Scarlett’s POV
Late at night, I paced in the shadows of my room as the restless energy of my wolf was stirring faintly in my chest. I could tell Red would wake up anytime now. My wolf, Red, was so worn out that she usually slept for weeks and woke up for a few minutes each time.
I had devised the perfect plan to sneak out to Alpha Dante’s ball. Every fiber of my being screamed that this night would change everything.
“Dress,” I whispered, my voice barely audible over the soft rustle of the curtains. “I need a dress.”
My thoughts locked on the sparkly blue gown Alyssia had been flaunting earlier.
"I have a dress," I muttered to myself, "Now, I just need a way to steal it."
The hallway was quiet but the muffled voices of my mother and Alyssia drifted through the crack of her door. I crouched closer as my ears strained to catch their conversation.
“Mommy, did you forget about our real plan?” Alyssia’s voice was soft, too conspiratorial.
“No, sweetheart, I didn’t,” my mother replied. Her tone was indulgent. “I will speak to your daddy tomorrow about Alpha Juno.”
“When I become Alpha Juno’s Luna, I will help Daddy climb higher.” Alyssia’s voice held the kind of ambition that sent a chill down my spine.
My mother’s response was a kiss on her forehead. “You are so sensible, sweetheart. Sleep well.”
I pressed my back against the wall, my heart thundering in my chest. Alyssia, Luna of the pack? How? Alpha Juno was in his late thirties, and his fated mate died due to a pack raid two years ago. He had never marked another and it was rare for a werewolf to find a second fated mate. Those who didn’t meet theirs often settled for a chosen mate and marked them to forge a bond.
Just like me or my parents. We never met our fated mates. Hector would mark me during our wedding ceremony if it ever happened.
The pack elders had been pressuring Alpha Juno to choose a wife to secure an heir. But Alyssia? She was barely out of adolescence and yet my mother was scheming her path to the Luna's throne.
My stomach churned as my mother’s voice reached me again. “Marrying Scarlett to Hector was the first step. No one else would give him a bride. We did. We will ensure that act cements our hold on the pack.”
“Thank you, Mommy,” Alyssia replied sweetly.
My family was using me, leveraging my misery to secure their ambitions.
But what could I do?
I waited, silent and still, as the conversation faded and the soft rhythm of Alyssia’s snoring filled the room.
“Scarlett,” a small voice murmured in my mind. The soft and sleepy tone was unmistakable. My wolf.
“Red?” I whispered in my head, a bittersweet pang of guilt tightening my throat. “You’re awake?”
“Your excitement woke me,” she said, her voice tinged with weariness. “But... why do you feel so guilty?”
I hesitated. Red had been dormant, too weak to surface fully. She didn’t know the truth that I was planning to destroy us both.
“I’m just tired,” I lied softly.
Red yawned in response, her energy slipping away. “When I wake up, let’s run under the stars, okay?”
“Sleep well, Red,” I murmured, my heart aching. “I will let you run as much as you want the next time.”
A soft and contented hum echoed through my mind as Red sank back into sleep.
“I’m sorry, Red,” I whispered to the silence. “You are too weak. I can’t even let you out.”
Pushing down the guilt, I crept into Alyssia’s room. The dress hung on a hook by her vanity, its sparkle mocking me in the dim light. Quietly, I slipped it off the hanger, clutching it tightly as I backed out of the room.
The cold night air greeted me as I stepped outside. I clutched the gown closer to my chest as a surge of defiance coursed through me.
“Alpha Dante,” I whispered to the wind, “I’m coming. This ball will change my life.”
