Chapter Nine
927 Words
Chapter 9 – Envy Wears a Smile
Chloe had always known how to wait.
Waiting was a skill she had mastered early in life, waiting for attention, waiting for recognition, waiting for someone to finally choose her first. She had waited through childhood, through training grounds and pack gatherings, through whispered comparisons and stolen glances that never lingered long enough.
And she had waited for Alex.
She stood just beyond the boundary of Darkmoon Park, hidden beneath the canopy of towering oaks, her presence masked by the careful control of her scent. Night clung to the forest like a living thing, heavy and watchful. The moon hung low, pale and distant, offering no comfort.
The whispers reached her long before the truth did.
They say she found her mate.
Not from Darkmoon.
Silvermoon Park.
Alpha Zane Evans.
Each word struck like a blade.
Chloe’s lips curved into a smile, slow, deliberate, practiced. Anyone watching would have thought she was pleased. Anyone watching closely would have seen the fracture beneath it.
Alpha Zane Evans.
The ruthless Alpha.
The men and women whispered about with fear and desire tangled together.
And Zendaya Schmidt, the girl who had always been too kind, too quiet, too loved, was his mate.
Chloe’s nails dug into her palms as her heart pounded violently against her ribs.
Her.
Not Chloe. Not the girl who had worked for every scrap of admiration. Not the one who had clawed her way into relevance.
Zendaya.
The thought curdled into something ugly inside her.
She moved silently through the trees, drawn toward a familiar scent, sharp, stormy, and fraying at the edges. Alex.
He was near the training grounds, pacing like a caged animal, his aura flaring erratically. Chloe watched from the shadows as he slammed his fist into the trunk of a tree, bark splintering under the force.
She was mine, he snarled to no one. She was mine.
The words sent a thrill and a wound through Chloe’s chest.
She stepped forward, letting her presence be known. Alex…
He didn’t turn. They think I don’t care,” he continued, his voice rough. They think that because I rejected her, I lost my claim.
Chloe swallowed, carefully shaking her expression into concern as she approached him. You were confused. Anyone would have been.
Alex laughed bitterly. She didn’t even fight for me. She ran straight into another man’s arms.
The words burned.
Chloe reached for him, placing a hand on his arm, her voice soft. Maybe she wanted to hurt you. Maybe she wanted you to feel what she felt.
Alex finally turned, his eyes wild. She replaced me.
That was it.
That was the moment Chloe knew.
No matter how much time passed, no matter how many nights Alex spent in her bed, Zendaya would always exist between them like a ghost. Chloe would never truly have him, not while Zendaya breathed.
Alex pulled away from her touch, already lost his anger. I’m going to confront him.
Chloe’s heart skipped. Alex
I don’t care who he is, Alex growled. Zendaya was mine first.
He stormed off toward the Schmidt residence, his fury a living thing.
Chloe remained behind, staring into the darkness.
A slow, poisonous thought bloomed.
If Zendaya disappeared…
If Zendaya was removed from the equation…
Alex would finally see clearly.
She exhaled and lifted her chin.
Patience, after all, was her greatest weapon.
The Schmidt residence glowed softly in the distance, lanterns illuminating the stone path. Chloe circled wide, avoiding the front where guards lingered, her mind already working through possibilities.
Inside the house, voices rose, raised, angry.
Alex had arrived.
Chloe slipped closer, just enough to hear.
You think you could just take her? Alex shouted. She was fated to me!
Zane’s voice answered, low and lethal. You rejected her. She owes you nothing.
Zendaya’s scent flared: fear, distress, confusion.
Chloe smiled.
Moments later, Zendaya fled the confrontation, her steps hurried as she ran back toward the house. Chloe melted into the shadows, following quietly.
Zendaya entered the house through the side door, her breath uneven. Chloe watched as she paused at the base of the stairs, muttering under her breath.
My necklace… Zendaya whispered.
The silver pendant, her grandmother’s. Chloe knew it well. She had seen Zendaya wear it countless times.
Zendaya climbed the stairs, unaware she was no longer alone.
Chloe signaled silently.
Figures emerged from the darkness inside the house, hooded, masked, hired hands loyal not to Darkmoon, but to coin and secrecy. Their movements were swift and coordinated.
Zendaya froze at the top of the stairs when she saw them.
Who she began.
A hand clamped over her mouth.
She fought.
Kicked.
Scratched.
But fear weakened her, and the men were stronger.
Her scent exploded with panic.
Chloe stepped forward then, lowering her hood just enough for Zendaya to see her eyes.
Recognition flashed, then betrayal.
Chloe? Zendaya gasped through her hand over her mouth.
Chloe leaned close, her voice a whisper drenched in venom. You should have stayed broken.
Zendaya was dragged down the back staircase, through the kitchen, and out into the forest. Her pendant slipped from her fingers, clattering softly onto the stone floor, unnoticed.
The forest swallowed them whole.
Miles away, Zane stiffened mid-argument.
Pain, sharp and blinding, ripped through his chest.
Zendaya.
Her fear slammed into him through the bond, raw and desperate.
He inhaled deeply, his eyes glowing silver. She’s gone.
Alex turned sharply. What?
Zane was already moving, rage rolling off him in violent waves. Zendaya has been taken.
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