Chapter 14 - Return of the Despised Luna

“I have my way of proving it.” Roseline’s lips curved in a serene smile.

She turned to the director beside her and said, “Please hand me the ring.”

The chief glanced at me, and I gave him a slight nod, allowing him to pass the ring to her.

I was curious, too – how could Roseline stay so composed in this situation?

She scanned the room before fixing her gaze on the waiter. “You said you saw me take this ring with your own eyes?”

The waiter nodded frantically. “Yes, I saw it myself.”

Roseline’s eyes hardened. “Then pay close attention.”

She held up her hand for everyone to see. “Take a good look at my hand.”

Her fingers were smooth, delicate, and unmarked.

The crowd murmured in confusion, unsure what she intended. I, on the other hand, kept my cool as I watched her closely.

Standing before the accusing eyes of the crowd, she remained unshaken. I was also curious to see how she would prove her innocence with so much against her.

She held the ring in her hand. Within minutes, her fingers started to redden and swell, small welts appearing.

“What’s happening?” People stared in surprise at Roseline’s hand.

Roseline’s gaze sharpened as she returned the ring to the officer, clearing her throat before saying, “I’m allergic to platinum, and this ring’s setting is made of platinum.”

Roseline raised her hand for me to see. “As you can see when I touch platinum, my skin reacts like this – red, swollen, covered in welts, and it won’t return to normal for hours.”

I frowned, then glanced at Wendy. Her face had visibly paled.

“If I had really stolen Wendy’s ring, my hand would’ve reacted by now, but as you all saw, my hand was fine just a moment ago. It only started to react after I touched this ring. That means I never even came into contact with the ring before that, so there’s no way I could have stolen it.”

Roseline held her hand up to the crowd, showing them her swollen fingers.

“No, that’s impossible!” Wendy gasped, staring at Roseline’s hand in disbelief. “There’s no way you just happen to be allergic to platinum! You must have rigged this somehow!”

Wendy snatched the ring from the officer and examined it closely, hoping to find something amiss.

The murmurs around us grew louder.

I’d had enough of Wendy’s panic. Roseline raised an eyebrow, took the ring in her other hand, and offered, “If you still don’t believe me, I’ll demonstrate again.”

The result was the same.

The moment her hand touched the ring, the allergic reaction flared up.

“Now, does this prove I didn’t steal the ring?” Roseline raised her brow, each word clear and deliberate.

“Yes, Ms. Sinclair’s allergic reaction confirms it’s unlikely she’s ever held the ring before,” The police chief, who had been observing the whole situation, lowered his head and said.

“Thank you.” Roseline nodded to the chief, then focused on the waiter. “So tell me, exactly how did you see me take the ring?”

“I … ” The waitress stammered, casting a panicked glance at Wendy.

Wendy gritted her teeth, turning her back and ignoring her completely.

The waitress shook, then suddenly fell down before Roseline.

“I’m sorry, Ms. Sinclair, it was actually me who stole the ring,” the waitress said, trembling with fear.

“Is that so?” Roseline raised an eyebrow, clearly not buying her story.

I couldn’t believe it either. A mere waitress wouldn’t have the audacity to steal Wendy’s ring and frame my fiancée.

And besides, she couldn’t come up with such a flawless plan.

“I’m sorry, I was out of my mind for a moment. I stole Ms. Crawford’s ring,” the waitress continued, bowing her head and crying uncontrollably as she confessed. “Please forgive me, I didn’t mean to, I swear I won’t do it again.”

Roseline’s POV:

With the accusation against me cleared up, it was time to see what Wendy would do next.

I pressed the waitress, “If you stole the ring, how did it end up in my bag?”

“I had planned to take the ring when I finished my shift,” she explained, nervously wiping her tears. “But I didn’t expect Ms. Crawford to notice the ring was missing so quickly, and then she had the security guards looking for it everywhere. I was afraid of getting caught, so while no one was paying attention, I hid the ring in your bag, Ms. Sinclair.”

Her voice trembled as she continued, “Please forgive me. My mother’s really sick and needs surgery. I was desperate.”

“Did someone tell you to do this?” I pressed, my voice cold.

“N-no, it was my decision alone,” she insisted, eyes flickering anxiously in Wendy’s direction.

Wendy quickly cut in, biting her lip. “Forget it. Now that the ring’s back, and since you did it for your mother’s sake, I won’t hold this against you.”

“Oh, thank you, Ms. Crawford! Thank you so much.” The waitress bowed down, apologizing to Wendy over and over.

“Not going to hold it against her, huh? Funny, that’s not what you said earlier when you accused me of theft.”

If Wendy had thought she could drop this so easily, she would have had another thing coming.

“Since the ring has been returned to its rightful owner and Wendy has said she won’t pursue this any further, let’s consider the matter closed.” Seeing that Wendy was left speechless by Roseline’s retort, Raymond tapped her shoulder with his cane.

With that, Wendy motioned for the police chief to escort the waitress away, grabbed her ring, and started to make her way out.

“Hold on,” I said, stepping in front of her.

What, she thought she could just walk out of here? I wasn’t about to let her off that easy.

“What do you want?” Wendy snapped, her eyes narrowing.

I shot her a taunting smile. “Ms. Crawford, were you really planning on just leaving? You and your whole entourage accused me of stealing. You even wanted to haul me off to the police station. Now that the truth’s out, shouldn’t you be apologizing?”

“You!” Wendy choked on her words, her face turning red.

Yeah, making her apologize to some country bumpkin Omega like me probably bruised her precious ego, but if she could smear my name, she could own up to it too.

“Apologize to Roseline,” Caden’s low, authoritative voice broke the silence. He’d been observing quietly, but now he spoke up.

Wendy shrank back a step under the weight of his gaze, hands clenched into fists at her sides. Her voice quivered with repressed anger as she muttered, “I’m sorry, Roseline. I misunderstood.”

I felt a surge of satisfaction. I pretended to strain to hear. “What was that? I couldn’t quite make it out.”

Wendy was clearly struggling to contain her anger. She raised her voice slightly and gritted her teeth, forcing out the words: “I’m sorry!”

After saying those words, she couldn’t hold it in any longer and spun around, walking away.

As the Alpha of the Wild Pack, Raymond was used to big scenes. He cleared his throat and said to me, “I sincerely apologize, Ms. Sinclair. What happened just now was a misunderstanding. It’s not Wendy’s fault, so please don’t take it to heart.”

I gave him a small smile. “Next time something like this happens, Alpha, I hope you’ll investigate more and avoid making snap judgments. It’s a bad look, blaming innocent people.”

Raymond’s expression soured as he fixed me with a hard stare, his Alpha presence pressing down on me. Several nearby pack members backed away a step, clearly unnerved by the tension.

Caden stepped forward to stand beside me. I patted his shoulder, confidently meeting Raymond’s gaze. He wasn’t the only Alpha around here; I wasn’t about to back down.

“Ms. Sinclair, is your hand all right? I can arrange for a car to take you to the hospital,” Raymond said with a forced smile.

“No, thanks. I’m tired. I’m heading out.” I stifled a yawn, grabbed my bag, and walked out.

After such a long and exhausting night, I had barely stepped out of the hotel when the sky lit up with lightning. Before long, a torrential downpour started.

Great. Just my luck.

Rain was never my thing, whether I was in wolf form or human. Something about that oppressive weight of dark clouds always got to me.

Raindrops the size of beans pelted down, soaking me to the skin in moments. I looked around for Freya, hoping she could help me find some shelter, when a black Bentley pulled up right beside me.

The door opened, and Caden’s handsome face appeared. His eyes met mine, and he simply said, “Get in.”

Always so commanding.

I asked, “Why are you leaving too? Aren’t you going to stay for the rest of the party?”

Caden raised an eyebrow. “Aren’t you coming up?”

Caden’s POV:

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