Chapter 21

Chapter 21SelenaI rushed through the front door, my heart already pounding with a bad feeling I couldn’t shake.“Evan!” I called out, heading straight for the living room.Evan appeared from the kitchen, looking completely unbothered. “Hey, you’re home early—”“The dress,” I said, cutting him off. “Where is it? Did you pick it up from Chelsea’s place?”“Yeah, I picked it up hours ago,” Evan said, frowning. “Someone called me and said you dismissed early and needed it brought home urgently, so I went and got it.”My blood ran cold. “I never called you, Evan.”Evan’s face went blank. “What?”“I never told you to pick it up early,” I said slowly, watching the realization dawn on his face. “Someone called you pretending to be me.”Evan’s mouth fell open. “I… I thought it sounded a bit off but I just assumed it was bad reception and…” He looked genuinely horrified. “Selena, I’m so sorry, I never thought it was actually Serena….”“Where is she?” I asked, already heading for the stairs.“

Chapter 22

Chapter 22LucienI checked my watch for the fourth time.7:18 PM.Selena was late, and she wasn’t picking up her phone, and the car was waiting outside and the Gala was starting in less than an hour.I stood by the entrance of the mansion, my jaw tight with irritation, and I was just about to tell the driver to go ahead without her when I heard hurried footsteps approaching.Selena appeared around the corner, slightly breathless, her hair perfectly styled and the green gown hugging her body in a way that made my mouth go dry.“Alpha Lucien!” she said brightly, her smile wide and her energy unusually high. “I’m so sorry I’m late…i got a bit caught up getting ready!”I studied her for a moment, something at the back of my mind registering that something felt slightly off, but I dismissed it quickly because she looked absolutely stunning and I couldn’t think clearly when she looked like that.“Let’s go,” I said. “We’re already behind schedule.”During the ride to the venue, Selena was

Chapter 23

Chapter 23LucienI stared at her, my mind racing with suspicion, and I was about to demand an answer when I felt a familiar presence at my elbow.“Alpha.” Rowan’s voice was low and discreet beside me. “I apologize for the interruption, but Alpha Kieran is ready to sign the final contracts and he’s asking for you specifically—he won’t sign without your presence.”I held up one finger without looking at Rowan. “Give me a minute.”Rowan stepped back discreetly.I turned back to the woman beside me, studying her face carefully and looking for something I couldn’t quite name.She looked exactly like Selena, every feature, every curve, every detail of the gown perfectly in place—and yet something kept nagging at the back of my mind, a whisper I couldn’t ignore.But then she tilted her head and looked up at me with those eyes, and the doubt wavered.Maybe I was overthinking this. Maybe the head injury had genuinely affected her behavior, making her more impulsive and erratic than usual.I p

Chapter 24

Chapter 24SelenaAfter what felt like forever of banging and screaming into the empty darkness, my fist finally connected with Serena’s window at the right angle and the glass cracked and gave way.I used Serena’s pillow to clear the sharp edges, then looked down at the drop below.It wasn’t too far—maybe eight feet to the side yard—and I’d climbed worse when we were children sneaking out past curfew.I grabbed Serena’s clothes from the styling rack her stylist had left behind—a fitted silver dress that was nothing like my gown but would have to do—and changed quickly, then lowered myself through the window and dropped to the ground below.My ankles protested the impact but I didn’t stop, and I was already moving around the side of the house and onto the street before the pain even registered.I pulled out my phone and called Chelsea.She picked up on the first ring. “How’re you?”“Chelsea, listen to me carefully,” I said, already walking fast. “Serena knocked me out and locked me in

Chapter 25

Chapter 25LucienThe contract signing with Alpha Kieran went smoothly and quickly, and we shook hands firmly as his representatives collected the signed documents.“This alliance will serve both our packs well,” Kieran said with a satisfied nod.“Agreed,” I replied, already moving toward the door.I had a question that needed answering, and I needed to find Selena immediately.I was barely three steps out of the signing room when Damon appeared in front of me, stepping directly into my path.“Father,” he said. “I need to show you something.”“Not now, Damon,” I said, trying to move around him.“It’s about Selena,” he said.I stopped.“Five minutes,” Damon said, and there was something in his voice—a barely concealed eagerness that immediately made me suspicious of his motives. “Just come with me and see for yourself what she actually thinks of you, and then you can decide if she’s still worth your time.”I studied my son’s face for a moment, weighing my options, and then I decided th

Chapter 26

Chapter 26SelenaI watched Damon disappear through the glass doors with his shoulders tight and his pride in tatters, and I couldn’t help the small chuckle that escaped me.He’d planned so carefully, had set everything up so precisely, and it had fallen apart so completely that he couldn’t even understand how.I turned back to Lucien and smoothed my expression into something more appropriate.“I owe you an apology,” I said, keeping my voice soft and slightly sheepish. “For earlier tonight, the way I was behaving was strange and unprofessional and I’m sorry for that.”“You don’t need to apologize,” Lucien said, studying me with those sharp eyes. “You said you hit your head and needed rest.”“I did,” I said carefully, “and I think it affected me more than I realized.”“After a fall like that, you shouldn’t have even come tonight,” Lucien said, and the genuine concern in his voice made my chest warm. “You should have called me and told me what happened.”I blinked, genuinely surprised.