004

RIBIRTH 2

LUNA

{That Evening - Luna's Penthouse}

My phone buzzed with a calendar reminder as I stepped out of the shower.

Annual Tech Gala - Tonight - 8 PM

I had almost forgotten. The biggest event in the tech world. Every CEO, every investor, every power player would be there.

And according to the guest list Maya had sent me last week...Damon Blackwood was attending.

Perfect.

I smiled, and this time it was real. Predatory. Dangerous. I walked to my closet—a room the size of most people's apartments—and pulled out the dress I'd been saving for a special occasion.

Deep crimson red. The color of blood and vengeance.

It hugged every curve, the slit running dangerously high up my thigh. The back was completely open, exposing flawless skin marked with an intricate tattoo—a phoenix rising from ashes. A reminder of who I had become.

I slipped it on, the silk cool against my skin.

My hair fell in sleek waves over one shoulder. Diamond earrings—worth more than the Blackwood packhouse—caught the light. My makeup was flawless. Smoky eyes. Sharp contours. Lips the same crimson as my dress.

I looked like power. Like money. Like danger. Maya appeared in the doorway. "The car is ready, Ms. Ashford. Security is in position. And..." She hesitated.

"What?"

"Damon Blackwood's team confirmed his attendance. He'll be there. With Aria."

"Good." I picked up my clutch—a limited edition piece that cost more than Damon made in a month. "Is everything else prepared?"

"Yes, ma'am. The presentation is ready. The press has been notified. And Phantom has confirmed the files are secure and ready to release on your command."

I turned to face Maya, my expression ice cold. "And the Blackwood Pack? Their financial records?"

"All of it. Every dirty secret. Every embezzled dollar. Every lie." Maya's lips curved into a rare smile. "He's going to be destroyed."

"Not destroyed," I corrected, walking past her to the elevator. "Exposed. There's a difference."

The elevator descended to my private parking garage. But instead of my Bugatti, a sleek black limousine waited.

Tonight required a different kind of entrance.

I slid into the back seat, the door closing with a soft click. The privacy screen was up, separating me from the driver.

I pulled out my phone and opened my secure server. Files upon files of data I'd spent the last week compiling with Phantom's help.

Bank statements showing Damon had been siphoning money from pack funds for years.

Wire transfers to offshore accounts in Aria's name.

Emails between him and several investors, revealing he'd been selling pack land without the council's approval.

Evidence of tax fraud. Of bribery. Of corruption that went all the way to the top.

By the time I was done tonight, Damon Blackwood would lose everything.

Just like I had.

The car pulled up to the venue—a five-star hotel with a red carpet leading to the entrance. Photographers lined both sides, cameras flashing as various celebrities and business moguls made their entrances.

My door opened.

I stepped out, and the flashes intensified. Blinding. Deafening.

"Luna Ashford!"

"Ms. Ashford, over here!"

"Is it true Phantom Industries is announcing a new partnership tonight?"

I smiled for the cameras, cold and perfect, giving them nothing but the image I wanted them to see.

Then I walked inside.

The ballroom was massive, glittering with chandeliers and filled with the city's elite. Everyone was dressed to impress, networking, drinking champagne that cost more per bottle than most people made in a week.

I scanned the room, my eyes searching.

And then I found him.

Damon Blackwood.

He stood near the bar, looking exactly the same as he had five years ago. Same expensive suit. Same perfectly styled hair. Same cold, handsome face that had once made my heart race.

Now I felt nothing.

Aria was beside him, her arm linked through his, wearing a dress that probably cost a fortune. She was laughing at something he said, her perfectly manicured hand resting on his chest.

They looked happy. Perfect. Like they belonged together.

Good.

It would make their fall so much sweeter.

I grabbed a glass of champagne from a passing waiter and made my way through the crowd. People parted for me automatically, their conversations stopping as I passed.

Luna Ashford commanded attention.

I was halfway across the room when Damon looked up.

Our eyes met.

I watched as confusion flickered across his face. Then recognition. Then shock.

His entire body went rigid. The glass in his hand nearly slipped from his fingers.

Aria noticed his reaction and followed his gaze. Her eyes widened when she saw me.

I smiled. Slow. Deadly.

And kept walking toward them.

"Luna?" Damon's voice was barely audible over the music. He said my name like he'd seen a ghost. Like he couldn't believe I was real.

"Damon," I said pleasantly, stopping in front of them. "Aria. What a surprise seeing you both here."

"Luna, you... you look..." Damon couldn't seem to finish the sentence. His eyes traveled over me, taking in the dress, the hair, the confidence radiating from every pore.

I was nothing like the woman he'd thrown away.

"Different?" I supplied. "Yes, five years will do that to a person."

Aria recovered first, plastering on a fake smile. "Luna, we had no idea you'd be here. You look... well."

"I know." I took a sip of my champagne. "I've been doing exceptionally well, actually. Built a multi-billion dollar company. Became one of the most powerful people in tech. You know, the usual."

The color drained from Damon's face.

"Wait," Aria said, her smile faltering. "You're... you're Luna Ashford? The Luna Ashford? CEO of Phantom Industries?"

"The one and only."

"But... but how..." Damon stammered, still staring at me like I was a hallucination.

"How did the weak, pathetic, worthless woman you threw away become this?" I finished for him. "Hard work. Determination. And a burning desire to prove every single person who underestimated me wrong."

I looked directly at him. "Especially you."

"Luna, I—"

"Save it." I cut him off. "I'm not here for apologies or explanations. I'm here for business. Speaking of which..." I glanced at my watch. "You might want to check your phone. I believe your investors are trying to reach you."

Damon frowned, pulling out his phone. His face went white as he read whatever was on the screen.

"What... what did you do?" he whispered.

"Me?" I asked innocently. "I simply made sure the truth came to light. The truth about where the Blackwood Pack's money has really been going for the past five years. The offshore accounts. The embezzlement. The fraud."

"You bitch," Aria hissed, stepping forward.

I didn't even flinch. "Careful, Aria. We're in public. Wouldn't want to make a scene."

"You can't do this," Damon said, his voice shaking with barely controlled rage. "You have no right—"

"I have every right. You stole from your pack. You lied to them. You betrayed their trust." I leaned in closer, my voice dropping to a deadly whisper. "Just like you betrayed mine."

"Luna, please," he said, and for the first time I heard desperation in his voice. "We can talk about this. Work something out. I'll give you whatever you want."

"What I want?" I laughed, cold and bitter. "What I want, Damon, is to watch you lose everything. Just like I did. Just like you made me do when you threw me away like garbage."

"I made a mistake," he said. "I was wrong. I should never have—"

"You're right. You shouldn't have. But you did. And now you get to live with the consequences."

I turned to walk away, but Damon grabbed my arm.

Big mistake. I looked down at his hand on me, then back up at his face. My expression was so cold it could have frozen fire.

"Remove your hand," I said quietly. "Or lose it."

He let go immediately.

"Luna, please," he tried again. "For what we had. For Kai—"

"Don't you dare mention him." My voice turned lethal. "Don't you dare use my son against me."

"He misses you," Damon said desperately. "He asks about you all the time."

Something twisted in my chest. Just for a moment. The mention of Kai—my baby boy who had called me weak and ugly—still had the power to hurt me.

But I pushed it down.

"If he misses me, he has a funny way of showing it," I said coldly. "Last I remember, he wanted a pretty mother. Well, he has one now. You both got exactly what you wanted."

I started to walk away again.

"I loved you," Damon said behind me.

I stopped.

Turned back.

And laughed.

It wasn't a kind sound.

"No, Damon. You never loved me. You used me. There's a difference." I met his eyes one last time. "But don't worry. You'll have plenty of time to think about that when your pack strips you of your Alpha title and you lose everything you've built. Just like I did."

I walked away, leaving him standing there in the middle of the ballroom, his world crumbling around him.

Revenge tasted sweeter than I'd imagined.

I was making my way to the exit—I'd accomplished what I came here to do—when I felt it again.

The mate bond.

Stronger this time. Pulling at me with an intensity that made me pause mid-step.

I turned.

Draven Craven stood at the entrance to the ballroom, his eyes locked on mine across the crowded room. He was wearing a different suit than this morning. This one was all black, tailored to perfection, making him look like a beautiful nightmare. And he was staring at me like I was the only person in the entire room. The bond thrummed between us, alive and demanding.

No.

Not tonight.

Not ever.

I turned and walked out the side exit, my heels clicking against the marble floor. I would not let another mate destroy me.

Not even one who looked at me like that. Not even one who made my wolf howl with recognition.

Never again.