No. 2

Anastasia pov.

As if she knew I was there, Bella’s eyes opened. Over Andrei’s sweating shoulder, she looked directly through the crack of the door. She looked straight at me.

And while my boyfriend poured himself into her, Bella smiled. A slow, cruel, victorious smirk.

I stood frozen in the doorway, the world tilting violently beneath my feet.

Andrei was still balls deep inside Bella, his hips snapping against her with raw, possessive thrusts. Her back arched, my silver dress bunched uselessly around her waist as she moaned loudly, pushing back against him like she couldn’t get enough. My mother’s sapphire necklace swung between her breasts with every brutal stroke.

“Fuck—Bella,” Andrei groaned that sound from him before, voice thick with pleasure. “You feel so good.”

My heart didn’t just break; it disintegrated.

Before I could stop myself, my hand slammed against the wood, throwing the door wide open. It hit the wall with a deafening bang.

"Get off her," I choked out, my voice trembling with a lethal mixture of rage and absolute agony.

Andrei froze, his muscles locking up. He snapped his head toward the door, his eyes wide. But what killed me inside wasn't shock. It was the fact that as he looked at me, standing there in my faded, worn-out dress, his expression hardened. There was no shame in his eyes. No guilt. No remorse.

He calmly pulled the sheets up, shielding Bella’s naked body with his arms, putting himself entirely between us like a protective shield.

"Anastasia," he said, his voice terrifyingly cold and steady. "Get out."

"Get out?" A breathless, broken laugh tore from my throat. "You’re in my old room, in her bed, fucking her with that same body and promises that belonged to me, and you're telling me to get out?!"

"It’s over, Anastasia," Andrei snapped, sitting up and looking at me with deep irritation. "We’re done. I’m breaking up with you."

The words felt like a physical blow to my chest, stealing the oxygen from my lungs. "Why? Because of her? Andrei, she’s been calculating this since the day she arrived! She is systematically stripping away everything I have!"

Bella stayed behind him, pulling the dress down with trembling hands, eyes wide and teary. The picture of innocence.

"Stop it!" Andrei snarled, his beta-son aura flaring just enough to make the air heavy. "Listen to yourself! You are the Alpha's daughter. You're healthy, you're privileged, and you didn't lose your wolf. You've never lost anything that mattered."

I stared at him. "What does that have to do with—"

"Bella has nothing. Her parents are dead. Her wolf is gone. All she has is me." His jaw tightened. "You should be thoroughly ashamed of yourself, picking on a wolfless, grieving girl," Andrei continued, his tone dripping with self-righteous disgust.

I stared at him, completely horrified by the twisted reality he had swallowed. I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. He was defending her. He was defending her, and making me the villain, and none of this made any sense.

"That aside," Andrei continued, his voice taking on an edge of contempt I'd never heard before, "I am sick of your bitterness, Anna. You’re dull. You’re always buried in that stupid, miserable research lab, obsessing over new medicines and data, acting like a madwoman. A man wants a woman who is gentle, sweet, and considerate." He glanced back at Bella, softening. "Like Bella."

There it was.

Everything I was reduced to a flaw. A reason I deserved to be cheated on. I was too focused, too driven, too much of something and not enough of something else.

Bella had taken my family. She'd taken my dress, my mother's necklace. And now, the only man I had ever loved, the man who had promised to stand by me. She had taken them all. How far was she going to go? Was she going to keep going until I literally ceased to exist?

"You psycho!" I screamed at Bella, the last thread of my sanity snapping. I hated it. "You planned all of this.”

"I didn't plan anything!” Bella's voice pitched high, wobbling with fake hurt. She clutched Andrei's arm, pressing herself against his back. "I never seduced him, Anna. I swear. I didn't even know you two were together! I thought you were just friends, I swear! Please don't hate me!"

The blatant, disgusting lie made my blood boil. I was already storming, entirely blinded by rage, my hands clawing out past Andrei to drag her out from behind him, to tear that innocent pretense right off her face.

"Stay back." Andrei planted himself firmly in front of her. "Don't make this worse."

But I was past listening.

I lunged.

I didn't even know what I meant to do. Drag her out of the bed. Tear that necklace from her throat. Make her look at me, really look at me, and admit what she was doing. Bella let out a piercing scream, high and theatrical, cowering behind Andrei as if I'd come at her with claws out.

"Help! Someone help! She's trying to hurt me!"

The door behind me slammed open.

"STOP THIS MADNESS RIGHT NOW!"

A thundering, authoritative voice boomed through the open doorway, vibrating with raw Alpha command. The sheer pressure of the aura hit the room like a tidal wave. Instinctively, my wolf submitted, my knees buckling slightly as I stumbled backward.

Leo stood in the doorway, his face twisted in absolute fury.

"What in the hell do you think you are doing?" Leo roared, his eyes flashing dangerous amber as he glared directly at me. "Causing a disgusting scene like this tonight? Do you have any idea who is downstairs? The important guests are arriving right now! If we anger Alpha Hector, this entire pack is doomed!"

He stepped into the room, completely ignoring the fact that Andrei was half-naked in Bella's bed, and turned his burning glare exclusively onto me.

"Whatever pathetic drama is happening here needs to stop right now," Leo hissed, his voice laced with profound disappointment. "Anastasia, look at you. You are the older sister. You're supposed to be the mature one. I expect so much more from you. And instead you're causing a scene that could destroy everything we've been working for. If we anger Alpha Hector tonight, if that man walks away because this family can't keep its house in order—" He shook his head. "The pack will be doomed. And it will be your doing."

My doing.

Not Bella's for sleeping with my boyfriend. Not Andrei's for betraying me. Mine.

He didn't wait for my response. He immediately turned his back on me, his voice instantly dropping into that nauseating, gentle tone as he knelt by the bed. "Bella, hey, breathe. It's okay. I've got you. Did she hurt you?"

I stood in the center of the room, entirely hollowed out, watching my brother comfort the girl who had just stolen my life. Nobody cared about the truth. Nobody cared that I was bleeding out on the floor.

I turned around and walked out.

….

The banquet was already in full swing by the time I forced myself into the hall. My hands still shook as I clutched a glass of champagne I had no intention of drinking.

Bella made her entrance twenty minutes after I did.

She descended the staircase like a princess from a fairy tale, my silver dress hugging every curve, my mother's sapphire gleaming at her throat. The crowd murmured with pity and admiration.

“Such a brave girl.”

“So strong. She’s an inspiration.”

My father took the stage first, clearing his throat for a toast. "My dear friends, thank you for joining us tonight to celebrate my daughter Bella's twentieth birthday. As you all know, Bella lost her parents, two of our finest warriors, in service to this pack. She has endured unimaginable loss, including the loss of her wolf. But she has remained strong. She has remained exceptional. And we are honored to call her family."

Applause rippled through the room. Bella bowed her head, the picture of humble grace.

I wanted to vomit.

Then the atmosphere shifted.

A wave of raw power rolled through the room. Conversations died. All eyes turned toward the entrance.

Alpha Hector had arrived.

First, a line of imposing, heavily armed Blood Moon guards marched into the room, clearing a wide, respectful path. And then, he walked in.

My breath caught in my throat. Alpha Hector of the Blood Moon pack. The most powerful man alive.

He was tall–taller than any man I have ever met, tall enough that he seemed to occupy more space than any one person had a right to. His hair was dark, swept back from a face that looked carved rather than born.

A jaw sharp enough to cut glass. Cheekbones high and severe. And his eyes—dark, watchful, utterly unreadable swept the room like he was cataloging threats and dismissing them all in the same breath.

He moved with an effortless, roguish grace, the kind of confidence that didn't need to announce itself. His suit was perfectly tailored, dark and understated, but on him it looked like armor. There was something almost lazy in his stride, a casual disregard for the effect he was having on every person in the room. He knew he was the most powerful being here. He didn't need to prove it.

My father and Leo practically tripped over themselves to sprint across the room, greeting him with eager, desperate smiles. "Alpha Hector. What an honor. Truly, an honor. Welcome to Red River. We're so grateful you could—"

Hector merely gave them a curt nod. He looked clearly bored by the crowd, my father fawning, by everything. I understood something, watching him. He didn't want to be here. He was here because it served some purpose I couldn't guess at, some calculation in whatever game he was playing. If not for the potential investment, if not for whatever political leverage this visit might give him, he wouldn't have set foot in any girl's birthday party.

The legends were clear: You never knew when or where you could find Alpha Hector. He appeared and vanished like smoke. But when he moved against his enemies, he struck with unbelievable accuracy. Some said he had spies in every pack. Others said it was something darker. No one knew for certain. Everyone was afraid to find out.

"And now," the announcer’s voice boomed over the speakers, "for the opening waltz, our beautiful birthday girl will invite a gentleman to the floor!"

The crowd parted. I watched with bitter detachment as Bella smoothed down my silver dress, offered a sweet, dazzling smile, and began walking. She looked beautiful. Too beautiful I hated it. I expected her to walk toward Andrei, who was standing confidently near the front.

Instead, her eyes were locked entirely on Alpha Hector.

She glided up to him, tilting her head back, offering her hand with a graceful curtsy. "Alpha Hector, would you do me the honor of—"

Hector didn't even look at her.

Before she could finish her sentence, two of Hector's guards stepped forward, their massive frames cutting her off completely, blocking her from getting a single inch closer to their Alpha. Hector simply walked past her, his expression utterly unbothered, as if she were nothing more than a piece of dust in his peripheral vision.

A quiet, collective gasp rippled through the crowd.

He rejected her.

A small, dark spark of satisfaction flared in my chest. For the first time in two years, Bella didn't get what she wanted. The great Bella, who collected people like trinkets, who charmed everyone she met, who stole everything I had, she had finally reached for something beyond her grasp!

Bella's face flushed a deep, embarrassing red, but she quickly masked it with a tight, apologetic smile. "My apologies, Alpha," she stammered, quickly turning on her heel to grab a waiting, eager Andrei to save face.

As they stepped onto the floor to begin the opening waltz, my father panicked. Fearing that Alpha Hector was displeased or bored, he hurried over to the tyrant king, gesturing toward the crowd of eager, dolled-up she-wolves, begging him to choose a partner. Hector looked completely annoyed, but after a moment, he gave a slow, reluctant nod.

I stopped paying attention. The drama was exhausting, and the heavy ache in my chest was turning into a physical hunger. I drifted away from the crowd, finding a quiet, dim corner near the dessert table. I picked up a small plate with a slice of chocolate cake, taking a bite, letting the sweetness temporarily distract me from the wreckage of my life.

Across the room, Alpha Hector stood like a dark god, ignoring the dozens of she-wolves who were practically throwing themselves into his line of sight. His dark eyes began to wander slowly across the ballroom, sweeping past the heavy decorations, past my father, past the dancing couples.

And then, his gaze stopped.

Through the crowded room, across the sea of glittering dresses and expensive suits, his eyes locked directly onto mine.

My breath caught. I froze, the fork halfway to my mouth.

Hector didn't look away. Instead, a slow, unreadable expression crossed his handsome face. He stepped away from my father, his long, powerful legs eating up the distance as he sauntered deliberately across the ballroom. The crowd automatically parted for him, people whispering in confusion as they followed his path.

He didn't stop until he was standing right in front of my messy, shadowed corner. Up close, his scent hit me—rain, mint, and a dangerous, dark musk that made my inner wolf instantly perk up its ears.

Hector looked down at me, his dark eyes gleaming with a strange, intense curiosity.

"Care to dance with me?" he asked, his voice a deep, gravelly baritone that sent a sudden, electric shiver straight down my spine.