C3

“High Alpha Magnus’s birthday run is tomorrow. Are you back from your circuit or still hiding in the northern territories?”

I stared at the glowing screen for a full hour before I finally sent back a single, cold question mark.

“Aria, enough with the lone-wolf act,” Ethan’s next message snapped instantly. “Do you have any idea how much this gala means for the Draven pack’s standing? The entire Moon Council will be watching.”

I stepped out of the steam-filled bathroom, my damp hair clinging to my shoulders. I didn't feel the usual tug of the bond—just a hollow, bitter amusement.

“We broke the link, Ethan,” I typed, my fingers steady. “I won’t be attending the Alpha’s gala. Take Lila. Take a stray. Take whoever you want.”

“Still playing these psychological games? Nobody officially dissolved the engagement,” he shot back. “I’m bringing the Alpha vehicle to your flat at seven. You know Magnus expects you there. Do you really want to be the reason the High Alpha loses face on his birthday?”

I let out a sharp, jagged laugh that echoed off the tiles. “I can play the part of the dutiful mate, Ethan. But my time at Stone Legal Chambers isn't free. You want a performance? You pay the appearance f*e. Now.”

I sent him my bank details with a final note: [Mark it as 'Professional Consultation.']

I could practically feel his teeth grinding through the phone, but he was too desperate to maintain appearances. Within minutes, the notification pinged. $300,000.

“Thanks, boss,” I whispered to the empty room, turning off the screen.

The next evening, I arrived at the estate gates precisely on time. I’d chosen a purple bodycon dress that felt like a second skin, the color of a deepening bruise against my pale skin. I’d swept my hair back with a simple white ribbon—an innocent contrast to the cool, predator-like detachment in my eyes.

As Ethan stepped out of his black Range Rover, his eyes raked over me, and for the first time in years, I saw the beast in him stir. His pupils dilated, his nostrils flaring as he took in the sight of me.

“Change. Now,” he commanded, his voice vibrating with a low, possessive growl.

“And why would I do that, Alpha?” I challenged, my head tilted.

“It’s a pack gala, Aria. You’re dressed to hunt. You’re going to draw every Alpha’s eyes in the hall.”

I reached for the door of the Range Rover, a smirk playing on my lips. “That is exactly the plan. Maybe at your funeral, I’ll wear something less distracting.”

“Aria,” he warned, his voice a dangerous rumble.

I ignored him, sliding into the back seat.

“Get in the front,” he barked, slamming his own door. “I’m not your pack transport driver.”

I looked at the front passenger seat. Sitting right there, plain as day, was a pair of pearl earrings Lila had been wearing at the Sunrise Den. I felt a surge of ice in my veins.

“I’d rather not ruin the fabric of this dress,” I said, my voice like a winter wind. “The front seat smells like someone else’s scent. It’s... messy.”

Ethan stared at me in the rearview mirror, looking like he was trying to calculate if I was in heat or just losing my mind. He checked the dash—it was late. As the primary heir, he couldn't walk into the gala behind schedule.

When we reached the main hall, he stepped out and offered his arm, a stiff, formal gesture of pack civility. I didn't touch him. Instead, I pulled a silk scarf from my clutch and wrapped it firmly around my palm before resting it on his forearm.

“Whitney—Aria—don't be absurd,” he snapped, his eyes flashing. “Are you really that repulsed by my touch?”

“Is it that obvious?” I gave him a smile that didn't reach my eyes. “I’ll try to keep the growling to a minimum for the Elders.”

The moment we entered the hall, the atmosphere shifted. The music didn't stop, but the whispers did. Ethan was a force of nature—star-bright eyes, chiseled features, and that cold, lethal Alpha aura that kept the lesser wolves at bay. As the son of the most powerful clan in the Cheshire Lands, everyone wanted a piece of him.

He gripped my hand through the silk, his heat still burning through the fabric. “I have to speak with a Council member. Try to enjoy the feast.”

I pulled my hand free the second he let go, the scarf damp with the sweat of my suppressed anger. I didn't have a moment of peace before the vultures circled.

“Well, if it isn't the lawyer who can’t take a hint,” a female pack member sneered, her eyes scanning my dress with envy. “Didn’t you howl to the whole Den that you were done with him?”

I turned a frosty gaze on her. “Why? Is Ethan suddenly firing blanks?”

The woman blinked, her jaw dropping. “What are you talking about?”

“I made an oath,” I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm. “But if he’s truly lost his ability to lead a bloodline, maybe I didn't break my promise after all. Why don’t you go over there and test his ‘vitality’ for me? See if he’s still Alpha material.”

“You... you’re insane!” she hissed.

The girls around her looked at me like I’d just shifted in the middle of the dance floor.

“Enjoy the spotlight, Aria,” she spat. “Once Lila makes her entrance, you’ll be nothing but a shadow.”

I’d almost forgotten about the ‘Golden Omega.’

“Aria! Freya and I have been trying to scent you for days!”

I turned to see Vanessa Hale, my half-sister, marching toward me with my stepmother, Freya Collins, trailing behind. Freya wore a sugary, fake smile that made my skin crawl.

“Aria, dear,” Freya purred. “Didn’t you say you and Ethan were sealing the bond on the Equinox? I didn't see any announcement on the pack bridge.”

I pulled out my phone, not looking at her. “Oh, my mistake. I must have left the pack link. You three seem to be tracking each other just fine without me. Does it really matter if I’m there?”

My father, Dominic Draven, was nowhere to be seen. He’d basically checked out of my life three months after my mother died, when he brought Freya into the pack.

“Aria, show some respect to my mother!” Vanessa snapped.

Before I could retort, Vanessa’s eyes lit up. “Lila! She’s here! Mom, I have to go greet her!”

Freya watched her run off, then turned back to me. “Don't take it personally, Aria. Lila and Vanessa have been inseparable since they were pups. It’s been five years. You can understand the excitement.”

She tilted her head, her eyes gleaming. “By the way, does Ethan know his ‘sister’ is finally home for good?”

The whole territory knew Ethan spoiled Lila. The whispers were a constant hum—if she hadn't been the adopted one, she’d be the one wearing the Alpha’s mark. But High Alpha Magnus had made it clear: Lila was a daughter of the house, and any talk of a bond between her and Ethan was heresy.

I stayed silent. I wasn't the vulnerable pup they remembered.

Freya’s smile widened as she saw Ethan walking back toward us, his stride purposeful and predatory.

“Aria, look at him,” Freya whispered condescendingly. “Five years apart and he still looks at her like she’s the only star in the sky.”

I felt a fresh crack in my heart, but I didn't let it show. “Yeah, he does. But tell me, Freya... do you think Ethan knows that Lila’s ‘best friend’ Vanessa has been trying to catch his scent the whole time she’s been gone?”