Reflecting on Sebastian’s behavior-while he had been unusually kind-I asked myself: where exactly had he shown any romantic interest?
I was reading far too much into things.
Impossible!
He didn’t even like women!
Suddenly, the front door slammed loudly.
Harlow had returned. She’d been in court all morning for a case that dragged until noon.
Things hadn’t gone smoothly-the opposing party presented new evidence, forcing her to request an adjournment.
Afterward, she’d met her client for lunch at a nearby caf?, discussing the case.
By the time she saw Luna Daria’s public statement, it was nearly one o’clock. Instead of returning to her law firm as planned, she came straight here.
“Has Luna Daria lost her mind?” Harlow fumed, angrily tossing her briefcase aside.
Despite her youth, deep creases had formed on her forehead from worry.
I gathered myself, pushing aside the tangled thoughts swirling in my mind.
“It is strange,” I agreed.
Harlow crossed her arms and paced restlessly in front of the sofa. “If she can make public statements, so can we. What we have is even more explosive than her accusations. But if we do this, you and Xavien will lose whatever dignity you might have left.”
My eyes hardened, turning cold as ice. “The Blood Moon Pack didn’t leave me with any dignity to begin with.”
Harlow sank down onto the sofa. “What I mean is, Alpha Xavien might not even know about today’s events. No matter how you look at it, he has no reason to act this erratically. You two shared eight of your best years together…”
“Even if he didn’t do it himself, isn’t he responsible for the consequences?” I challenged. “I never wanted to strip him of his dignity. If he had just finalized our divorce properly, none of this would be happening. Everything I’ve done, everything Cira has done, everything Luna Daria has done-it all stems from his actions. Shouldn’t he bear the consequences?”
Harlow fell silent for a moment.
Then she nodded. “Alright, then we fight back-all the way. If we’re going to tear things apart, let’s do it thoroughly. I’m both your divorce lawyer and your best friend. I’ll speak on your behalf.”
We dove straight into work.
We made lists: points to refute, issues to attack, evidence to present.
Just as we were about to record a video response on my phone, the doorbell rang.
“I’ll get it,” Harlow said, rising quickly.
Celina
A sharp, urgent knock echoed through the quiet apartment, rattling the door with a force that demanded attention.
I didn’t even need to peer through the peephole to know who stood outside-my chest tightened instantly at the mere presence I sensed.
Alpha Xavien.
Harlow caught my eyes, her jaw clenched tightly. Without uttering a single word, she bent down swiftly and slipped my phone beneath the sofa cushion, her movements deliberate and precise. Even after she straightened, the faint click of the recording app’s activation lingered in my mind.
“Stay right here,” she whispered, her gaze flickering to me before she crossed the room with determined steps.
I sat rigidly on the sofa, heart pounding wildly in my chest, every muscle tense and ready.
When Harlow opened the door, Xavien didn’t hesitate. He pushed inside like a force of nature, his commanding presence flooding the small space with a stormy intensity.
“Celina…” His voice was low, rough, and raw, cutting straight through the silence, his eyes locking onto mine where I sat.
He took a step forward, and I felt the weight of it settle heavily in my chest.
“I didn’t know about what happened this morning,” he said, each word clipped and sharp, as if they had been painfully extracted from him.
I forced my face to remain calm, even though inside, every nerve screamed in tension. The recorder was running-that was the only thing keeping me grounded.
“And?” I replied coolly, my voice steady. “What exactly did you want to say by coming here?”
Xavien lowered himself onto the sofa beside me, his familiar cedar scent washing over me like a bittersweet memory.
Without hesitation, I rose and moved to sit opposite him, deliberately placing a physical barrier between us-mirroring the emotional walls I had been erecting since uncovering his betrayal.
His jaw tightened visibly at my rejection. The Alpha in him clearly bristled at being dismissed so coldly.
“I’ll release a personal statement tomorrow,” he finally said, voice firm. “I’ll explain everything that happened today.”
I arched a brow skeptically. “Explain? How exactly do you plan to explain this? Will you deny the false accusations your mother concocted? Or will you finally admit to your affair with Cira?”
The silence that followed was thick, heavy with truths left unspoken.
“That kind of vague explanation will only confuse people more and fuel even greater speculation,” I said, voicing the thought I knew was swirling in his mind. “You’ve always been bold enough to make mistakes, Xavien, but never brave enough to own up to them.”
He leaned forward, his posture dominant-a classic Alpha move meant to intimidate and assert control. “If we reconcile, given enough time, those rumors and speculations will die down naturally.”
I let out a cold laugh, disbelief cutting through me. “Your affair with Cira isn’t a rumor. The lies your mother tried to spread about me-that’s the rumor. Either tell the whole truth or say nothing at all.”
My challenge left him silent, caught off guard. Like most wolves, he instinctively guarded his reputation and status within the pack fiercely.
Admitting to his betrayal publicly would shatter his standing as Alpha.
Harlow, who had been quietly observing, suddenly spoke up with casual confidence, “So, Xavien, based on what you’re saying, you’re admitting that Luna Daria’s accusations against Celina this morning were completely fabricated?”
Xavien’s dark eyes shifted to meet hers-stormy and deep like a forest after rain. A flicker of reluctance crossed his face, as if he was revealing knowledge he wished to keep hidden, but he nodded slowly. “Yes.”
“Your mother was almost imprisoned because of Cira’s schemes, yet now she’s defending her. Don’t you find that strange?” Harlow pressed further. “Could the Shadow Pack be behind this? Or more specifically, could Cira be orchestrating it all?”
“Perhaps,” Xavien admitted with a sigh. “It’s possible. I don’t know for sure.”
“So you’re acknowledging that this is the most likely scenario?”
“…Yes.”
Harlow continued smoothly, “To summarize: your mistress Cira was publicly shamed because of that viral airport video. Seeking revenge and wanting to clear her name, she either threatened or bribed your mother. Together, they fabricated damaging rumors about Celina, using your mother as the mouthpiece to simultaneously clear Cira’s name while ruining Celina’s reputation. Is that correct?”
Xavien sighed deeply, raising a hand to halt Harlow’s next question. “Counselor Harlow, I believe you’ve gathered enough evidence for your purposes.”
Harlow’s expression turned sheepish-she’d been caught.
I wasn’t surprised Xavien noticed-he wasn’t Alpha of the Blood Moon Pack for nothing. His senses were razor sharp, his mind equally so. What stunned me was his willingness to be recorded, to provide proof against both his mother and his lover.
[He’s trying to earn forgiveness.] I studied him carefully, a storm of conflicting emotions swirling inside me.
Eight years together. Four years as secret mates. And now, all that remained between us were strategic moves and recorded confessions.
“Let’s end this, Xavien,” I said at last.
“If we don’t end this properly, Cira will never let go,” I continued, locking eyes with him. “Today she manipulated your mother into slandering me. What will happen tomorrow? The day after? You may not be killing me directly, but I’m dying because of you all the same.”
I took a deep, steadying breath, bracing myself. “Whether you truly regret what happened or still have feelings for me, a mistake is a mistake. We can never go back to how things were. What good is there in the three of us remaining tangled like this?”
“Once we’re officially done, she’ll have no reason to keep coming after me. Whatever happens between you two after that won’t involve me.”
“Think about it,” I finished, my voice flat and emotionless.
Unlike before, Xavien said nothing. He lingered at Harlow’s place for some time before finally leaving, offering no clear answer on whether he agreed or disagreed with the divorce. He only said to contact him if we needed a joint statement.
His unexpected cooperation left Harlow and me both bewildered. We had prepared for a battle, armed and ready, only to have a key adversary defect before the fight even began.
“What now? Stick to the original plan?” Harlow asked, her expression torn. I could tell she was softening toward Xavien, which made her defer the decision to me.
I sat quietly, contemplating, then glanced out the window at the darkening sky. “I’m hungry. Let’s eat first.”
Harlow looked at me incredulously. “Really? Food at a time like this?”
“Yes,” I replied simply.
She shook her head, smiling despite herself. “Fine. Dinner first.”
Later that night, at ten o’clock, a pinned reply appeared on the Shadow Pack’s official website, directly beneath Luna Daria’s morning statement.
It was from me-a video response confronting the accusations head-on.
The internet erupted instantly.
Users shared the video frantically, gathering like wolves around fresh prey, eagerly devouring the unfolding drama between two powerful wolf families.
In the video, I appeared poised and graceful.
My voice remained calm and gentle as I recounted the story of Xavien and me-how we fell in love, the obstacles we overcame to marry, and how Cira ultimately tore us apart.
More Kickass Werewolf Reads
Dive into our collection of free werewolf romance novels—where fierce Alphas, daring heroines, and heart-stopping twists await. Every story burns with forbidden desire, loyalty, and destiny. Don’t wait—here’s a world where love bites hard and nothing is stronger than the call of the mate.
Leave a Reply