Chapter 3

After the shower, I sat at the vanity and checked my phone.

On every major financial news site and gossip headline, yesterday's exclusive scandal about Zenas and Natalia had been scrubbed clean.

Not a single word was left.

I opened the pack's internal network, and even the rumors there had vanished into thin air.

In the whole of North America, nobody else possessed that kind of terrifying power except the Alpha who ruled the underground.

Did he scrub it clean to pave the way for his real Luna, or because he thought a human mistress like me didn't deserve to trend?

I let out a cold smirk and locked the screen.

On the fourth day of our cold war, I stopped waiting.

I dragged out a suitcase and packed every last personal belonging from the walk-in closet.

Before leaving, I left that expensive Cartier sapphire bracelet on the vanity as a farewell gift for the housekeeper.

Then, I turned in the access card to the downtown penthouse, lugged my suitcase, and officially moved back into my freezing-in-winter, roasting-in-summer dump.

I didn't know if Zenas would blackball me because of our split, so it was smarter to pinch pennies just in case.

Buying this small place had still been well within my current means.

Pushing open the door, a wave of nostalgia hit me.

Seven years ago, Zenas had carried me away from this very place, promising he would never let me suffer a single day.

Back then, my heart was filled with excitement, sweetness, and plenty of nerves.

Seven years later, coming back on my own terms, I felt a lot more at peace.

That night, when Roxy found out about what happened online, she was heartbroken and dragged me out to get wasted at the swankiest rooftop bar on the Upper East Side.

The bar was flashing with neon lights and blasting deafening music.

Countless young elites holding champagne shot probing, greedy looks our way.

I didn't give a damn, knocking back strong liquor shot after shot.

Roxy, on the other hand, got rip-roaring drunk, wept her eyes out across the booth, and yelled at the top of her lungs to defend my honor, cursing out Zenas's entire bloodline.

"Ava, how could that piece of trash do this to you! Did you just waste seven goddamn years on a total monster?!"

She burped while slamming the table, loudly plotting to hire someone to put that scumbag in a sack and beat him up.

I let out a helpless sigh, reaching out to steady her, when the private room door was violently kicked open with a loud bang.

A blast of cold wind mixed with a heavy, oppressive aura rushed in.

Roxy's younger, fiercely possessive new boyfriend stood at the door, his face as dark as a thunderstorm.

The guy who usually treated her like a queen didn't even spare me a glance. He marched straight over and, without a word, hoisted the still-ranting Roxy over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"Hey! Let me go..." Roxy hammered furiously at his back.

The man let out a cold snort and hauled her away by force, leaving a room full of stunned men and women.

I sat alone in the booth, stared at the leftover amber liquid in my glass, paid the tab, and left.

One in the morning.

The alleyways of Manhattan were freezing, the wind cutting like a knife.

A black bulletproof SUV sat silently in the dark shadows like a crouching beast.

The window slowly rolled down, revealing Zenas's chief assistant, Ethan.

He had two massive dark circles under his eyes, his face a mask of utter despair and breakdown.

"Ms. Stone!" The moment Ethan saw me, he threw open the car door and lunged forward like he'd grabbed a lifeline. "Please, you have to come with me!"

I stopped in my tracks and looked at him coldly. "Zenas and I are completely done."

"No, we're not!" Ethan's voice cracked with tears, practically on the verge of kneeling. "Mr. Zenas has locked himself in the corporate penthouse for three whole days and nights because of this cold war!"

"He's been drinking like a madman, and he even smashed his phone right in the middle of a video meeting with the Council!"

"The whole Hale Corporation is about to collapse under his temper, and nobody dares go near him!"

"And the pack is a complete mess. You have to take charge!"

The corners of my mouth twitched at the sheer absurdity. "That's his problem. What does it have to do with me? Go find his Luna."

Seeing that begging wasn't working, Ethan gritted his teeth and shot a sharp look into the shadows.

Two towering bodyguards stepped forward instantly, grabbing my arms without giving me a choice.

"Sorry, Ms. Stone. Orders!"

Before I could fight back, I was shoved roughly into the backseat of the car.

The door slammed shut with a heavy thud, the engine roared, and the car rocketed into the night.

Twenty minutes later, the car screeched to a halt outside a VIP suite deep in a private suburban golf club.

Ethan yanked open the door, had a maid haul me out, and practically shoved me toward those heavy, locked mahogany double doors.