Chapter 5
1191 Words
Selena’s POV
We were exactly halfway through the countdown. Fifteen days since the contract became a death sentence for my marriage.
The Grand Hall of the Sirius Pack house was transformed into a palace of gold and white. Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, lighting over the hundreds of guests who had gathered. The air smelled of expensive champagne, fresh roses, and the overwhelming scent of power.
It was Claire’s birthday.
To anyone looking in from the outside, it looked more like a coronation than a birthday party. Claire stood in the center of the room, wearing an emerald green gown that hugged her curves perfectly.
She looked like a queen and a perfect Luna.
And I stood in the shadows, wearing a simple grey dress that allowed me to blend into the crowd. No one approached me. No one asked me why I hadn't brought a gift. No one even looked me in the eye.
To the Sirius Pack, I was already replaced. I was the ghost haunting the hallways, waiting for the final date of the divorce papers to banish me for good.
I watched as Theo walked through the crowd. He looked devastatingly handsome in his tuxedo with his dark hair styled perfectly.
He stayed close to Claire, his hand resting lightly on the small of her back. Every time she laughed, he smiled. Every time she spoke, he leaned in to listen.
My heart was aching. Just last night, that man had been in my bed, whispering my name, his hands desperate on my skin. But tonight, he belonged to her.
"Attention, everyone!" A voice boomed over the crowd.
The music lowered. I watched as a group of men entered the room, carrying velvet cases. I recognized them immediately. They were jewelry designers, some of the most prestigious in our world of jewelers.
A murmur of excitement went through the crowd.
"Alpha Theo is commissioning the engagement pieces!" Someone whispered loudly near me. “He’s going to let Claire choose her own ring.”
My stomach dropped. Jewelry. My world. My passion, but right now it felt like poison in my throat.
Theo led Claire to a long table where the designers had spread out their portfolios and sample pieces. Diamonds sparkled under the lights. Rubies glowed like fire. These were masterpieces, worth more than most people earned in a lifetime.
I drifted closer, staying behind a pillar, unable to resist the urge to see.
Claire looked over the designs with a critical eye. She picked up a diamond necklace, held it, and then put it down with a sigh of boredom.
She flipped through a sketchbook from a famous designer in Paris, shaking her head.
"Well?" Theo asked, his voice projecting across the room. “Do you see anything you like, Claire? I want you to have the best.”
Claire pouted, looking up at him through her long lashes. “They're all fine, Theo. But they aren't special. They lack soul.”
The designers looked offended, shifting uncomfortably.
"What do you want, then?" Theo asked, playing the part of the doting fiancé perfectly. “Name it, and it’s yours.”
Claire smiled, her eyes gleaming with greed. “I want Violet Stone.”
The name hit me like a physical slap. I froze behind the pillar, my grip on my glass tightening until my knuckles turned white.
A hush fell over the room.
"Violet Stone?" Theo repeated. He frowned slightly. “The anonymous designer? She’s a ghost, Claire. No one knows who she is. She doesn't take commissions from just anyone.”
"But I'm not just anyone," Claire said, running a hand down Theo’s arm. “I am going to be your Luna. And if you really want this alliance to work, if you really want to make me happy, then you’ll get her for me. I want my engagement ring and wedding set designed by Violet Stone. Nothing else will do.”
Theo took her hand and kissed her knuckles. “If you want Violet Stone, I will get her for you and pay whatever price she names. You will have your custom set.”
The crowd cheered, clapping for the romantic gesture, but I stood there, feeling like the floor was opening up beneath me.
Theo was promising to hunt me down to design the ring he would use to marry her. The irony was so sharp it felt like it was cutting my throat.
However, what he didn't know was that the cufflinks, lapel pin, and ring he always wore were designed and crafted by Violet Stone. He liked the jewelry, but never once asked how I had gotten it.
‘Good luck, Theo,’ I thought, a cold, bitter laugh bubbling in my chest. ‘Violet Stone is going to reject you so fast your head will spin.’
I turned to leave, unable to watch the charade any longer. I needed to get to my attic. I needed to log into my secure email and draft the most professional, stinging rejection letter in history. Whenever I receive any request to design and create engagement jewelry, I decline it.
But before I could escape, a large man bumped into me. He was an Alpha from a neighboring pack, holding a glass of scotch. He looked down at me, blinking in confusion.
"Oh, excuse me, miss," he said, his words slightly slurred. He looked around, then pointed his empty glass at me. “Be a dear and fetch me a refill, would you? The service in this place is slow tonight.”
I stared at him offended. He thought I was a waitress.
"I..." I started to speak, to tell him that I was Selena Kensington, the current Luna of this pack. But the words died on my tongue.
Was I?
"Oh, look!" The man’s wife interrupted, grabbing his arm. She pointed toward the center of the room, where Theo and Claire were toasting with champagne. “There they are! Alpha Theo and his Luna. Aren't they a stunning couple? She radiates such power. Much better than the rumors I heard about his first wife.”
"Yes," the man agreed, ignoring me completely now. “That Claire is a prize. The Sirius Pack is lucky to have her. I heard the ex-wife was a mute or something? Totally useless.”
They laughed and walked away, leaving me standing alone in the middle of the crowd.
I felt cold. Ice cold.
For weeks, I have been hurting and crying. I had been desperate. But in that moment, as I watched my husband toast to his future with another woman while his guests mocked me to my face, something inside me hardened.
I wasn't sad anymore. I was done.
I looked at Theo one last time. He was smiling at Claire, but his eyes were scanning the room, as if looking for something. When his gaze finally landed on me in the shadows, his smile faltered for a fraction of a second.
I didn't smile back. I didn't cry. I simply stared at him with finality.
I love him, but I'm clearly not what he wants.
- Writer
