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NORA POV

Lyra cleared her throat and greeted Lena with a smile, but Lena’s reaction was cold, and that made Lyra step in quickly.

“Sis,” Lyra said softly, still smiling. “You know wolves’ ears are sharp. Do you think it will be nice for everyone here to hear there’s no love among the royal children? Why don’t we just pretend to be nice since we are a Lycan family?”

It’s obvious Lena didn’t like what she said , though she masked it up with a smile, Then, all of a sudden, she turned and made a suggestion.

“Well, if that’s the case… Ariana, why don’t you be Nora’s shopping partner today?” Lena said smoothly.

My eyes widened. I didn’t expect that at all. But Lena didn’t stop there. She looked right at me and added, “Nora, you know Ariana knows more about Derek. She might just help you pick things he would love to see on your body. And maybe you will understand that queens don’t look cheap.”

Lyra wanted  to protest against that, but before she could even finish her words, Lena grabbed her hand and dragged her off toward another section of the boutique. I tried to catch Lyra’s eyes, hoping for some support, but she was already gone, leaving me standing awkwardly with Ariana.

Ariana on the other hand looked at me with a faint smirk that made me shift uncomfortably. She tilted her head slightly, watching me like I was some little experiment. Then she let out a soft laugh.

“Stop staring at me as if I’ll bite,” she said softly looking around

“Let's check this out,  debt…. girl.”

My chest tightened instantly. My heart jumped into my throat. That name. The one that had followed me since I was a teenager. The label that dragged me down every single time. I froze where I stood, staring back at her in shock. How could she possibly know that?

Ariana only smiled wider, like she hadn’t said anything serious at all. She reached for my hand and pulled me toward the clothes hanger. Without waiting for me to recover, she picked up a red dress and pressed it against my body.

“Hmm,” she said, tapping her chin like she was thinking. “This could work. Derek would notice this right away. You know he used to be a fashion designer from his teenage years in the human world before he moved back here? Every detail matters to him. He always notices, even though he won’t speak.”

I couldn’t focus on what she was saying. My whole body was stiff, and my mind was stuck on that ugly name she had thrown at me. I wanted to ask her right there how she knew, but the words wouldn’t come out.

Ariana noticed my face, and her smirk deepened. “You don’t need to look so surprised,” she said lightly, as if she was teasing. Then she picked another gown, a pale blue this time, and held it to my shoulders. “Yes, this one. It softens you.”

She kept talking like nothing had happened. I knew she was doing this on purpose, but still she carried on, her tone light and almost playful.

“I know what you are thinking, but don’t worry. I don’t dig too deep into your story. Nothing there is really interesting.” She paused, smiled a little, and pressed the gown tighter against me. “Nora, you can’t blame me for being curious, can you? I just want to know what makes you so special. Why did Derek choose you over me? It’s strange.”

Her words were soft, but it made my hands feel stiff by my side, and my throat went dry.

“You know,” Ariana said again, her tone smooth, “Derek and I have made history together. Everyone thought…” She stopped halfway, then gave me a sharp smile. “Well, you understand.”

“And then you,” she added, her eyes slowly moving over me. “Ordinary Omega. Funny enough… the debt girl. And somehow, you’re the one standing where I should be.”

My chest tightened harder at her words.

“But Nora, I admire your confidence,” Ariana continued, scanning me with the dress still in her hand. “Do you ever think about how the council will look at you? Their Queen… with a stealing bloodline.” She tilted her head and gave me a sarcastic, fake-pity smile. “It’s a stain, Nora.”

The way she kept saying “debt girl” made me wonder how much she really knew. Was it just rumors, or was it the real story? If she ever came across someone like Vanessa, Goddess knows how much worse she could make things. Right there, a thought hit me—Derek needed to hear all this from me first before he ever heard it from someone else.

“I’m not a thief,” I finally managed to say.

“Uhmm… maybe,” Ariana replied with a shrug, signaling an attendant to start packing the clothes she had picked. “But eight out of ten from your former pack said you are. Numbers don’t lie.”

Her words dragged me down, even though I wanted to stay strong. In the world of wolves, history mattered. Bloodlines mattered. And for a Queen, it was worse. The last thing I wanted was for the council to use my past against me or against Derek.

I looked at Ariana again. She looked satisfied, pretending to fuss with the fabrics, but I could see the joy in her eyes. She thought she had won.

No. Even if I wanted to run from this drama, I couldn’t let her see me break. She didn’t deserve my tears.

I stepped closer, forcing a smile I didn’t feel, and looked at the gown in her hand. “It’s nice,” I said softly. “But honestly, I don’t think something so easy could push me away from Derek. You know, maybe the debt girl might be better than some cheap chicken manipulator in high heels.”

I didn’t look directly at her, but the words hit her.

“Chicken in heels?” Ariana repeated, her eyes moving to her legs, then to mine. She was in heels, while I only had platform slippers because of the slight pain I still carried. 

The moment she got it, her calm slipped for a second. “What the—…Chickennn” she almost raised her voice.

I smiled at her. Another Vanessa. They loved to throw humiliating words around, but they couldn’t endure even one themselves.

Ariana pressed her lips together and chewed on them, clearly holding herself back. When she looked at me again, the fake smile was back on her face.

“You really think you’re enough to stop me?” she said quietly, smirking like she hadn’t just lost her balance.

“Well… let’s see where—” I didn’t get to finish, because the attendant walked over with the clothes Ariana had picked and placed the bags neatly on the counter.

Lyra came back at that moment too, pulling her arm away from Lena. She walked straight to us and told the attendants, “We’re done here. Pack them quickly, we’re leaving.”

The attendants bowed their heads and hurried. Lyra’s eyes moved to Ariana, and the way she stared at her said a lot, even though she didn’t speak.

When we finally got to the car, I leaned back in my seat, and a small smile slipped onto my face 

Lyra caught it instantly. “What’s that smile?” she asked, narrowing her eyes at me.

“Nothing,” I said quickly, but the smile wouldn’t leave.

“Fuck it, Nora… that smile says a lot,” Lyra teased. She leaned closer and grinned. “Spill it.”

I shook my head. “Just a little of Madam Kaelene’s training work today.”

“Ooowww,” Lyra dragged the sound playfully. “Tell me more!”

Before I could even laugh, my phone buzzed. For a moment, I stared at it. I had almost forgotten I even had a phone.

It was a text.

The phone is for calling or texting, but my Queen makes use of none to check up on me.

My lips parted. Derek.

I scrolled down. Have you eaten? … I’ll be back soon. … I love you.

My fingers tightened around the phone, and my smile grew without me trying.

The moment we got home, Mira ran straight to me as Lyra drove away immediately. 

Mira was breathing heavily, obviously she have been pacing up and down for a while

“The Queen Mother passed down a message for you, my lady,” she said.

“Queen Mother ?” I almost screamed.