THE FACE OFF

ALINA

“I really wanted to wear the dress but I accidentally ripped the edge.” The words flowed out of my mouth smoothly.

His gaze bore down on me, exploring every curve of mine. Everyone was staring at us but he didn't care. He kept staring at me.

“Felix?” His name rolled over my lips.

“You're still looking gorgeous.” He whispered. The fear finally left my chest. Then, one by one, he introduced me to all the guests. The Alphas of all six packs. With a tight smile on my lips, I gracefully nailed the role. Julius was watching me far, standing with the other guests.

Finally, Kyle and I were face-to-face.

“This is Alpha Kyle and his Luna, Lisa.” Felix introduced them. Short and clear.

“Nice to meet you, Alpha Kyle.” My lips forced a tight smile. The man who betrayed me was right in front of me. I wanted answers. I wanted to scream. I wanted revenge.

My wolf was fuming in anger.

A long silence stretched between us. Kyle’s eyes showed fear that satisfied my wolf.

“Congratulations, Luna.” He bowed to me.

Lisa remained frozen like a statue until Kyle softly nudged his elbow against her arm, bringing her back to her senses.

"Luna, congratulations," Lisa uttered, her gaze running over my face with frightening exactness, and she bowed to me.

“You look pale. Are you okay?”

“Yes, of course. It's just you look similar to someone I used to know.”

"Really? But I don't think we have met before."

"Serena has always been special. There's no way anyone could match her beauty.” Felix squeezed me into his masculine arms.

“Excuse us.” He took me to the other guests.

After chatting for a while, I excused myself and headed to the washroom. Just when my fingers reached for the knob, Lisa stepped inside and locked the door behind her.

"Drop the act, Alina." She said in a low voice.

“Are you drunk, Mrs. Hawthorne?" I replied, looking at my reflection while doing my hair.

"We've been best friends for years. I recognize your eyes. I know your posture.” She stepped closer, her eyes glaring at me.

“How did you escape the prison?”

My hand dropped from my hair, and I looked straight into her eyes.

“Did you send someone to prison?”

She gulped, fear shrouded her face.

“Why is your scent different? What trick are you pulling to fool the Alpha?” She was out of her mind, completely shaken.

You are out of your mind. I am Serena Campbell, and you're disrespecting the Alpha King's Luna."

I shoved her aside, opened the door, and followed the lit corridor. When I almost reached the main hall, Lisa blocked my path.

“You're here for revenge, right?”

My lips sighed.

“Alina, you can fool everyone but not me.”

My arms crossed over my chest.

"You think you are so smart?" Lisa whispered. "I know how to reveal your secret. There is one thing a forged ID cannot change."

She pointed to her phone screen and hit the speaker button. The ringing echoed through the silent corridor.

“Hello, this is the Blackwood Pit administration." A soft voice answered. She called the prison to inquire about me.

"Yes," Lisa said, her gaze firmly fixed on mine.

My stomach tightened.

"I wanted to know about one of your prisoners.”

“Which prisoner, ma’am?”

“Her name is Alina Sinclair. Prisoner 421. She was charged with the murder of Daisy Sawyer, Alpha Kyle's step sister. Is she still in prison?”

My heart missed a beat. Everything around me seemed to spin.

"Just a moment," the receptionist replied. "I am looking at the recent records ‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌now.”

The‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌ silence in the hall was almost unbearable. I looked at Lisa's phone, but only my walking heart was something I could hear.

“Here's the information, ma’am.”

A venomous smile glinted on Lisa’s lips.

"The data reveals that Inmate Alina Sinclair has been dead for a week." The receptionist announced in a monotone voice. "There was a fire in the laundry area. After the identification, the body was cremated. Would you like to know anything else, ma’am?"

The phone was almost out of Lisa's hand. She changed her expression from a victorious one to a helpless one in a flash. "What? A-Are you sure? Could you please check again?"

"The matter is already resolved, ma’am.” The line disconnected, and a sense of relief ran down my veins.

*Julius must have bribed the receptionist.* One thing about him…He never questioned me about my past. We just had a deal.

I moved up to Lisa so that my shadow covered her. My lips whispered into her ear with a tone that can be only described as icy.

"Alina Sinclair is dead, Lisa. And if you ever mistake me for a ghost again, I'll make sure you're the one I'm talking to. Do not dare to cross me again."

She lowered her head.

I adjusted my dress and returned to the ballroom where the crowd was, leaving her there, in the dark, shaking.

Felix came to my side, "There you are." He put a heavy, possessive hand on my waist. "The Elders are expecting."

My stomach turned. The Three Elders were the brains behind the Somerland rules. They were old, wise, and notoriously hard to win. If they even detected a tiny falsehood, not even Felix would be able to save me.

We walked up to the three men with silver hair, and they were sitting in their high-backed chairs. Their eyes looked at me and it seemed as if they were piercing my flesh and looking right through it.

"Serena Campbell," Elder Silas said with a hoarse voice. "You have been invisible for two years. Some even had the nerve to say that you were a mere figment of the imagination."

I turned to them in a perfect, and well-executed bow. "Sorry, Elders. My father was a firm believer in raising children away from the public eye. Nevertheless, I am honored to be here enrolling beside those who stabilize the packs."

“Very well.” Elder Silas smiled.

The following few minutes, I was swamped into their questions. I smiled when I had to, bowed when it was expected, and talked about duty and tradition as if I was naturally born with it.

Just when their questions ended, Julius approached us.

"Just a minute, Alpha King. I would like to take my daughter away for a last dance before the end of the evening."

Without much expression, Felix agreed and moved to the bar. We walked to a balcony, and as soon as we were out of the noise, Julius' smiling face turned into a serious one.

"You did good." He whispered.

“Any news about Serena?”

“She’s still missing. My scouts didn't see or hear anything.”

I want to be Serena more than anything…until I get my revenge.

"Be careful with everyone. Not the servants, not the guards, and most importantly, not Felix. He might seem sweet but if he finds out you're not Serena, he'll destroy you."

My head nodded.

“You said Serena isn't Felix’s true mate. Then, who is his true mate?”

“No one knows. Felix never felt her. In the end, the elders decided to choose a Luna for him. Since Serena was the perfect candidate, born with a golden wolf, she was selected.”

He put a small, burner phone into the folds of my dress. "Only use this to call me. Make it look like an ordinary thing. If Felix gets hold of it, we're both dead."

After the quick chat, I re-entered the party, proud and confident.

While I was standing near the buffet table and going to get a glass of water, my skin felt someone standing right behind me.

Before I could react, someone pushed me, pouring a liquid over my back that went through the thin, satin silk of my dress. I instantly turned around, feeling the fabric become transparent, and scared the prisoner’s mark was revealed.

Lisa was standing in front of me, holding an empty glass of wine.