“Look at all those assholes,” Gabriel said, squinting his eyes and downing another drink. The constant stream of wolf pack leaders heading towards the King and Amelia was making Gabriel sick to his stomach. One at a time they stepped forward, shook hands with the King, and bowed to kiss Amelia’s hand. “Ass kissers,” Gabriel scoffed, letting out a slight hiccup.Gabriel had been fixated on the scene ever since dinner had ended. It hadn’t taken long for everyone to forget about the little scene that had transpired between Amelia and Gabriel. The King’s last announcement was fresh on everyone’s mind.She was looking for a mate! And, with the wine flowing and the dance about to begin, everyone was excited to don their masks for the masquerade ball. Laughter filled the air as people put on their masks for the masquerade ball. “Do they think they’re good enough for her?” Gabriel asked, eyeing the King and Amelia from across the room. “Look at that one! He’s a joke! His tie’s crooked, jus

Gabriel grabbed another drink and swigged it back. He ran his hands through his thick black hair and sighed.The ruby acknowledged her as Luna. It shone when she picked it up…He’d seen it with his own two eyes. But how was that possible? Gabriel was a mess. He didn’t know what to do. A series of emotions swelled within him: anger, confusion, regret, embarrassment. People were snickering; they were laughing at him. The woman he’d brought as a date had just admitted to poisoning the Alpha King’s daughter. Plus, she’d stolen the ruby. This is a fucking disaster… He had to fix this. The King would be angry, yes. But he could talk to the King. Explain things. That left Amelia. He needed to talk to her. The ruby had acknowledged her as Luna… “Darling,” Vivenne said, approaching Gabriel. “I’m as shocked as you are, really! I had no idea! That liar! I guess I was wrong about her. Shall we send some men to find Sophia?” Gabriel rubbed his temple with his fingertip

The next morning.“The car is ready when you are, Miss Amelia,” Alfred said. Amelia was working her way through breakfast, but if the car was already waiting…She slammed back the last dredges of coffee and made her way outside. A shiny, new Rolls-Royce Phantom was waiting at the gate. Amelia shook her head. “Thank you for the lovely car but I’d prefer to ride with Olivia,” Amelia told the driver. He promptly closed the door.“Sometimes I don’t understand you,” Olivia said, laughing as Amelia ducked into her Mercedes e300. “You’re a princess. Act like one! There’s nothing wrong with flaunting your tiara now and then.”Amelia frowned at her friend. “I disagree. To truly earn one’s respect, you have to prove your worth. It’s not enough to just ‘be a princess’, Livs. I need to show people that I’m worthy of that status. People don’t really bow down to superiority or high rank. They only pretend to. I was Luna, remember? I had the high title but no one was submissive to me. Not really.

Amelia passed the phone back to Olivia, a pained look on her face. Olivia recognized the look. She still cares about him, Olivia sighed. She pretends she doesn’t, but clearly she does. Amelia shook her head, trying to shake away the memory of that first night. She’d been so hopeful, so sure that things would work out. But it had all gone to shit. No matter now, though. She was in a better place. And she had a company to run. Olivia took her phone and tucked it away into her pocket. She felt really bad for rubbing Gabriel in Amelia’s face like that. She hated him, yes, but she loved her friend and didn’t want to see her hurt. She decided to change the topic to get Amelia’s mind off Gabriel. “Hey, I meant to ask you. Do you remember Lily and Laura?” “Of course,” Amelia smiled. The change of topic worked. Amelia’s mind turned to the two twins from the Solas Pack. “We were in the sisterhood together. During school.”

Jonathan led the girls back to their VIP seats. He kept his hand firmly on the small of Amelia’s back. It felt nice – strong and protective. And she couldn’t help notice that when they sat back down at the table, he sat right beside her.Lily was visibly upset. She reached for a drink. “I’m so sorry,” she sighed, her head low. “Rick is such an ass. He’s a beta, for crying out loud. He should behave better. He just thinks he can have whatever he wants. It’s embarrassing. For the whole pack.” Her friends were sympathetic. “It’s not your fault and it’s not your pack’s,” Amelia said. “Trust me, I speak from experience. If we judged Gabriel’s pack based on Sophia and Vivenne’s actions – well, let’s just say the pack would have the worst reputation around.” Everyone nodded, especially Olivia. She knew all too well what those two were like. Just then, Laura excused herself. “I have to go check on my band,” she explained. “I still can’