Xavier
By 7 p.m., the charity gala was in full swing. The grand ballroom of the Peninsula Hotel shimmered with the city’s elite-old money mingling with new wealth, and everything in between. The Blood Moon Pack’s presence was strong, and Gavin White had brought nearly the entire Shadow Pack leadership.
I scanned the crowd, nodding politely at various Alpha and Beta dignitaries, trying to ignore how Cici clung to my arm like a lifeline. She kept glancing nervously at her phone, which was beginning to grate on my nerves.
“Expecting an important call?” I asked quietly.
“Just some business,” she replied hurriedly, slipping the phone away.
My mother approached, her silver-streaked black hair perfectly styled, and pulled Cici aside. I caught fragments of their hushed conversation:
“Did you get the settlement agreement?”
Cici hesitated, then nodded. “Of course. I’ll bring it tomorrow.”
Mother’s face lit up with satisfaction. “Perfect.”
What settlement agreement? I frowned, watching them exchange secretive smiles. Their closeness lately unsettled me. Mother had never shown such enthusiasm for any of my past relationships-not even for Cecilia, who had stood by me for eight years.
I excused myself and stepped out onto the balcony for some fresh air. Inside my mind, Kael, my wolf, paced restlessly, sensing the tension I tried to ignore all day.
I called my security team. “Is she still at her parents’ house? Has she moved at all?”
“No, sir. She hasn’t left.”
“Good. I’ll stop by after the gala.”
Back inside, Cici suddenly waved an auction catalog in front of me.
“Xavier, look at these gorgeous pieces! This pink diamond set from Mrs. Linda is stunning! The design is so unique. And Mrs. Liu’s ring is beautiful too…”
“They’re all nice,” I said absentmindedly, barely glancing at the pages.
But then something caught my eye-the pink diamond set looked oddly familiar.
“Let me see that,” I said, taking the catalog from her.
Turning to the page, my blood ran cold. These weren’t just similar-they were the exact same set I had commissioned in Italy for Cecilia last year, on our anniversary. She had loved them, even talked about passing them down to our future daughter.
[How the hell did they end up with Mrs. Linda?] Kael growled inside my mind. [This belongs to our mate.]
Something was very wrong.
Cici
I couldn’t stop staring at my phone.
Again.
And again.
The men I’d hired-useless, incompetent-should have contacted me hours ago. The plan was flawless: drug Cecilia, let those disgusting human animals do their worst, record everything, and send me just one video. One piece of proof to bury her with.
By now, I should have been sipping champagne, watching her humiliation unfold frame by frame.
But there was nothing.
No texts. No calls. No updates. No evidence she’d been broken.
Had they killed her? Or worse-had they failed entirely?
My stomach twisted in knots. I hated the uncertainty. The silence gnawed at my nerves.
Dora appeared beside me, perfectly timed as always, her lips curved into a practiced, upper-crust smile. “Darling,” she said sweetly, slipping her arm through mine, “did you get the signed settlement agreement from Cecilia?”
Panic flared in my chest like a match struck in dry grass.
Shit.
If I admitted failure, she might get cold feet. Cancel the engagement announcement. Pull out of the deal. I couldn’t allow that-not when I was this close. Not when I was finally about to be the one standing beside Xavier in the spotlight.
I forced a smile. “Of course,” I lied smoothly. “She signed it yesterday. I’ll bring it to you first thing tomorrow.”
Dora beamed, eyes sparkling with satisfaction. “Wonderful!” she said, squeezing my hands excitedly. “Everything is falling into place.”
I nodded stiffly.
If I had to forge the agreement, so be it. It wasn’t like Cecilia would show up to dispute it-not after what I’d arranged for her.
If they’d actually done it.
A cold, sharp flicker of doubt ran down my spine.
No. They had to have succeeded. She was weak. Too proud to scream, too stubborn to beg. She would have let it happen just to hold onto her dignity-and that, ironically, would have destroyed her beyond repair.
Across the room, I spotted Xavier standing beneath the chandelier, his silhouette a striking contrast of light and shadow. My heart fluttered at the sight.
He was so close now.
Soon, he would be mine-officially. No more sneaking around. No more hiding in hotel rooms while he returned to her bed. No more pretending to be content with scraps.
Let his perfect little human wife rot in whatever hole she’d been thrown into.
I approached him with the auction catalog, babbling about the jewelry to mask my nerves. “Xavier, look at these gorgeous pieces! This pink diamond set from Mrs. Linda is stunning!”
His eyes barely skimmed the page before he suddenly stiffened, demanding to see the catalog more closely.
As his expression darkened, I felt the first tremor of unease ripple through me. Something had caught his attention-something that clearly displeased him deeply.
What had I missed?
Celina
I crashed onto the cold marble floor, the unforgiving surface biting into my palms. The sting was sharp but felt distant compared to the chaos that had erupted around me. The grand ballroom, once filled with light chatter and clinking glasses, now pulsed with tension and disbelief.
Clau
Xavien was still reeling from my unexpected demand for a divorce when Celina’s next words sent a shockwave through the entire room, freezing everyone in place.
“Xavien, she’s filthy now!” Cira’s voice cracked as she screamed, her flawless makeup unraveling under the weight of her fury. “Last night, she slept with eight men! One of them has AIDS! She’s dirty, ruined-absolutely disgusting! How can you still want her?”
I fought to steady my breathing, each heartbeat pounding louder in my ears as the room’s atmosphere shifted from stunned silence to raw, seething rage.
Everyone was frozen, their expressions a mixture of shock and confusion. I could almost see the questions forming in their minds: Eight men in one night? Someone with AIDS? How was this even possible?
And then, the unspoken question lingered heavily in the air: How did Cira know such intimate, damning details?
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Daria sway slightly, her face draining of color until she looked like a fragile sheet of parchment.
I rose deliberately, brushing dust from my dress with a calmness I didn’t feel. My gaze locked onto Cira, the kind of look reserved for something unpleasant stuck to the sole of a shoe.
“I hadn’t even gotten around to settling scores with you,” I said evenly, “but you went ahead and confessed everything yourself. Stupid and cruel-a deadly combination.”
Turning to Daria, I saw her mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. “Is this your idea of a proper Luna? Someone who commits crimes with you? Someone you’d willingly share a prison cell with?”
Xavien’s face transformed before our eyes-cold, dark, and terrifyingly murderous. The temperature in the ballroom seemed to drop several degrees as his wolf, Kael, unleashed the Alpha’s power, radiating dominance and danger.
The Ward family shifted uncomfortably, their earlier arrogance fading as the gravity of the situation began to sink in.
Whispers rippled through the crowd, this time laced with suspicion: “Did Cira and Luna Daria set Celina up?”
The Truth Revealed
Everything suddenly clicked-the pain in my wrist, my dramatic fall, the mingling of blood and wine on the floor. No woman, no matter how wild, would willingly sleep with eight men in one night, especially knowing one was infected. No one would intentionally put themselves in such danger.
“Why are you all staring at me like that?” Cira shrieked, still oblivious to the weight of what she’d revealed. “Don’t believe her! She’s the one who acted like a whore! She has AIDS-stay away before she infects you all!”
Before she could finish, Xavien’s hand shot out like lightning, clamping tightly around her throat and dragging her forward. His eyes blazed with murderous fury, a deep growl vibrating from his chest that was almost inhuman.
“What did you do to her?” he snarled, his voice dropping to that dangerous Alpha tone that made everyone’s wolves instinctively bow in submission. “WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?”
His roar echoed through the ballroom, raw and filled with rage.
Cira clawed at his grip, her face turning purple as she gasped for air. The reality of the situation dawned on everyone-Xavien truly looked capable of killing her on the spot.
Her brothers reacted swiftly, wrenching Xavien’s fingers from her throat and pulling her behind them protectively.
“Xavien, calm down,” Garvin urged, his own Alpha power rising to meet Xavien’s. “My sister might just be babbling nonsense.”
Judy Ward, Cira’s older sister, stepped forward with the fierce protective instinct of a pack female. “Even if it’s true, you can’t accuse Cira without proof! What if Celina couldn’t stand being alone and sought company? Maybe Cira only heard rumors and that’s why she knows. Or what if Celina, knowing her actions would eventually come to light, concocted this elaborate victim story to frame my sister?”
I almost laughed at the ridiculousness of it all but stayed silent, observing the performance like a spectator watching a play. Some people needed the spotlight a little longer before the final act.
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