Chapter 3

Ryder held a banquet for me to announce that I had recovered. The second announcement was that the Argent Flame pack and the Glace pack would merge into one pack after we got married. I would become the heir of the new pack.

Jack, Eric, and Benjamin would be under me, whilst Ryder would be my strongest backing in place of my dad.

Eric and Benjamin were ambitious and wanted to build their career, but Jack thought differently.

"Aria, this is the gown Alpha Ryder tailor-made for you a year ago. Alpha Ryder picked all this jewelry and accessories for you himself," the makeup artist said enviously.

The pack leaders of the North would be attending the banquet. Ryder also hired a professional team to dress me up.

Soon, all the guests arrived at the banquet venue.

"Olivia, you're so pretty today," Jack praised.

"Olivia, what would you like to drink? How about champagne?" Benjamin quickly added.

"Olivia doesn't want your champagne. Let's have some fruits." Eric brought a piece of fruit to Olivia's lips.

Olivia wore a red, form-fitting gown that accentuated her curvy figure.

The three of them served her attentively, seemingly trying to win her heart.

"Alpha Ryder, they seem so close to each other!"

Holding Ryder's arm, I walked past them.

Ryder shot them a sideways glance. Annoyed, he took a few steps to the side.

"Those brats. Birds of a feather flock together."

"Alpha Ryder, what do you plan to do with them after this?"

"What do you think? I'll follow your orders."

"Hmm… I'll have to think about it."

I winked at Ryder and turned around. Holding the hem of my dress, I walked up to them.

"Isn't that the Argent Flame pack's Princess? I heard that she's useless now."

"Alpha Ryder took her in after her dad passed away. She's such a beauty. What a waste that her wolf can't be awakened now."

"I also heard that Alpha Ryder initially planned to have one of his three heirs be her mate."

"I guess nobody would want a mate without her wolf. But anyone who becomes her mate will be the Alpha heir of the pack!"

Meanwhile, Jack tried to please Olivia by introducing the pack leaders of the North attending the banquet to her.

Jack's face froze when he saw me. "Aria, why are you out here when you have such a lowly identity? It's such an important occasion today. You'd better not stir up trouble and embarrass yourself."

"What are you guys talking about? I'm curious. Many reporters and prominent figures of the packs are here today. I want to introduce Olivia to them. Her talent should be appreciated by more people," I said.

"Don't cause trouble here. You know nothing, so you'd better stay put and behave yourself!"

Benjamin pushed me to the side, and I almost fell. Fortunately, I held onto the chair in front of me.

"The banquet's held for me, isn't it? But you all had such a good time chatting without me." I scoffed.

"Yeah! Stop following me around. You haven't seen each other for so long. Go spend some time with Aria."

Forcing a smile, Olivia pretended to be understanding and took the heat off me.

"Keep Aria company, and I can take a break at a corner on my own. It's fine."

As soon as Olivia said that, she put on another aggrieved look.

"Olivia, you don't have to do this. She's no longer the superior Princess of the Argent Flame pack. Why do we still need to please her?"

Jack hurriedly placed a hand on Olivia's shoulder and comforted her.

"She should be more sensible and stay put on the sidelines, so she doesn't bother us."

I could no longer control the wolf in me, and my hands gripping the hem of my dress tightened.

"It seems like the three of you aren't pleased with my arrangement?"

Ryder's cold, husky voice rang out from behind.

"A-Alpha Ryder…" Jack wanted to explain himself, but his words became stuck in his throat.

Ryder swept his cold gaze across the crowd, and the discussion stopped in an instant. Everyone had the sense to hold their tongues.

Olivia saw how young and good-looking the Glace pack's Alpha was, so she straightened her back and stepped forward.

"Don't blame them. They're only worried that Aria hasn't fully recovered. There are many people here. If something comes up and she loses control of her wolf—"

"Who are you?"

Ryder shot her a sideways glance and didn't say another word. He pulled me next to him and put his arm around my shoulders to comfort me.

"I… I'm Olivia, Aria's best friend. Don't you remember me?" Olivia sounded slightly awkward.

"Olivia?" Ryder arched his eyebrows and stared at her mockingly.

"Was 'Love in the Moonlight' written by you?"

Olivia had stolen my draft and published that book.

Jack, Eric, and Benjamin had been arguing over the identity of Olivia's crush in the book. How ridiculous. I wrote that book, and the male lead had nothing to do with them.

"Yeah. It's now the best-selling novel in the human world," Olivia said, her eyes gleaming.

"What a coincidence. Aria loves writing, too."

When I found out that my work had been stolen, I told Ryder. He wanted to do something, but I stopped him.

"Olivia's writing and mindblowing description of scenes are something that can't be achieved by a person without talent," Jack kept complimenting how talented Olivia was.

Meanwhile, Benjamin saw the mocking look in Ryder's gaze and quickly nudged Jack. Only then did Jack stop speaking.

The host announced the start of the banquet, and Ryder went up to the stage to give his speech.

I sat in the audience, waiting for Ryder to announce me as the pack's heir.

Ryder was about to make the announcement, and I had just lifted my gown to walk toward the stage when Olivia suddenly bumped into me from the side. The wine she was holding splashed all over me.

"I'm sorry, Aria. I was distracted just now and didn't notice you in front of me."

Olivia got a wet tissue from somewhere and wiped it on my face.

My makeup was smudged, and my white gown had red patches all over.

"Aria, let's go to my RV. I'll ask my makeup artist to fix your makeup. You should also get changed into a new gown. I'm truly sorry."

I saw a sly grin tugging at Olivia's lips and wanted to reject her. "Oh, but Alpha Ryder is about to announce—"

However, Jack exchanged looks with the rest and quickly chimed in, "Won't you embarrass the pack if you go up the stage like this? Hurry up and get changed!"

"Yeah. Come with me. It should be fast."

Before I could reply, Olivia tugged at me and walked out.

"Wait for a bit. The makeup artist is getting the gown. She'll be here right away."

She brought me to the RV parked at the farthest corner of the parking lot.

"Here are some drinks and desserts. You can try them."

With that, she took a candy from the table and unwrapped it before shoving it into my mouth.

"Wait right here. I'll check if the makeup artist is here yet."

Olivia turned around and left. Then, she closed the car door.

I hastily spat out the candy, but realized that I had left my phone behind.

Just then, the car door opened, and two strange men barged into the car.

"Hey, this young lady is so pretty." In front of me, the man's eyes shone with lust.

"No wonder Ryder took her in. Let us shower you with some love today."

The two approached me and licked their lips, flashing their lecherous looks.

"Stay away… Stay away from me!"

I reached for everything around me and flung it on their faces.

It was such a critical situation, and I could no longer control the wolf in me. My eyes turned bloodshot, and my nails became sharp.

"Hey, her wolf has awakened!"

"How dare that bitch lie to us!"

"What should we do now?"

"What other choices do we have? Get her!" The man pounced on me with a ferocious look.

Forced into a corner, I shifted into a white wolf and fought with them. I tried my best to break the windshield of the RV and ran toward the entrance of the banquet hall. The broken glass left cuts all over my body.

At the entrance of the hall, Olivia was leading a group of reporters toward the parking lot. They wanted to take intimate photos of me with two men.

Outside the parking lot, I ran away from the men and felt a dizzy spell. The candy must have been laced.

I shouted with all my might. From a distance, a few security guards heard me calling for help and rushed over to me.

Using the last bit of my strength, I asked for Ryder's help through mind-link.

My vision went black, and I lost consciousness.