CHAPTER NINE — This One's For You
1106 Words
CLAIRE'S POV
“Come look at this! I just finished a new painting.” Isabella called out sweetly.
The lilt of her voice was too cheerful—as if she hadn’t collapsed the night before.
But the moment she noticed I was beside Ethan, my wolf caught the subtle shift in her heartbeat.
Then came the sound of her closing in and the rustle of fabric.
I didn’t need eyes to know what she was doing—her scent moved in fast and deliberately, wrapping around Ethan as she pressed herself into him flirtatiously.
“Why is she here?” she asked softly, pretending she didn’t know.
Such a pretentious she-wolf.
“She came to apologize,” Ethan responded.
Another two-faced wolf.
My stomach churned in disgust.
“Oh, Ethan. I told you—I already forgave her. You didn’t have to bring her all this way.”
She turned slightly toward me—I could feel it by the shift in her scent and the faint brush of air.
“I don’t want this to be a big deal between us, Claire,” she said, her voice trembling with false sincerity. “You’re still my sister. That hasn’t changed.”
I didn’t respond right away. Instead, I smiled—not the sweet kind, but sharp enough to cut her whole.
Today, I’d give them an apology they’d never forget.
“I appreciate your forgiveness, Isabella. Truly.”
My tone wasn’t missed.
I sensed her wolf rise, barely restrained—hot and agitated.
Ethan’s grip on my waist tightened slightly, a silent warning to stop.
In the middle of the rising tension, Ethan's phone rang.
“I'll just take this call. Will you be okay here?” he asked me, his voice layered with pretend concern, but I understood the undertone.
He was silently telling me to behave.
I nodded calmly.
He stepped out of the living room—leaving only me and Isabella behind.
And that’s when her gentle façade fell away.
She stepped closer to me, and the moment her scent hit me, my wolf snarled inside.
She leaned in close to my ear and whispered, venomous and low,
"Look who finally learned to grovel."
A cruel chuckle escaped her lips. “Does your face still hurt? Neil’s kick was brutal, wasn’t it? Pity it didn’t land on your stomach—your little bastard could’ve been sent straight to hell.”
My patience snapped completely.
CRACK!
I slapped her hard across the face with every bit of strength a “useless Luna” could muster.
The sound reverberated through the air like a gunshot.
She stumbled back, clutching her cheek. “Claire, what's wrong with you?!”
She shrieked in a shaky voice. This wasn’t an act anymore—she was genuinely shocked.
For the first time, maybe she realized I wasn’t the same pushover she used to toy with.
Without hesitation, I stepped forward, fingers closing around a vase I had memorized a hundred times in this house. The cool ceramic met my palm—and I hurled it.
Straight in her direction.
CRASH!
It shattered against the floor, followed by her sharp scream.
The scent of blood bloomed in the air.
I darted toward the sound of the broken pieces, crouching low. My fingers searched until they found a sharp shard.
Ethan’s hurried footsteps echoed through the hallway—returning to the living room.
“Claire!” His deep, commanding voice thundered through the space.
A split second later, his hand seized my wrist, halting me from swinging the glass at Isabella. Though truthfully, I never meant to lash the shard at her.
I just wanted to release the fury—the hatred that had been piling inside me for so long.
“Stop!”
He growled—not just with his voice, but with his wolf rising to the edge.
“Let go of me, Ethan!” I snarled back, mustering every ounce of strength to break free.
“I said stop it!”
His Alpha nature roared beneath his words, vibrating through the room. And still—I didn’t back down.
His blazing anger wasn’t just about what I did. It was about who I did it to. His wolf couldn’t stand the fact that I had hurt Isabella.
And yes, I did it of my own will.
I’d had enough of their fake pity. Their gaslighting. Their endless provocations. If I didn’t stand up for myself now, they would never stop until I was ruined entirely.
But before I could say another word—his palm struck me across the face.
The impact sent me stumbling.
The sting burned my cheek, but I didn’t cry out.
This was the first time Ethan had laid a hand on me in all our three years together.
I thought his betrayal had already broken me.
But this?
This destroyed whatever dignity I had left.
“What the hell are you doing?!”
He growled, his voice sharp with disbelief. “Was this your plan all along when you insisted on coming here?”
Before he could even catch his breath—I slapped him back.
PA!
The room dropped into a deadly silence.
“That one’s for you,” I spat, my voice calm and flat—but my wolf inside me was howling.
She wanted out. She wanted to destroy him. This wasn’t just rage now. It was hate.
Hate for the betrayal. Hate for the tiny life that never got the chance to breathe.
They forced me to become this.
His breathing turned ragged—but he didn’t speak.
Then Isabella, on the side, whimpered, “E-Ethan… it hurts…”
I heard blood drip onto the floor.
Ethan moved swiftly and scooped her into his arms, brushing past me like I was just a stranger in his path.
I stood there, breath heaving, my hand still clenched around the shard. Blood trickled from my palm as the broken glass bit into my skin.
A bitter laugh almost rumbled out of me.
The servants scrambled at the sight of the wreckage I’d left behind.
Gasps filled the hallway, then a voice called out—
“Inform the Enforcers. Now!”
Within minutes, I heard the heavy footsteps of approaching wolves—authority figures bound to the Pack’s law.
“Luna Claire,” one of them said sternly. “You’re being taken into custody for violent conduct against a ranked wolf and an Alpha. You’ll answer before the Council.”
I nodded once—calm, silent. I didn't struggle or plead.
I knew exactly what I’d done.
And I didn’t regret it.
- Writer
