CHAPTER FIVE: THE TRUTH BENEATH THE LIES

The entire ballroom seemed to hold its breath as Elena descended the grand staircase. The silver gown caught the light, making her seem almost ethereal. Her chestnut hair cascaded over her bare shoulders, and her eyes swept over the crowd with cool confidence.

Gabriel's world stopped.

Elena.

Six years of searching, and here she was, more beautiful than he remembered, more powerful, more... everything.

His hand moved involuntarily toward his chest, where phantom pains from their severed bond still flared.

"Gabriel?" Vanessa's voice cut through his thoughts, tight with panic.

He didn't respond. Couldn't. His eyes were locked on Elena.

She was halfway down the stairs when Marcus Frost moved forward to meet her, his hand extended, his smile warm and genuine.

Vanessa's fingers dug into Gabriel's arm. "Gabriel," she hissed. "That's... that's her, isn't it?"

The crowd began to whisper.

"Is that really Elena Sterling?"

"She's even more beautiful than the rumors said..."

"Marcus Frost must be the luckiest Alpha alive..."

Gabriel's jaw clenched as he watched Marcus take Elena's hand, bringing it to his lips.

My wife, his wolf snarled.

Ex-wife, Gabriel corrected, but the distinction felt hollow.

Elena's eyes finally met him across the ballroom. For one suspended moment, everything fell away. Her expression was unreadable, controlled. She held his gaze for exactly three seconds before turning her attention back to Marcus.

Those three seconds gutted him.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Marcus's voice rang out. His hand rested on the small of Elena's back, and Gabriel's entire body went rigid. "Thank you all for joining us to celebrate a very special occasion."

The crowd pressed closer.

"It is my great honor to introduce you to the woman who will soon become Luna of the Frost Pack. Elena Sterling, daughter of the Sterling bloodline, is the finest Alpha this generation has produced."

The room erupted.

"She's... she's an Alpha?" Vanessa's words came out strangled. "But the reports said she was an omega. You said she was…"

"I know what I said," Gabriel bit out.

His mind raced backward. The inhibitor patch Elena had always worn. The way she'd sometimes stop mid-sentence when he entered a room. The mornings he'd woken to find her staring out windows with an expression he'd dismissed as melancholy.

"The pack only needs one Alpha," he'd told her once, dismissively.

She'd never argued. Never pushed back.

She'd just... hidden herself away.

For him.

"Alpha Thorne," Marcus's voice cut through the din. His smile was sharp. "How kind of you to grace us with your presence. And with such a generous gift."

He held up the velvet box Gabriel had brought, unopened.

Gabriel forced his legs to move forward through the crowd. Vanessa clung to his side. Up close, Elena was even more devastating.

"Marcus," Gabriel managed. He couldn't bring himself to look directly at Elena yet. "Congratulations on your... impending union."

The words tasted like ash.

"How generous of you to say so," Marcus replied, his eyes cold. "Especially given your history with my future Luna."

Gabriel's eyes finally met Elena's. She stood perfectly still, her expression serene. He searched her face for some sign of the woman he'd married.

Nothing. She gave him nothing.

"Ancient history," Gabriel said, his voice tight. "I'm sure Elena has... moved on."

Elena's lips curved in the faintest smile. "Indeed, I have, Alpha Thorne. Marcus has shown me what it truly means to be valued."

She placed her hand on Marcus's chest, the gesture intimate and familiar. Marcus covered her hand with his own, and Gabriel's vision tinged red.

"Elena and I have known each other for quite some time," Marcus said smoothly, his thumb stroking over her knuckles. "Though it took her leaving a... less than ideal situation for us to truly connect."

Gabriel's hands clenched into fists at his sides.

"Marcus has been wonderful," Elena added, her voice warm in a way it had never been with Gabriel. At least, not in the last year of their marriage. "He actually listens when I speak. Values my opinions. Treats me as an equal."

Each word was a calculated strike.

"How... touching," Gabriel forced out.

Vanessa pressed closer to his side, but he barely registered her presence. All he could see was Elena's hand on Marcus's chest, the way she looked at him, the ease between them.

"You look well, Elena," Gabriel said, his voice strained.

"I am well," she replied. "Better than I've been in years, actually. Turns out when you're not walking on eggshells, constantly trying to please someone who sees you as beneath them, life becomes much more enjoyable."

Marcus's arm slid around her waist, pulling her closer. "Elena has been an incredible asset to our pack. Her strategies alone have increased our territory value by forty percent."

"Forty percent," Gabriel repeated numbly.

"And that's just the beginning," Marcus continued, pressing a kiss to Elena's temple. The gesture was possessive, deliberate. "With Elena as my Luna, the Frost Pack will surpass even the Shadowmere Pack within the year."

Gabriel's wolf was howling, demanding that he rip Marcus's arm away from what was his.

But she wasn't his anymore.

She never really was, a bitter voice reminded him.

"I'm sure you'll make a formidable team," Gabriel managed, his voice like gravel.

Elena tilted her head, studying him. "We already do. Marcus and I understand each other. We're... compatible in ways that matter."

The implication hung in the air.

"Elena—" Gabriel started.

"Lady Elena," Marcus corrected, his voice sharp. "Or Alpha Sterling, if you prefer. But you've lost the privilege of familiarity, Thorne."

Gabriel's eyes flashed dangerously. "I wasn't addressing you."

"And yet here I stand, between you and my future mate," Marcus replied coolly. "Because unlike some Alphas, I actually protect what's mine."

The word 'mine' made Gabriel's blood boil.

"Darling," Elena said softly, touching Marcus's arm. "Why don't you show everyone the plans we've been working on? The territorial expansion?"

"Of course, love," Marcus replied, his hand trailing down her back before he stepped away to address the crowd.

For a brief moment, Gabriel and Elena stood facing each other without Marcus as a buffer.

"You moved on quickly," Gabriel said, unable to keep the bitterness from his voice.

Elena's eyes were cold. "Six years isn't quick, Gabriel. It's just that you weren't worth mourning for very long."

"Is that what you tell yourself?"

"It's what I know." She paused, then added, "Marcus has been in my life for five years. He's been patient, kind, and everything you weren't. So yes, I moved on. And I've never been happier."

The words were designed to wound, and they hit their mark perfectly.

Gabriel stepped closer, his voice dropping. "You expect me to believe you feel nothing? That's what we had meant by nothing?"

"What did we have?" Elena laughed, but there was no humor in it. "We had a contract, Gabriel. A business arrangement where I played house while you played Alpha. What Marcus and I have is real."

Before Gabriel could respond, Marcus returned, sliding his arm around Elena's waist again. She leaned into him naturally, comfortably.

Gabriel watched them, his jaw so tight it ached. The way Marcus touched her. The way she let him. The easy affection between them.

He wanted to tear Marcus apart.

"You know," Marcus said conversationally, "Elena told me all about her time with you, Thorne. I have to thank you, actually."

"Thank me?" Gabriel's voice was dangerous.

"For being foolish enough to let her go," Marcus replied with a smile. "Your loss is very much my gain."

Gabriel's control was fracturing. His wolf was demanding action, demanding he claim what was his, but Elena wasn't his anymore.

She was looking at Marcus like he hung the moon.

Like she used to look at Gabriel, years ago, before everything went wrong.

Vanessa, sensing the tension reaching a breaking point, suddenly spoke up. "Gabriel, we should leave."