I LIKED IT, BUT IT WASN’T MY GOWN

Zoe’s fever finally broke the next morning, and I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. Once she was steady on her feet again, I headed home, exhausted but relieved.There was still one thing left to deal with—tomorrow night’s banquet.The one where I had to show up looking like I belonged. Like I hadn’t spent the last few years hiding in the shadows of someone else’s life.I left that afternoon to find a gown.The boutique was luxury-level—soft jazz playing, the kind of lighting that made everything look like it belonged in a magazine spread. Sales associates swarmed around a single gown near the center of the floor, adjusting it with a reverence usually reserved for religious artifacts.Curious, I stepped closer.“Can I help you?” one of them asked with a tight smile.I returned it politely. “Just browsing for now.”She nodded and stepped back, but the watchful look in her eyes didn’t fade.I’d been married into the Westbrook family for years, but I was never the kind of wife

A CROWDED BANQUET

By the time we arrived, the banquet hall was already buzzing with energy—laughter, champagne, and the hum of gossip bouncing off crystal chandeliers and polished marble floors.I stepped in wearing the ivory embroidered gown. Simple. Classic. Safe.Almost instantly, I felt it—eyes tracking my entrance. Some lingered too long, some looked away too quickly. Admiration, curiosity, judgment; it all swirled in the air around me. But I didn’t flinch. Years of being married to Darius had taught me to walk through a room like I belonged, even when I didn’t feel it.The host, Leo—a long-time friend of Rocco’s—smiled and started to greet us. But before he could say a word, a voice shouted from the entrance.The entire room shifted.Something was coming.No—someone.Whispers rippled across the crowd like electricity on water. A collective breath held. I didn’t even need to turn. My body already knew.Leo stiffened, his smile faltering. Then he gave Rocco and me a quick, awkward nod and moved past

All Chapters of Too Late, Alpha — She’s a Queen Now: Chapter 21 - Chapter 22

I LIKED IT, BUT IT WASN’T MY GOWN

A CROWDED BANQUET