The music stuttered. Conversations stopped. Guests turned to stare as whispers crept through the hall like smoke curling under a door.
Kathryn stormed through the crowd, her heels striking the floor with sharp clicks.
“What is going on?”
I threw myself into her arms, sobbing, my hands trembling as I clung to her.
“Mom, you heard how she spoke to you! I told her not to be so rude, and she just snapped! She went crazy and yanked it off my neck. She nearly ripped my throat open!”
Kathryn brushed my hair back and checked the red streaks across my skin. Her gaze sharpened as she turned to Deanna. “Deanna! What do you think you’re doing?”
Deanna lifted the diamond necklace with both hands, her voice cool and calm. “I’m just reclaiming what my grandmother left for me. That’s all. What are you all so angry about?”
…
Kathryn’s POV:
The second I saw the necklace dangling in
Deanna’s hand, my stomach twisted with guilt.
Everything had happened so fast tonight. I hadn’t even noticed Jillian wore that piece to the banquet.
If I had, I never would’ve let her walk in with it.
That necklace belonged to the late Luna.
After she passed, I’d asked Jillian to return it.
I didn’t demand it, just gently suggested a trade – something equally valuable.
However, Jillian broke down in tears, asking if I didn’t love her anymore. She’d become so fragile ever since Deanna came back.
I’d raised her for twenty years. I couldn’t bear to hurt her like that.
So, I gave in. I told myself I’d buy Deanna another diamond necklace someday, something just as meaningful. Something to even things out.
I stayed quiet for a second, then finally said,
“That necklace was given to Jillian on her eighteenth birthday. You hadn’t returned to Mistbane Pack yet back then. You can’t blame anyone.”
Deanna’s POV:
I gave her a slow, humorless smile.
“You really spoil your fake daughter. Aren’t you the least bit scared Grandma’s watching from her grave and planning to come back and haunt you?”
The crowd didn’t even try to hide their shock. Guests leaned in, murmuring as they exchanged wide-eyed looks.
Kathryn’s voice dropped to ice. “Deanna, that’s enough! If you’d never come back to Mistbane Pack, that necklace would’ve rightfully been Jillian’s!”
I let out a breathless, bitter laugh.
Of course. If I had stayed gone, they would’ve given her everything. That had always been their plan.
They never wanted me back in the first place.
Just then, Philip stepped through the crowd. He had been greeting guests in the main hall, but now his jaw was tight as he approached us.
“All right, this ends here. You’re putting on a show for the entire pack. We’ll deal with the necklace later. Jillian, see the pack medic. You’re bleeding.”
Jillian sniffled beside Kathryn, her voice cracking. “Dad, it was Deanna who started it. She ripped it off me. And now even you’re siding with her?”
Philip turned to me and sighed, like this whole thing was just some childish drama. “Deanna, give the necklace back to Jillian for now. We’ll settle this after the banquet.”
The atmosphere shifted. I felt the weight of a hundred eyes on me. Some were full of pity, others were smug. A few looked almost relieved to see me standing alone.
Kathryn clutched Jillian like she’d never let her go. Philip stood between them, shielding her like a father defending his favorite child. The three of them looked like one happy family.
And I looked like I didn’t belong at all. Like a Rogue.
I held back the sting rising in my throat. I would not let any of them see me cry.
Then, a voice rang out across the hall. Familiar. Clear. Cold.
“If that necklace was meant to be a dowry for Mistbane Pack’s daughter, then it belongs to Deanna. Why should she give it back?”
A second later, a strong arm wrapped around my waist.
I looked up and saw Jake’s sharply cut jaw. His face was close enough to steal my breath.
My entire body tensed. Memories of the kidnapping surged back. My chest tightened. I raised my hand and shoved him away without a second thought.
He wore a gray tailored suit tonight. The color was cool and clean, the fit was perfect, and his tie sat crisp beneath his collar.
He looked cold, focused, and completely untouchable.
Philip’s expression shifted into something polite. “Jake, sorry you had to witness that.
“This is just a misunderstanding between my daughters,” he added quickly. “The diamond necklace was always meant for the Alpha’s daughter on her wedding day. That makes it Deanna’s.”
Jillian’s POV:
D*mn it, I muttered under my breath.
The second Dad laid eyes on Jake, I knew I was done for. One second, he’s all ice and stone; the next, he’s grinning like Jake is the best thing that’s ever happened to this pack.
I bit my lip so hard it hurt, staring at Mom with tears in my eyes. Maybe she’d defend me. Maybe, just this once, she’d finally take my side.
Yeah, not a chance.
Instead, she gave me this soft, pitying pat – like I was some helpless kid – then looked over at him and asked, “Jake, what took you so long?”
Then came the part that really hit me in the gut.
“Jillian, Deanna’s getting ready to seal the bond. Just let her have the diamond necklace as her wedding gift. When it’s your turn to walk down the aisle, I’ll get you a new one.”
I just stood there, stunned. Seriously, Mom?
Philip and Kathryn didn’t merely change sides; they practically sprinted over the moment Jake appeared.
Meanwhile, I was standing there with blood still trickling down my neck!
The whispers kicked in almost right away. I didn’t need to see their faces to sense all the smug looks.
“Serves her right. A pretend daughter doesn’t get to fight the real one.”
“Heard she’s just a plain old human. Mistbane Pack is being generous, allowing her to stay.”
“Give it time. They’ll probably pawn her off to some Alpha like a pet.”
Every single word was a knife twisting in my chest.
I couldn’t take it. My hands balled into fists, and I drove my heel so forcefully it echoed down the hall. Without saying a word, I turned around and hurried upstairs.
The moment I slammed my bedroom door, I completely lost control. I threw myself into tearing up the room – pillows, books, anything within reach. I kept going until the intensity of my anger eased enough for me to catch my breath.
I glared at my reflection, my chest heaving.
You got lucky tonight, Deanna. Only because Jake swooped in, and Mom and Dad keep treating you like royalty.
If Jake’s the one you rely on the most… then I’ll take him from you. I’ll make you choke on the same misery you fed me.
Let’s see how your perfect little world looks after that.
Smirking, I grabbed my phone and opened my thread with Peggie. We weren’t exactly friends, but we shared the same enemy.
I’d visited her in the hospital once and saved her number, just in case. Guess what? That “just in case” moment was now.
I fired off a message and stared at it for a second.
Finally, I felt relieved. Not calm, exactly – almost as if I’d traded anger for something far more useful.
…
Stacey’s POV:
Outside Jillian’s door, I stood with the pack medic. Neither of us dared to knock.
I could hear it throughout the thick wood – things smashing, glass breaking, and furniture bearing the full force of Jillian’s fury.
I sighed. After twenty years in the Mistbane Pack, nothing surprised me anymore.
I practically helped raise that girl.
She’s always been bossy, spoiled, and ready to throw a fit over nothing. Back when everyone thought she was the Alpha’s real daughter, we all bit our tongues for the pack’s sake.
Now the truth’s out, and she’s somehow even worse.
I just don’t get it. They locked Dorothy up, but this girl gets to walk around as if nothing’s wrong? Honestly, it’s unfair. Ms. Deanna could easily run circles around her without even trying.
Once the noise inside finally died down, I let out a long sigh and knocked.
…
Jake’s POV:
I stood off to the side, watching the crowd. The orchestra shifted into another waltz, and people slowly drifted away from the dance floor.
Kathryn shot me a knowing look, as if she was about to say something.
Deanna didn’t give her the chance. She grabbed my hand, dragged me out the side door, and didn’t stop until we reached the pool.
She dropped my hand and stepped back, arms folded tight across her chest. That stare of hers could freeze a wildfire.
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