How did he know my ring size? We haven’t seen each other in years.
*Check the inside,’ she suggested gently.
I slipped the ring off and tilted it toward the light. Engraved in flowing script: CB & SC.
Caelan Blackwood and Sable Crawford.
‘It looks stunning on you.” The saleswoman’s voice held genuine admiration. “His Majesty has exquisite taste.”
I was still admiring the way the moonstone caught the light when a cold voice cut through the air behind me.
‘Sable. What are you doing here?”
The saleswoman immediately lowered her head. “Alpha Darrell.”
I turned slowly. Darrell stood in the doorway of the private viewing room, several ring boxes clutched in his hands. Camila stood beside him, her arm linked through his, a sweet smile on her face that didn’t reach her calculating green eyes.
*Trying on rings.” I kept my voice light, casual.
Darrell stepped closer, his gaze dropping to the blue moonstone on my finger. His face darkened as he took in the size, the quality, the obvious expense of it.
I tilted my hand slightly, letting the stone catch the overhead light. “What do you think? Do you like it?”
“No.” His voice came out rough. “I don’t like it.”
Camila moved forward with practiced grace. “What a coincidence, Sable! Darrell and I are here looking at rings too.” She displayed the simple bands in his hands like trophies.
How fast they move. I watched Darrell’s face for confirmation. He didn’t deny it.
Camila’s eyes fixed on my ring, clearly calculating its worth. I could practically see the dollar signs reflecting in her pupils. Seventy-five thousand? A hundred? More?
She’s wondering how someone like me could afford something like this.
“Your ring is lovely, Sable.” Camila’s tone dripped false sweetness. “Actually, I really like that style. It’s exactly what I’ve been looking for.”
She reached toward my hand. ‘Mind if I try it on? Just to see how it looks?”
The saleswoman started to speak. ‘Miss, I’m afraid that ring is-“
I held up my other hand, cutting her off smoothly. “Of course you can try it, Camila. But you should probably know the price first.”
Camila’s smile widened. “Oh, price isn’t really an issue for me.”
‘It’s two hundred and fifty thousand dollars.”
The number hung in the air like a dropped bomb. Camila’s reaching hand froze mid-motion.
“Two hundred and…” Her voice came out strangled.
“Fifty thousand.” I smiled sweetly. “Plus tax, of course.”
Color drained from Camila’s face. Even Darrell’s jaw dropped.
“That’s…” Camila swallowed hard. “That’s ridiculous. Why would you try on something so expensive when you obviously can’t afford it?”
‘Can’t I?”
‘Please.” She let out a bitter laugh. “You’re going to walk out of here and find some knockoff version online. Just like those shoes the other night. when is Sable going to leave??? if she’s engaged why is she still there on Darrell pack grounds??
‘Ah.” I nodded thoughtfully. “So you do like taking things that belong to other people.”
The innocent tone made the words cut deeper. Camila’s face flushed red.
‘I don’t know what you mean.”
‘Don’t you?’ I tilted my head. “First my shoes design, now my ring style. Do you always covet what others have, or is it just a hobby?”
‘I wasn’t- Camila’s voice pitched higher.
“It’s a pattern, isn’t it? Seeing something someone else has and deciding you want it for yourself.”
Darrell finally found his voice. “Take the ring off, Sable.”
I tilted my head innocently. “Why?”
“Why are you trying on engagement rings?” His anger was building, each word sharper than the last. “Last night you accepted our… arrangement. Now you’re here trying to force my hand? I will never mark you!”
Camila’s lips curved in satisfaction. “Sable, Darrell and I are here because Elizabeth asked us to look at rings together.”
Elizabeth Hawthorne prefers Camila as a daughter-in-law. Message received.
“Oh. I kept my voice neutral. I understand.”
Both of them seemed taken aback by my lack of reaction.
“Are you doing this on purpose?” Darrell’s control snapped completely. “Playing understanding last night, then ambushing me here today? I’ve told you have no future together! Stop trying to manipulate me into something I’ll never give you!” we
I smiled gently. “Manipulate? But we’re still together, aren’t we? That would make Miss Ross the other woman. And you the cheating bastard. So who exactly is embarrassing themselves here?”
Darrell’s face flushed red. “Take off the fucking ring!”
“No.”
“Fine! His voice shook with rage. “Keep it! I’ll never buy you a ring anyway, and I’ll never mark you!”
‘Mm-hmm.
He glared at me one more time before storming out. Camila hurried after him, her heels clicking against the marble floor.
The saleswoman cleared her throat delicately. “Miss Crawford? The Alpha seemed… upset.”
“Yes, but don’t worry about it. Just some personal drama.”
Darrell never intended to mark me. But it doesn’t matter anymore. The old Sable died last night in that bathroom stall.
I looked down at the ring again. The blue moonstone reminded me of summer afternoons spent collecting rocks by the creek behind Crawford Manor. Caelan had always listened patiently while I explained why each one was special.
He remembered that I love blue stones. After all these years, he remembered.
I took several photos of the ring on my finger, selecting the best one before sending it to Caelan with a simple message: “Do you like it?”
Third Person POV
Three hundred miles away, Caelan Blackwood was reviewing territory reports when his phone chimed. The moment he saw Sable’s message, his usually stern expression softened into something approaching tenderness.
The photo showed her delicate hand, the blue moonstone catching the light perfectly. She had beautiful hands – he’d always thought so, even when she was a child with dirt under her fingernails from her rock-hunting expeditions.
He typed back immediately: “It’s beautiful. Do you like it?”
‘I do.’
“That’s all that matters.”
A pause, then: “Caelan, this ring must have been expensive…”
“Not expensive at all. You deserve the best.”
The warmth spreading through Sable’s chest felt foreign after years of emotional isolation.
Caelan’s Beta, Edward Wells, approached with a stack of documents requiring signatures. He stopped short when he saw his usually stoic King staring at his phone with what could only be described as a dopey smile.
The papers slipped from Edward’s shocked hands, hitting the floor with a loud smack.
Caelan’s head snapped up. He immediately schooled his features back into their customary mask of authority.
“The documents are signed.” His voice could have frozen blood. “Do you need something else?”
“N-no, Your Majesty.” Edward scrambled to collect the scattered papers. “Nothing else.”
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