cup and looked at him.
“He blamed a low-ranking data clerk from the Red Fang pack, a man named Marcus. He confessed to stealing your design drafts three years ago and presenting them to Selene.”
Kael’s face was calm, as if he were recounting a trivial matter. “Selene is innocent. She merely used the drafts as inspiration, improving upon the original concept.”
I couldn’t believe my ears.
“And you expect me to believe such a ridiculous story?”
“Marcus has already signed a confession and been exiled from the pack.”
Kael stood up, adjusting his tie. “The matter is closed. Clara, I need you to let it go. Selene is innocent, and you shouldn’t have humiliated her in public.”
“Humiliated her?” I shot up from my chair. “She’s the one who stole my design!”
“Enough!” His wolf gave off an impatient scent. “The matter has been investigated. What you need to do now is consider the bigger picture.”
The bigger picture.
Always the bigger picture.
“Tomorrow night is Selene and her mate Ethan’s anniversary party.”
Kael picked up his briefcase. “You will attend with me, you will apologize to her, and you will present a united front for our alliance.”
“I’m not going.”
“You will go,” his tone left no room for argument. “As the Luna of the Silver Moon pack, it is your duty.”
After he left, I sat alone in the dining room, the anger in my chest about to explode.
Just then, my encrypted phone vibrated.
A message from Europe: [Extraction greenlit. Three days, midnight, North Harbor docks. Codeword: Moonlight Forest. We are go.]
The sender: A.M.
I knew it was from my grandfather’s assistant, Ben.
Looking at the message, a surge of excitement washed over me.
In three days, I would be free from this nightmare.
As I was about to delete the message, I heard footsteps from the study.
Kael’s back?
My thumbs flew, and I quickly switched to my spam folder, pretending to clean out my inbox.
“Forgot a file.” Kael appeared in the living room, but his gaze landed on my phone. “What are you looking at?”
“Just clearing out spam,” I said casually. “Shopping ads and stuff.”
He walked over, his nostrils flaring slightly.
A wolf’s sense of smell is incredibly keen; he could smell the change in my emotional scent.
“You were excited just now,” he frowned. “Why?”
“Probably saw a good discount,” I said calmly. “You know how it is with a good sale.”
He stared at me for a few seconds, trying to determine if I was lying.
“Let me see your phone.”
“Why?”
“I’m your Alpha. I have the right to know what you’re doing.” He held out his hand. “The phone.”
I had no choice but to hand it over.
He scrolled through my spam, then checked my inbox and sent mail.
Thankfully, I had already deleted all relevant messages.
“Just junk mail,” he said, handing the phone back, but his eyes were still full of suspicion. “Clara, if you’re hiding something from me, you’d better tell me now.”
“There’s nothing,” I shook my head. “What could I possibly hide from you?”
He watched me for another moment before finally nodding.
“Remember, you must attend the party tomorrow night.”
The next evening, Selene and Ethan’s anniversary party was held at the city’s most luxurious private club.
The venue was a fairytale of white roses and shimmering silver ribbons.
The air was filled with the pleasant scents of happy werewolves.
I wore a black evening gown, a stark contrast to the warm atmosphere.
“Clara!” Selene greeted me as soon as she saw me. “I’m so glad you could make it!”
She reached out to hug me, but I took a step back.
“Happy anniversary,” I said coldly.
“Thank you.” A flash of triumph crossed her eyes before she turned to Kael. “Alpha Kael, thank you both for coming.”
“Of course,” Kael smiled gently. “You and Ethan are a perfect match.”
I watched them interact, a wave of nausea rising in my stomach.
An hour into the party, I noticed Kael growing distracted, his gaze restlessly scanning the room.
When he saw Selene and Ethan talking intimately, his wolf gave off a complex mix of emotions.
Jealousy, longing, and a deep sense of resentment.
“I’m going to get a drink,” he said, quickly leaving my side.
But he didn’t go to the bar. He went to a corner table and started drinking moodily.
Watching Kael drink alone, a terrible truth dawned on me.
He was jealous of Ethan.
He was jealous that Ethan could openly have Selene.
I wandered through the venue alone. No one spoke to me.
Everyone avoided the “mentally unstable” Luna.
Tired of walking, I decided to get some fresh air on the balcony.
The club had tiered balconies, and I found a relatively secluded one.
Just as I was about to head back inside, I heard voices from the level above.
“…I can’t go on like this, Kael.”
It was Selene’s voice.
I quietly moved to the staircase and peered through the reflection in the glass door.
The scene made me freeze.
