Celina
A bitter laugh escaped me, sharp and incredulous. The sheer nerve behind their accusations left me stunned, words failing me as a strange wave of disbelief washed over my mind.
“Are you seriously laughing?” Yvonne’s voice crackled with shock from the other end of the line. “How can you find this funny? The Blood Moon Pack just dumped every piece of their filth right at your feet, all to make that little snake, Cira, look like some kind of saint! You can’t just let this slide!”
Her tone grew fiery, charged with a fierce determination. “Remember the fire you had at the charity gala? Use that. Throw their lies right back at them. Tear apart those manipulative bastards!”
I couldn’t help but smile at that. Yvonne-Denver’s premier socialite, known for her gentle charm and sweet Southern drawl-was now cursing like a sailor in my defense.
“What if all their so-called ‘evidence’ is true?” I shot back, my voice dripping with sarcasm. “They’ve laid out so much, it almost sounds convincing, doesn’t it?”
“Don’t be ridiculous!” Yvonne practically shouted into the phone. “I’d stake my life on the fact that you’re nothing like what they’re painting you to be.”
She rattled off her thoughts in a rapid stream. “Everyone in our circle knows who Cira really is. I admit, I used to envy you for having Alpha Xavien. He was charming, handsome, and seemed genuinely devoted. But the moment he got tangled up with that Cira? It was like watching someone plunge headfirst into a sewer. The stench of their actions is making everyone gag. His reputation? It’s in ruins.”
She scoffed loudly. “And this nonsense about a decade-old mating contract? Honestly, why don’t they just claim they were star-crossed lovers in some past life while they’re at it!”
I let her rant on. Yvonne had witnessed the days when Alpha Xavien and I appeared inseparable-when he treated me like the most precious thing in his world.
Back then, Yvonne and I weren’t exactly close. Our relationship was polite but superficial, based on convenience and mutual networking, with a layer of exaggerated warmth masking the distance.
That all changed when her life fell apart. She went from living in luxury to being shunned overnight. The same people who once surrounded her-friends, family, supposed confidants-either ignored her existence or actively pushed her further into isolation.
I was the one who reached out when she needed it most.
When she called me this time, I didn’t hang up. I didn’t offer empty platitudes. I listened to her story and simply said, “I can help.”
I let her vent without cutting her off.
Eventually, her patience wore thin. “Why aren’t you saying anything? If you’re scared to face them, I’ll expose their ugly faces myself!”
“No!” I blurted, alarm flashing through me. “Please don’t get involved with them.”
I took a deep breath, feeling the weight pressing on my chest. “I can handle this on my own. Thank you for believing in me-that’s more than enough.”
My troubles had already tangled my parents, Harlow, and Alpha Sebastian up in this mess. I couldn’t bear to drag anyone else down with me.
Yvonne opened her mouth to argue, but then hesitated. What could she really do against the combined forces of the Blood Moon and Shadow Packs?
“Look at you, all smart and refusing my help,” she said with mock offense.
I managed a small smile. “I appreciate it, really. Just watch from the sidelines, okay?”
“You’re impossible,” she muttered before hanging up.
The moment I put down the phone, the fragile mask of lightness I’d been wearing shattered. My shoulders slumped as the harsh reality crashed back in.
For the next hour, my phone buzzed relentlessly with calls and messages. I was relieved my parents hadn’t called yet-they probably hadn’t heard the news. But it was only a matter of time.
The thought of seeing the pain and disappointment etched on their faces made my heart ache as if seared by a red-hot iron.
I clenched my fists so tightly my nails dug into my palms.
I hated myself for not listening to them years ago.
I wished I could erase those memories from my mind entirely.
They want to break me, but I won’t let them win.
–
Author
While chaos swirled outside, Alpha Xavien stirred awake in an unfamiliar hotel room, still fogged by alcohol and confusion.
He hadn’t gone home.
His phone lay dead beside him.
He’d missed work.
It wasn’t until Beta Henric finally tracked him down, voice trembling with barely concealed panic, that the reality hit him like a thunderclap on a clear day.
Across town, Alpha Sebastian had just wrapped up a lunch meeting when he slid into the backseat of his car. Before he could ask about his next appointment, Beta Sawyer handed him a tablet, his expression grim.
One glance at the screen told Alpha Sebastian everything he needed to know.
The Blood Moon Pack had issued an official statement.
The press conference was already trending-Luna Daria sat like a queen, flanked by elders, commanding the spotlight. She introduced herself as the mother of the man in “that video” and, with chilling poise, spun a carefully rehearsed tale that sounded scripted down to the last comma.
Alpha Sebastian read the transcript silently, his face unreadable.
But Soren was far less composed.
“They’re trying to destroy her,” Soren growled in his mind. “They’re painting her as a liar. A whore. A threat.”
When Alpha Sebastian finished reading, the temperature in the car seemed to drop, though his voice remained calm and measured.
“The Blood Moon and Shadow Packs are cozying up, I see,” he said, eyes still glued to the screen. “If they’re working so well together, I doubt they need our money anymore. Cancel their project loan.”
Beta Sawyer hesitated. “Alpha Sebastian, the first installment’s already been disbursed. The second is scheduled within the week. If we pull out now-“
Alpha Sebastian looked up, his voice dry with mock concern.
“Are you underestimating them, Beta Sawyer? This is Alpha Xavien and Cira’s love project, isn’t it? I’m sure they’d sell a kidney each to keep it afloat. I have full confidence in their devotion… to each other.”
“…Understood.”
Soren chuckled darkly in the back of his mind.
Alpha Sebastian knew what the others would think-that he was flexing power, stepping on toes, making it personal. And it was personal.
On the ride back to the office, he issued his final command.
“Have the legal team start a reevaluation. Base it on… recent publicity issues. Make it clear we’re concerned about the borrower’s ability to meet the agreement’s terms.”
And that was that. Whether the project survived the second review? Everyone knew the answer depended entirely on one thing-Alpha Sebastian’s mood.
As Denver’s most powerful capitalist, he was entitled to the occasional whim. Today, he simply didn’t feel like feeding stray dogs.
–
Meanwhile, at the Shadow Pack house, a very different scene was unfolding.
Luna Daria sat at the head of the long dining table, flanked by Alpha Claude and the entire Ward family.
Cira was seated close to Luna Daria.
Luna Daria forced a stiff smile, her posture rigid and perfect, like a marionette pulled by invisible strings. Claude ate silently, his calm exterior barely concealing his fury. He was furious with his wife for going rogue-they’d argued bitterly in the car-but now that the damage was done, he had no choice but to play along.
A union between the Blood Moon Pack and Shadow Pack felt inevitable.
“It’s Celina’s fault,” Alpha Claude thought bitterly. “I gave her a chance, and she spat on it. If only she’d stayed in her place…”
Cira pouted dramatically, her voice rising with feigned indignation.
“Where in the world is Alpha Xavien? Why hasn’t he called? He’s not still with that gold-digging Celina, is he? That shameless b***h!”
Her act was almost convincing-if you ignored the venom burning behind her eyes.
The rest of her family joined in, their voices blending like a rehearsed chorus.
“She’s nothing but a vixen, using her looks to manipulate men.”
“Alpha Xavien was young and foolish. That girl clearly bewitched him.”
“Look at that fox face. You can tell she’s no decent woman.”
“I feel dirty just saying her name.”
Their words dripped with sanctimony, as if they hadn’t all just witnessed Cira clawing for a man who was never hers to begin with.
Just as their performance reached its peak, the dining room doors burst open.
Xavien
As I stepped into the dining room of the Shadow Pack’s house, an unsettling tension hung thick in the air. Inside me, my wolf Kael growled lowly, instinctively reacting to the charged atmosphere surrounding us.
The moment Cira caught sight of me, her face brightened with an almost childlike excitement. “Xavien!” she exclaimed, jumping up from her seat. She hurried toward me, the sweet scent of her floral perfume hitting my senses long before she was close enough to touch. But even from about ten feet away, I raised my hand in a clear, blocking gesture. A wave of revulsion washed over me, heavy and suffocating, as if a dense fog had settled in my chest.
Without a word, I sidestepped her completely, my focus razor-sharp as I made my way directly to where my parents sat. Locking eyes with my mother, I demanded, “Who put you up to spreading these lies? Do you honestly think I haven’t already disgraced myself enough? Or do you want me to fall even further into dishonor?”
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