CHAPTER 5

ARIA

Music and laughter echoed through the grand Ironcrest hall. There were clinking glasses and the low murmur of pack members gathered to welcome me.

I stood among everyone, dressed in a glittery black dress, the fabric hugging my curves in all the right places before flowing to the floor. My honey-blonde hair was let loose.

And for the first time in a long while, I was truly happy.

I laughed and danced with the pack members, and for a while I forgot how life seemed to be throwing me around.

And just when I was getting lost in the moment, I spotted someone among the crowd.

It was the same woman who had been in the office with Davin.

The one who had been sharing a kiss with him.

She was dressed in a pale gold outfit, her blonde hair tied up in a ponytail. She looked so confident and beautiful, like a supermodel.

My smile died as I began to feel small and threatened by her presence.

“Oh, Aria,” Kylie said as she walked up to me. “I am Kylie. It is important you know that, as you are going to see plenty of me in this house.”

She continued as she looked me up and down.

“And next time,” Kylie added, “do not interrupt my time with Davin.”

I could tell immediately that Kylie was a mean girl, and I quickly made a mental note to stay clear of her.

“Anyway,” Kylie continued, “since you are the stray cat of the Ironcrest Pack, I got you a little present.”

Kylie pointed toward the entrance. I looked, and my breath caught.

Standing at the entrance were my sister, Nesta, and Karlo, my mate.

“Do you like my present?” Kylie asked, smirking.

“Oh, dear sister,” Nesta called from across the hall as she started toward me.

She stopped a few steps away, her eyes sweeping over me slowly, her face scrunching like she was inspecting something that did not deserve to be there.

“If it is not father’s favorite disappointment,” Nesta said, smiling. “So this is where you disappeared to.” She continued, her voice loud enough for everyone to hear.

Heads began to turn. Nesta had successfully drawn everyone’s attention to us.

I felt suddenly naked under the eyes of so many people.

“You clean up nice,” Karlo, my ex-mate, said, smirking, his eyes dragging over my dress.

“Almost convincing,” Nesta said, laughing.

I tried to speak, but I could not find the words.

Nesta had always bullied me and took every opportunity she came across to humiliate me.

Now my usual instincts were taking over, the urge to shrink, to disappear, to make myself smaller so the blows would hurt less.

“I remember how you begged father not to give you away,” Nesta said, stepping closer. “But look at you now, all dressed up and playing princess.”

“Nesta, please stop,” I begged as my heart clenched. “Let us not do this here.”

“You cannot fool anyone, Aria,” Nesta scoffed. “You will always be a filthy mistake.”

“Why are you here?” I asked, my eyes already filled with tears.

“Oh, I came to see for myself,” Nesta replied smoothly. “I was surprised when dear Kylie contacted me to say that you were forcing yourself into the lives of two brothers.”

“I did not plan for any of this,” I replied slowly as tears began to pour down my face.

“No one would ever love you, Aria,” Nesta said, laughing, happy that she had already made me cry. “The only person who could ever love you was mother.”

Before I could find the words to respond, Nesta reached out and shoved me hard in the shoulder.

I stumbled and slammed into the bartender carrying drinks. The drinks spilled all over my dress before we both fell hard onto the floor with a loud crash.

The entire room went silent.

“Oops,” Nesta said in a mocking tone. “Always clumsy.”

Shame and embarrassment filled me, and I wished I could just disappear.

Before I could help myself up, footsteps thundered through the room.

Davin got to me first. He knelt down beside me, his hands steady and gentle as he helped me sit up.

Kavin followed almost immediately, anger clearly written across his face.

“Get out,” Kavin snarled at Nesta.

Nesta stared at them, shocked to see both brothers defending me.

“So it is true,” she said, her voice laced with anger and jealousy. “You were not sold to some old, dying Alpha after all.”

“You get to choose,” Nesta spat. “You now have two Alphas to choose from.”

“I bet they do not know,” Nesta continued. “They do not know why father despised you and was so eager to sign you off in a contract.”

“Because you are a bastard,” Nesta said, making sure her voice was loud enough for everyone to hear.

“Watch your mouth,” Davin warned, his voice low and lethal.

“She is the product of an affair,” Nesta continued loudly, like she was making an announcement. “Mother spread her legs for another man and brought her home.”

“You are not Father’s daughter,” Nesta said, laughing.

The hall was deadly silent now.

I could not breathe. Nesta’s words landed like another blow to me.

I felt Davin stiffen. Felt Kavin go deadly still.

Nesta smiled. “That is why Father despised you, Aria. You were living proof of Mother’s betrayal.”

My knees gave out again as my vision suddenly became blurry, but this time Davin caught me before I fell.

Now the music had stopped, and the laughter was over.

“Get them out of here,” Davin commanded.

Security moved quickly, dragging Nesta and Karlo out of the hall.

But the damage had been done.

Nesta had successfully ruined the party that was meant to cheer me up.

I felt like my world was crumbling around me. Nothing I thought I had ever known was true.

Bastard.

Terrified, I kept repeating the word over and over in my head.

Who could my father be?