Part 12:Easy Target

Irene’s Point of View

I shouldn’t have been sitting there.

Every second at that table felt wrong. Like I had stepped into a place that would never accept me… and everyone could see it.

Seven alphas. Seven lunas. Fourteen seats meant for power, for status.

And then there was me.

I wasn’t a luna. I didn’t even have a title worth mentioning. Yet I sat right beside Alpha Arnold, in the place of honor, where every pair of eyes could find me.

I would have chosen the dirty kitchen over this.

At least there, no one would be watching. No one would be judging.

But here?

I didn’t need to look up to feel it.

The weight of their attention pressed against my skin.

Especially hers.

Luna Lorraine.

I could feel her gaze without meeting it. Curious. Sharp. Trying to figure me out.

How did she end up beside Alpha Arnold?

The question hung in the air, even without words.

I lowered my head slightly, pretending not to notice. I didn’t have the strength for this. Not tonight. Everything already felt too heavy, tightening around my chest.

So I stayed silent.

Let Arnold speak. Let him take control.

“Because the Hellfire Pack doesn’t provide me or my people with someone to guide us,” Arnold said, his tone light, almost careless, “I feel fortunate that Irene is willing to do this inconvenient favor for me.”

My fingers curled under the table.

To anyone else, it might sound like praise.

But I knew better.

It was an insult. Clean. Precise. Aimed straight at Alpha Dave.

The shift in the room was immediate.

The air tightened.

No one moved, but everything changed.

I nudged Arnold’s foot under the table. Once. Then again.

Stop.

He didn’t even glance at me.

Of course he didn’t.

A bitter thought slipped through my mind.

At this point, it didn’t matter what I did. Whether I stayed quiet or spoke up, whether I followed him or went against him…

There was no safe outcome for me.

But Alpha Dave didn’t react the way I expected.

He didn’t show anger. Didn’t raise his voice.

Instead, he smiled.

Calm. Measured. Like a man who had seen this kind of game too many times to be shaken by it.

“My apologies for the inconvenience, Alpha Arnold,” he said smoothly. “That is my oversight.”

He leaned back slightly, his gaze steady.

“I assumed you wouldn’t have trouble finding your way inside our pack. Especially after hearing, months ago, that during your father’s campaign… you managed to obtain the layouts of several packs.”

My breath caught.

That wasn’t an apology.

It was a reminder.

A quiet one. But dangerous.

He had just brought up Arnold’s father. The war. The offense.

And the way he said it, so polite, so controlled, made it cut even deeper.

Around us, the other alphas fell silent.

They sipped their drinks. Watched with faint smiles.

No one stepped in.

No one needed to.

They were waiting.

Letting the two of them circle each other with words instead of claws.

This wasn’t supposed to be the focus of the night.

But it had already shifted.

It started the moment Alpha Dave questioned why I was here.

The moment he made it clear I didn’t belong.

The moment he mentioned Lilar… and reminded everyone she was Eugene’s destined mate.

That was the first spark.

And now, sitting between them, I could feel it clearly,

This wasn’t a dinner.

It was a silent war.

And I was the easiest target in the room.

Just when the tension felt like it might snap,

Luna Lorraine stepped in.

“Why don’t we drink to celebrate the peace that has finally returned to our land?” she said, her voice bright and effortless, as if nothing had happened.

It was smooth. Too smooth.

Like she had done this many times before.

She smiled at Alpha Dave and poured wine into his glass. One by one, the other lunas followed, filling their mates’ cups without hesitation.

The shift was immediate.

The sharp edges in the room softened, hidden under polite smiles and raised glasses.

I exhaled quietly.

For a moment, it almost felt normal.

Then,

A sudden kick hit my leg under the table.

I stiffened and looked at Arnold.

He tilted his chin toward his empty glass.

Pour.

I blinked at him.

He had to be joking.

There was no way I was doing that.

I wasn’t his luna. I wasn’t his servant either.

I looked away, pretending I didn’t understand.

If he wanted wine, he could pour it himself.

But Arnold didn’t react to my silent refusal.

Instead, he reached for the bottle with an easy smile… and poured wine into my glass.

Not his.

Mine.

The movement was small, but the effect was not.

I felt it instantly.

The shift.

The way the room paused, just for a second.

Frowns appeared. Subtle. Controlled. But there.

“You shouldn’t have done that, Alpha Arnold. Let Irene do it,” Luna Ariel said.

Her voice was calm, but her eyes were sharp.

I glanced at her briefly.

She looked beautiful in her yellow dress, her long black hair falling neatly over her shoulders. Composed. Elegant. Everything I was not in this moment.

“I’m not her luna, Luna Ariel,” Arnold replied, just as casually as before. “But even if she were, I wouldn’t mind spoiling my woman.”

My grip tightened around the tablecloth.

My woman?

Before I could react, he placed the glass in front of me, his smile unchanged.

“This is my gratitude for being so willing to accompany me today.”

I leaned slightly toward him, keeping my voice low.

“We’ve known each other for less than three hours,” I muttered. “Don’t say ‘today.’ It sounds like something else.”

He didn’t respond.

Of course he didn’t.

I straightened in my seat, forcing myself to stay quiet. I couldn’t afford to ruin whatever game he was playing. Not here. Not in front of all of them.

And truthfully… his actions didn’t hurt me.

Not directly.

So I lifted the glass and took a sip.

The wine was smooth, but it didn’t calm me the way I hoped.

Still… something shifted.

For the first time since I arrived, I realized I wasn’t thinking about Eugene.

The weight he always left on my chest… wasn’t there.

It didn’t disappear.

But it faded.

Replaced by something else.

Something sharper.

I glanced at Arnold again.

He was already speaking with the other alphas, his tone relaxed, almost friendly. Anyone watching from afar might think this was a peaceful gathering.

It wasn’t.

Every word carried meaning.

Every smile hid something.

They were waiting for openings. Testing each other. Looking for the right moment to strike without making it obvious.

Now I understood.

This was what it meant to stand beside power.

This was what a luna had to face.

Not claws.

Not blood.

But words that cut just as deep.

And if you didn’t learn how to move carefully…

You wouldn’t survive it.

I let out a quiet breath and placed my empty glass on the table.

A second later, Arnold refilled it.

Again.

He didn’t even ask this time.

He simply looked at me and made a small gesture.

Drink.

I held his gaze for a second.

Then, slowly… I lifted the glass.

And drank.

The wine burned a little more this time.

Or maybe that was just the situation catching up to me.

Either way,

The glass emptied.

And before I could think twice…

He was already pouring again.

I shouldn’t have had that last glass.

Or the one before that.

Or any of them.

Now the heat was everywhere.

It spread from my chest to my throat, then up to my face. My skin burned, my head felt heavy, and the room… wouldn’t stay still.

I knew I needed to stop.

I knew it.

But every time my glass emptied,

Arnold filled it again.

And somehow… I kept drinking.

It was stupid.

I knew it was.

Even Luna Lorraine tried to stop me at one point, her voice low, warning. But I couldn’t focus. I didn’t want to.

I just wanted the noise in my head to fade.

The pain.

The anger.

The humiliation.

I wanted it all to blur until it didn’t matter anymore.

Maybe it was the alcohol.

Or maybe I had been holding too much inside for too long.

Either way… I let it happen.

And Arnold didn’t stop me.

If anything,

he made sure I didn’t.

If I had been sober, I would have noticed sooner.

The way he kept watching me.

The way he never missed a chance to refill my glass.

He wasn’t being kind.

He was making sure I lost control.

Thankfully… I stopped before everything fell apart.

I pushed my chair back and stood up too quickly.

The room tilted.

I grabbed the edge of the table, forcing myself to stay upright. The voices around me blurred together as the alphas prepared to move on to their treaty. The women were expected to leave.

Good.

I needed to get out.

I stumbled toward the door, my steps uneven, my head spinning. Just as I reached the hallway, a hand caught my arm.

“Irene.”

Luna Lorraine.

“Are you okay? How could you drink like that?” she scolded softly, her voice firm but not harsh.

I tried to answer.

“My head hurts,” I mumbled instead, my words slurring slightly. The world spun again, slower this time, but still enough to make my stomach twist.

“Serves you right,” she muttered under her breath.

But she didn’t let go.

She guided me outside, onto the balcony where the cool night air brushed against my skin.

I let out a weak breath.

That helped.

A little.

She sat me down on a chair facing the garden. The scent of flowers drifted through the air, soft and calming, cutting through the haze in my mind.

“I’ll get you water,” she said. “And I’ll have someone prepare something to help you sober up. Don’t go anywhere.”

I nodded, though I wasn’t sure if I actually moved.

She liked me.

I knew that.

But she also couldn’t ignore Ruby.

Not when Ruby was carrying Eugene’s child.

Her first grandchild.

That alone changed everything.

If I were the one carrying his child…

Would things be different?

Would she choose me without hesitation?

The thought lingered longer than it should have.

Only if I got pregnant…

My head throbbed harder.

I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to push the thought away.

This wasn’t the time.

Nothing felt steady.

Not my thoughts.

Not my body.

Not even the ground beneath me.

After a while, I opened my eyes again.

The moon hung high in the sky, bright and quiet, untouched by everything happening below. The distant sound of music still carried through the night, but out here…

It felt peaceful.

Too peaceful.

I leaned my head against the armrest, shifting slightly to get comfortable.

Just for a moment.

Just until she came back.

Time passed slowly.

Or maybe it just felt that way.

When Luna Lorraine returned, she held out a glass of water.

“Come with me, Irene,” she said gently. “You need to rest.”

I squinted at her, trying to focus.

“I want to stay here… mother,” I murmured.

The word slipped out without thought.

But it felt natural.

Comforting.

For a second, something in her expression softened.

Then it was gone.

“No,” she said firmly. “You can’t stay here. It’s cold, and you’ll get sick. I’ve prepared a room for you. There’s soup waiting. You’ll feel better.”

I shook my head weakly.

“But I want to look at the moon.”

It sounded childish, even to my own ears.

But I didn’t care.

This place felt safe.

Quiet.

I didn’t want to leave it.

“You can’t stay here, Irene,” she said again, her tone softer this time.

Her hand came to my head, gently brushing through my hair.

“Come with your mother. Don’t be stubborn.”

I went still.

She knew exactly how to say it.

How to make it hard to refuse.

And in that moment,

I didn’t know if I was too tired to argue…

or if I just didn’t want to.

In the end, I couldn’t fight it anymore.

My legs gave in the moment I stood, and Luna Lorraine caught me before I could fall. She didn’t say anything this time. She just guided me quietly down the hall, steady and careful, like she had done this before.

The room she brought me to was warm.

Soft.

Safe.

She helped me lie down, pulling the blanket over me with gentle hands.

“I’ll get the soup in a while, okay?” she said, her voice low.

I felt her lips press lightly against my forehead.

For a brief second, I forced my eyes open.

Something in her expression shifted.

It wasn’t the calm, composed Luna anymore.

There was hesitation.

Conflict.

Then it disappeared.

Replaced by something firmer.

“I’ll be back. Don’t go anywhere.”

“Hm…” I murmured, already sinking into the pillow.

The warmth wrapped around me, pulling me deeper.

I was too tired.

Too heavy.

I didn’t even think I’d be awake long enough to taste the soup.

The moment the door closed,

darkness took me.

Luna Lorraine stood outside the room for a second longer than necessary.

Then she turned.

Her calm expression was gone.

In its place was something tight. Urgent.

She moved quickly through the hall, her steps sharp, controlled.

“Where is Eugene?” she asked the nearest servant.

No answer.

She searched the room again, her gaze sweeping over every corner,

Until she saw her.

Ruby.

Sitting alone.

Small. Quiet. Almost out of place.

Like a child who didn’t know where she belonged.

Without hesitation, Luna Lorraine walked toward her.

Ruby noticed her immediately.

Her back straightened, her fingers tightening in her lap.

She remembered every cold glance. Every silent rejection.

Her chest tightened.

She hadn’t done anything wrong.

But that didn’t matter.

It never had.

“Where is my son?” Luna Lorraine asked.

Her voice was cold.

Sharp.

Nothing like the warmth she had shown Irene just moments ago.

Ruby flinched.

“I… I don’t know,” she stuttered. “He left… angrily. He didn’t let me follow him.”

A soft scoff escaped Luna Lorraine’s lips.

“Of course he didn’t.”

Her eyes swept over Ruby, slow and merciless.

“Why would he want you to follow him?”

She took one step closer.

“The sight of you alone is enough to disgust him.”

The words landed hard.

Too hard.

Ruby’s lips trembled.

Tears spilled before she could stop them.

“Why…” her voice broke, barely above a whisper, “why do you hate me so much?”

Inside the quiet room,

I slept.

Unaware.

Unprotected.

And far too easy to reach.