The Gala of War

Lucas’s POV

The ballroom was a shimmering display of wealth and influence, the kind of event where only the most powerful were allowed to flaunt their status. Crystal chandeliers dripped from the ceiling, their light spilling over the sea of tuxedos and designer gowns like liquid gold. The air reeked of perfume, money, and greed—my kind of environment.

But even as I moved through the crowd, nodding to the business moguls and pack leaders desperate to gain my favor, my mind was elsewhere.

Selina, my mate.

She’d been quiet. Too quiet. I’d expected her to fire back the moment she received my invitation, whether with legal threats or outright defiance. But the silence was worse. It meant she was planning something.

Something that would make her entrance all the more… memorable.

My lips twisted into a grin as I took another sip of my scotch, the amber liquid burning its way down my throat. I wanted her to come tonight. Needed her to come. Because it had been too fucking long since I’d seen her.

And if I had to drag her here by force, I would.

“Mr. Blackwood, good evening.”

I glanced at the man approaching me, his handshake a little too firm, his smile a little too eager. One of my father’s former allies. A man who’d spent his entire career trying to prove himself worthy of my favor.

“Franklin,” I greeted, my tone clipped. “Enjoying the party?”

“Absolutely. You’ve outdone yourself. As always.” He chuckled, his flattery as shallow as his ambition.

“Good. Then stop wasting my time with idle chatter and make sure your shareholders are staying in line. I’d hate to hear you’re losing control of your assets.”

The man’s face paled, his forced smile cracking around the edges. “Of course, Mr. Blackwood. I’ll make sure everything is handled.”

He slithered away, his shoulders hunched like a beaten dog. Pathetic. They all were. Groveling, scheming cowards too afraid to challenge me openly. They praised me and feared me, but none of them respected me. Not really.

The only person who’d ever looked at me like I wasn’t some untouchable god was the woman I’d so cruelly destroyed.

Selina.

Every time I closed my eyes, I could see her. The way she used to smile at me, soft and trusting, like I was her entire fucking world. And the way that smile shattered the night I tore us apart.

A mistake. The worst I’d ever made. But I was done regretting it.

Now, all I wanted was to get her back. To crush whatever pathetic empire she’d built and force her to admit she was still mine. That she always had been.

“Sir,” Grant’s voice interrupted my thoughts, his expression grim as he approached me. “She’s here.”

The words sent a jolt of pure adrenaline through my veins. My wolf snapped to attention, the beast within me growling with vicious, possessive hunger.

“Where?” I demanded, my gaze sweeping the room.

“She just entered the main hall. And… she didn’t come alone.”

The warning note in his voice had my hackles rising. “Who the fuck is she with?”

“Two men. Both of them are bodyguards, by the looks of it. And they’re armed.”

My fists clenched, rage igniting in my chest. Bringing armed guards to my event? That was a direct challenge. A deliberate slap in the face meant to humiliate me in front of the powerful guests milling about.

Good.

If she wanted to test my patience, I’d show her just how dangerous that game was.

My eyes locked onto the entrance, the world falling away until all I could see was her.

Selina Carter.

She glided into the ballroom like she owned the place, her presence a vicious slash of beauty and power that had heads turning and whispers spreading like wildfire.

She wore a gown of deep, blood-red silk that clung to her body in all the right places, the plunging neckline and slit along her thigh leaving very little to the imagination. Her hair cascaded over her shoulders in dark, glossy waves, and her lips were painted the same sinful shade as her dress.

But it was her eyes that caught me. Cold, unforgiving, and so fucking brilliant.

She was fucking magnificent. And she knew it.

The two men flanking her were huge, their stony expressions and rigid postures daring anyone to come near her. They moved like predators, but I could see the nerves in their stiff shoulders.

Because even they knew they weren’t powerful enough to protect her from me.

“Send the guards to escort them out,” I growled at Grant, my tone low and deadly.

“Sir, if I may…” Grant hesitated, his gaze darting nervously to the guests nearby. “Forcing them to leave could cause a scene. She’s already attracted too much attention.”

I bit back a snarl, acknowledging the truth of his words. Selina had played her hand perfectly. If I humiliated her now, it would reflect badly on me. It would make me look desperate and weak.

And I refused to give her that satisfaction.

“Let her stay,” I said, my voice as cold as the fury churning in my gut. “But keep an eye on her guards. If they so much as breathe wrong, take them down.”

“Yes, sir.”

Grant hurried off to relay my orders, but I couldn’t tear my gaze away from her.

Selina’s head turned, her icy gaze slicing through the room until it landed on me. Our eyes locked, and a vicious thrill tore through my body.

I couldn’t breathe. Hell, I couldn’t even fucking think. Because she was here. Right in front of me, more beautiful and powerful than ever.

And she fucking hated me.

Good.

The fire burning in her eyes only made me want her more.

She lifted a glass of champagne from a passing waiter’s tray and raised it in a mocking salute, her lips curving into a smile that was nothing but contempt.

But beneath that fury, I saw something else.

Desire. She couldn't forget how I made her feel. The desire was buried deep, hidden behind all that hatred and anger, but it was there. And I was going to drag it out of her, force her to confront the truth she so desperately wanted to deny.

Because she was mine. And no amount of power or fury she wielded would ever change that.