0007:Dress Code: Betrayal

ANGELA’S POV

The next morning, Kimberly showed up right on time, all bright-eyed with those too-perfect smiles that looked like they had been glued on. Honestly, they reminded me of cheap stickers you just want to peel off and toss. One day, I would get the chance to rip that fake shine right off her face.

Just not today.

Her outfit was, of course, flawless. She always had that way of carrying herself, like the past never happened. Maybe for her it hadn’t. For me, every single piece of it still burned.

She linked her arm through mine like always, cheerful to the point of sickening. “Ready to shop till we drop?”

I forced out a laugh that didn’t sound like me at all. “You have no idea.”

Sliding into the driver’s seat of my pink Audi, I waited for her to buckle in. Dad bought me that car for my sixteenth birthday. He and Mom said a future Luna deserved a gift that made a statement. Back then, Kimberly had been the first one to take it out for a spin. I let her, because I thought whatever was mine was hers too. Except Julius. That was the one thing she couldn’t have. Or so I thought.

“Seat belt?” I said, clicking mine into place. She followed suit with a little nod. With a sigh, I started the ignition, eased out of the driveway, and pulled into the street.

The weather was beautiful, all sunshine and summer air. To keep the ride light, I flipped on the radio, and some pop song came on. I tapped along to the beat, drumming my fingers against the steering wheel, while she sat there giggling into her phone. I didn’t need to ask who she was texting. And no, I didn’t care.

It was only a thirty-minute drive into the city. By the time we pulled into the mall’s parking lot, the streets around us were buzzing. We slipped through it like muscle memory, heading straight for the same boutique we always did. High-end, but quiet about it. The kind of place that whispered money instead of screaming it.

The saleswoman spotted me instantly. Her smile shifted into that polite, careful kind reserved for people who mattered. Kimberly, meanwhile, was practically glowing, flipping through racks like a kid in a candy store. She squealed whenever her hands brushed sequins or silk.

“Ooh! Angie, this one!” She held up a rose-gold gown with a slit so high it nearly hit her waist. “We should match, like always.”

Of course. Her little script is about to go into play. I brushed the fabric with my fingertips, pretending to consider it. “Yeah… it’s nice. Let’s try them on.”

She skipped off to a dressing room, eager as ever. While she twirled in front of her mirror, soaking herself in her own reflection, I leaned close to one of the assistants. My voice was low.

“I’ll need something else. Something elegant and unique. Do it quietly.”

The girl blinked but nodded quickly. I wasn’t going to play twin-dolls with Kimberly. Not this time. Let her think we matched like before. She would find out the truth later.

When I stepped out in the dress she had chosen, Kimberly clapped like a child. “Perfect! We’ll be the center of attention tonight.”

I smiled softly. “Let’s pay.”

She had no idea. While she thought I would parade around in rose-gold, I would be stepping into that party in royal blue satin, silver embroidery sparkling like starlight, an open back that screamed power. The gown was already tucked under one of my purchases, waiting for me. This time, no masks.

Back at the house, Kimberly lingered, babbling on and on about how Julius and I would be the envy of everyone tonight. I nodded when I was supposed to, smiled at the right times, and let her think I was still that desperate girl craving her approval. Inside though, my wolf was laughing. Julius was no longer part of my story and neither is she.

After she finally left, I went upstairs. The shopping bag hung on my closet door, heavy with promise. My heartbeat thudded steady and hard in my chest. Tonight wasn’t about a party. It was about reclaiming everything she stole. Showing her I wasn’t fragile, not even in the slightest.

Later, Mom stood behind me, brushing the last curls into my hair. She had always wanted to be a hairstylist, but after she got mated to Dad, Beta Hunter, she had to give that dream up and focus on the home. When I was born, though, she poured her passion into me, practice after practice, until styling became second nature for her. Tonight, her hands worked magic.

“You look lovely, honey,” she said, stepping back with pride in her eyes.

I smiled, kissing her cheek. “Thanks, Mom. You’re the best.” Purse in hand, I headed for the door.

“Have fun,” she called after me.

“I will,” I promised.

By the time I reached Gamma Clarkson’s house, the party was already alive. Teenagers clustered in the yard, music boomed from inside. I inhaled deeply, then stepped through the door.

The moment I entered, the room shifted. Conversations hushed. Heads turned. Gasps rippled through the hall. The chandelier light caught my gown, scattering glimmers across the marble like fractured constellations.

I scanned the room until I found Kimberly. She was standing there in an entirely different outfit, just like last time. And I knew it. She knew it too. Only she didn’t know how I had known to switch mine.

I didn’t even bother glancing her way again. Her face said enough. She had been absolutely convinced I would show up in rose-gold, clinging to me like her shadow. Instead, here I was, dazzling in blue. The weight of her confusion pressed against me, and I savored every second of it.

And then Julius. He was in the far corner, watching me. Same as that night. Still dangerous in that cold, calculated way. Still playing the brooding future Alpha, stormy eyes, tux fitting him like a second skin. His gaze found mine and froze there. That smile tugged at his lips, slow and deliberate, like he thought he had already won.

He pushed through the crowd, stopping in front of me just as I reached the center where couples were lining up to dance. He extended his hand, just like before.

I remembered that night. The rush in my cheeks, the trembling in my fingers, the way his touch on my waist had made me feel untouchable. Back then, I thought I was the luckiest girl alive.

Foolish. All of us. But this wasn’t that night. And I wasn’t that girl anymore.

I didn’t take his hand. Instead, I gave him a sweet little smile that made my wolf grin inside. “You should dance with Kimberly instead,” I said, my voice almost playful but heavy with meaning. “She’d be delighted.”

The silence that followed was brutal. Julius froze, hand still out, like he hadn’t heard me right. “What did you say?”

“You heard me, Julius.” I tilted my head, eyes shining. “She’s right over there. Doesn’t she look radiant in her cream-colored dress? Matches yours perfectly, don’t you think?”

Every eye was on us, expecting me to say yes and dance with the most important person in the room. Too bad, I’m about to disappoint them all. Kimberly was a statue behind her champagne glass, wide-eyed, lips parted.

Julius and her, they thought they were so clever, sneaking around, pretending like I hadn’t lived through that heartbreak already. Like I hadn’t cried myself to sleep because of them.

Panic flickered in Julius’s eyes. Horror in Kimberly’s. And the best part? Our pack would eat them alive if their little secret spilled. Can you imagine? An Alpha heir with an omega? The scandal alone would ruin them both. Yet, even with my push, neither of them moved.

Fucking cowards.

Still, Julius tried to recover. He leaned in, voice soft. “I asked you, Angela. Don’t play games with me.”

“Oh, I’m not playing games,” I said with a shrug. “I just think it’s time you two stop hiding. Be honest about your feelings, that’s all.” Then I turned and walked away. Left his hand hanging, his pride shattered, and my past exactly where it belonged.

Behind me.