Celeste’s smile was unsettlingly radiant, her gown shimmering as though it, too, demanded attention. Kieran looked…dutiful, his expression carved from stone.
They climbed the dais, perfect and poised, and Celeste gave our mother air kisses. The genuine, proud smile Margaret gave Celeste had me looking away.
Not once, in my whole life, had my mother looked at me like that.
“Thank you,
Mother,” Celeste said, her voice delicate, sweetened with artificial humility. “I couldn’t have asked for a more supportive family. And thank you, everyone, for being here tonight. It means the world to us.”
She turned toward Kieran and brushed a kiss to his cheek. The crowd ate it up, and it seemed like I was the only one who noticed the tension in his shoulders.
“But tonight is not just about love. It’s about healing, and moving forward, and I can’t do that just yet.”
I frowned. What was she playing at?
“Because there’s one person whose blessing I haven’t yet received. One that would make this union truly whole.”
Then she looked straight at me.
No. Nononono. She wouldn’t.
This was low, even for-
“My sister, Seraphina.”
A collective hush fell.
My blood ran cold as all eyes turned to me.
The spotlight shifted like a physical weight landing on my head.
My heart pounded, but not even from surprise. I should have seen this coming.
Celeste never passed up an opportunity to perform. This was it-why she’d invited me to her stupid party.
She wasn’t going for subtle victory, no, she was going to make me kneel before her- metaphorically, albeit-and use my own voice to declare her winner.
I was going to be sick.
I don’t know why, but my gaze shifted to Kieran. His expression was still unreadable, but there was a tightening around his mouth and eyes.
Did he know she would do this?
“Seraphina,” Celeste said sweetly, her eyes glinting. “Would you grant me this wish?”
The silence stretched. The air felt too thick to breathe. My hand trembled slightly around the stem of the glass.
My mother’s voice drifted from the edge of the stage, coaxing, patronizing. “Sera, darling, don’t keep us waiting.”
An ambush. That’s what this was, and I’d been foolish to walk into it with my eyes wide open.
What had I expected from a union of the two packs, the two families, that had betrayed and hurt me and ruined my life?
Did I think this night would end with me unscathed?
“Sera?” There was a sharp undertone now to my mother’s voice. “Won’t you bless your sister’s union?”
Trapped. I was trapped.
If I ‘blessed the union, Celeste won. If I didn’t, I would further paint myself the villain in their story, standing in the way of their happiness.
My mouth felt as dry as sand as my lips parted. “I-“
SERAPHINA’S POV
I couldn’t speak. The words wouldn’t come-not because I didn’t know what I was supposed to say, but because everything in me rebelled at the idea of playing along with this twisted performance.
I’d been pushed into the spotlight like some reluctant understudy in a play I never auditioned for. I could feel the burn of every gaze on me-judging, waiting.
And then, on stage, I saw Kieran roll his shoulders, his stiff mask cracking. He cleared his throat. “I don’t think-‘
A sharp crash shattered the moment.
A gasp rippled through the crowd, and everyone turned.
Glass had shattered near the corner of the ballroom. A wine table lay overturned, a pool of crimson spreading across the marble like spilled blood.
The staff scrambled, voices rising in panic as the perfect illusion cracked.
“Oh dear,” Lucian said smoothly, his voice loud enough to carry across the room. “That was entirely my fault.”
My jaw dropped at the sight of him standing beside the toppled wine table, the remnants of a decanter dripping into a floral centerpiece.
I hadn’t even noticed him move from our table.
His face was the picture of regret and mild embarrassment-but I saw the glint in his hadn’t been an accident. eye. It
“I’ll pay for the damages, of course,” he added, brushing invisible lint off his sleeve. “So sorry, Celeste, Kieran.”
I looked back up at the stage. Celeste’s smile had faltered. My mother’s gaze was scanning the room like a hawk, like she was trying to find the next mishap before it happened.
And Kieran-Kieran was looking directly at me.
His expression was unreadable. What had he been about to say? Was he going to pressure me, too?
Celeste’s voice, sharp and incredulous, cut across the murmur of reassurances. “You did that on purpose.”
Lucian looked at her and widened his eyes innocently. “Oh, come now. What could I possibly gain from interrupting such a beautiful moment?”
Kieran leaned over and murmured something in her ear. Her spine stiffened, and she plastered her smile back on her face.
“That’s…okay,” Celeste’s voice rang out, tight. “Let’s not let that disrupt our night.” She smiled, and my heart dropped. “Sera-“
“Oh, I’m so sorry.” Lucian was suddenly at my side. “My companion was startled by the sudden…ruckus.”
I blinked, realizing he was talking about me.
His hand was suddenly firm and steady on the small of my back. “Come, Sera. You’re shaking”
“I’m not-” I started, but he leaned in close.
“Let me play the villain tonight. You’ve done it long enough”
I did not have to be told twice. I leaned into Lucian and closed my eyes. “Sorry, I… I feel faint.”
Celeste’s incredulous scoff rang out, and I fought the urge to smirk.
She wasn’t the only one who could play a role.
And just like that, I let Lucian lead me away.
CELESTE’S POV
I watched them disappear through the crowd, fury bubbling beneath my perfectly painted exterior.
The crack of glass still echoed in my mind, and the smug look on Lucian’s face made my blood boil.
He’d done it on purpose. I knew it. Everyone else might’ve been fooled, but not me.
I’d planned every moment of this night down to the most minute detail, where I would force my sister to concede defeat in front of everyone-perfect.
I was not going to be robbed of my rightful victory.
“Celeste,” Kieran said lowly, “let it go.”
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