3. MOVING ON

CHAPTER 3

CELESTE

CRACK

The sounds of curtains being ripped open snapped me out of my trance. I flinched from the impact of the sunlight burning my eyes.

“What the actual fuck, Celeste?!” 

Hilary.

If anyone would yell at a woman who had just had her soul shredded, it was my best friend. She marched across the room, her Gamma energy vibrating with enough annoyance to wake the dead.

“One would think your husband died, not just cheated on you,” she snapped, sinking onto the edge of the bed.

I didn’t respond.

A week had passed since Declan shattered our bond completely. One week of pure agonising pain. The space in my soul where the mate bond used to be felt like a fresh wound. For seven days, I hadn’t eaten. Breathing felt like too much and I was just waiting for the pain to kill me, but even that wouldn’t happen.

My eyes were dry as a desert. No tears left, no anger either. Just… nothing.

“Are you really going to let that bastard win?” Hilary’s teeth clicked together. “He’s out there, Celeste. Taking over the Alpha duties, walking around with that… secretary like he didn’t just commit a crime against the Moon Goddess. Are you going to let them mock the Harrington heiress while he thrives?”

I sat up. It was the first time I’d moved in twenty-four hours. My gaze drifted to the mirror, and I winced at my reflection. I looked like a ghost. A defect that couldn’t even protect her own baby.

“You are Celeste Raven Harrington for a reason. Girl, act like one!”

 “I’m done mourning what was never truly mine,” I whispered, my voice steadier than I had imagined. “Declan made his choice. It’s about time I make mine.’

…..

“I want the Harrington CEO chair, Dad.”

I stood in my father’s office, dressed in a black pantsuit that gave me sheer confidence. I had spent the last few hours scrubbing whatever was left of Declan’s scent off my body.

My father dropped the pen, his eyes wide. “The company? Celeste, you’ve never shown interest in the business side of the pack.”

“That’s because I was busy being a good Luna to a man who didn’t want me,” I said, leaning over his desk. “I’m done being a Luna. I want to be a Mogul.”

A slow proud smile spread across his face.

“There’s a gala tonight. The Council, the Alphas, the investors… they’ll all be there. Declan will be there too,” his voice strained at the mention of him before he continued. “If you want to claim your crown, you start there.”

The whole pack was already talking about us. The last thing I needed right now was to run into him or have anyone mention his name besides me.

I hesitated for a while, shifting my weight from one leg to another, weighing my options. If I were to take over my father’s business, there was no way I could avoid meeting him in the future, so why not now?

“It’s okay if you’re not ready. We can just skip tonight…”

“No, I will go,” I said, cutting my father off before he could finish.

He arched his brows, studying my face before choosing his next word. “People would be watching tonight,” he started. “Declan is already taking the Alpha’s duty because his father is too weak to do that now. Can you handle the pressure?”

My father might be a powerful and well-respected elder in the council and a successful businessman, but at home, he is just a father who would do anything for his daughter. Maybe I got too comfortable with that and relied on him a bit too much, but even that was about to change.

“Let them talk. I can handle it.”

He nodded. “Get ready by seven. Tristan will escort you.”

Hilary didn’t wait for my call before she stepped into my room with a handful of bags. She threw them across the bed, panting slightly.

“Try them on,” she ordered.

I looked between the bags that took over my whole bed and Hilary as if she had grown two heads. “Are you crazy? I don’t have the time to play dress-up.”

She walked to my bed, glancing through the bags before shoving one to my chest. “Try this first. You are making your first appearance in public after a year of… marriage,” she snorted. “You need to reclaim your crown.’

We spent thirty minutes trying on all the dresses, and she finally settled for one.

“Now, this is what I am talking about,” she smirked. 

“H-have you gone mad?!” I stared at my reflection.

The dress clung tightly to my curves, highlighting every inch of my body. My back was bare and the only thing covering it was a strap that crossed behind the dress. It was slit from my hips down to my legs, showing off my long legs, and the chest? God, my best friend has lost it.

“You’re making your first appearance as a free woman,” Hilary smirked, painting my lips with a deep, blood red lipstick. “Let them gasp. Let that bastard see exactly what he threw away.”

“I’m trying to be a businesswoman, not an escort,” I snapped.

She placed her hands on her chin, checking me out, and I could swear she wasn’t even listening.

“I knew red would come out nice on you. I got this jacket just for it.”

“Hilary!”

“What?” she snapped, startling me. “You were only married for a year, and you’ve already lost all sense of taste? No one is going to respect you out there unless you demand it. And the first way to do that is to command the atmosphere through your presence. Let your confidence do the talking, and watch them grovel all over you.”

“I’m not sure this is a good idea…”

“Well, I am. Which is why you’ll wear this dress and show those fuckers that with or without Declan, you are a queen, and you’ll shine brightly.”

It had been so long since I dressed up like this, but when Hilary finished my makeup and styled my hair, I couldn’t help but feel a little reassured.

“Tonight is all about you, girl,” Hilary said, holding my hands. “Get a few scores with the investors, or even a man to end the night,” she winked, and I slapped her shoulder.

“I’m done with men,” I said sternly.

“Ugh, that is only because you haven’t met a real man.”

Tristan was already waiting outside when we finished. Hilary and I settled in as he drove us to the venue, but I couldn't stop my heart from racing. 

Tonight isn’t just about proving anything, it is to remind myself that I am not weak and begin a new journey.

The camera flashes on our faces as soon as we step out of the car. Cars were parked everywhere, reporters shoving their cameras in our faces, barely giving us a space to breathe.

“I am here,” Hilary whispered beside me as she led the way in.

“The Harrington Defect is here?”

“I heard she lost her baby and mate in one night. Pathetic.”

“She couldn’t even keep her wolf. What did you expect?”

I kept my head high, but inside? I was shaking. I reached the hallway, the walls closing in as the insults followed me.

“Look how she’s dressed. Bet she’s looking for another victim to rub her misfortune on.”

“Poor thing.”

“Poor thing? If it weren’t for Daddy’s resource, how could a defect dream of becoming the future Luna? How pathetic.”

Hilary’s heels clicked as she stopped abruptly.

“That explains why your business failed barely two months after you opened it?” She turned to the gossip girls and my cheeks flushed.

“You fucking bitch!” 

The ladies stepped forward, eyes flashing with rage as they glared at Hilary.

Heads turned towards our direction, and I could see everyone pointing fingers. My nails dug into my skin, as I forced myself to breathe.

“Hilary…”

“No, let them,” she dismissed me. “Haven’t we all heard about how you sleep with older men to fund your business?” Her face flushed, but Hilary didn’t give her time to respond before turning to another girl in their gossip group.

“Don’t you think calling someone a defect is huge, coming from a lowly omega who rose to the top by marrying someone old enough to be her father? If I were you, I would respect myself and get the hell out of here.”

She didn’t need to repeat herself. The ladies hurried away, looking embarrassed.

The camera flashed from different angles. My throat burned and I could feel tears blurring my vision. Their words clung to my skin like poison.

My throat burned. The tears were coming, and I couldn’t let them see. I turned on my heels, rushing down the hallway as Hilary yelled after me.

“Celeste! Celeste wait!” 

I didn’t slow down. I grabbed my dress and ran down the hallway until my ankle twisted. A sharp gasp tore from my lips as the world tilted. I braced for the impact, ready for the final humiliation, but I didn’t hit the floor.

Instead, a strong arm wrapped around my waist, pulling me flush against a chest that felt like walls. And then, the scent hit me. Lavender mixed with cedarwood… my stomach twisted as my injured wolf who had been silent for years let out a tiny shivering whimper in the back of my mind.

My body stilled. 

She didn’t react. Not even when Declan rejected us, or when we lost our baby.

I looked up, my breath hitching as I met with a pair of eyes that glowed even in the dim light.

“We meet again, Raven.”

Caspian. The Alpha King. And from the way his grip tightened on my waist, he wasn’t planning on letting go.