Chapter 4
555 Words
She looked at him, panic surging her. Damien chuckles slightly, saying, “I was just kidding.” He then turned off the light and went to sleep.
The next morning, bella woke to broad daylight filtering through the heavy curtains. She shifted slightly, and her ear brushed the pillow. Something cool and familiar pressed against her skin. Her hand flew up instinctively.
The starlight earring was back in place—both of them. The diamonds caught the light like captured moonlight, the gardenia design with pale pearls at the center exactly as Damien had commissioned them years ago.
Mixed emotions swirled in her chest. Relief, bitterness, and a fresh wave of pain. He had retrieved them, of course. The Alpha King always got what he wanted.
Her phone suddenly rang on the nightstand. It was her best friend, Lena Voss, one of the few who knew the ugly truth of her mating.
“Bella, are you okay?” Lena’s voice was sharp with worry.
“Hmm?”
“I’m sending you the trending feed. Check it now.”
Bella’s phone buzzed. She opened the pack-wide network and social streams.
#Alpha Blackwood Returns Victorious, Accompanied by Elegant She-Wolf Artist#
The top post showed photos of Damien and Serena together, along with a distinguished middle-aged couple. Serena wore the ancestral moonstone collar. Netizens were already calling it the “union of the century,” speculating about an official Luna ceremony.
Bella stared at the images. The middle-aged pair weren’t Serena’s parents—they were Damien’s godparents from a powerful allied pack. But the optics were perfect.
“So many wolves are ‘eating candy’ online,” Lena raged. “Do they know it’s candy dipped in poison? Elegant artist, my tail! Serena plays the lunar harp like a novice, bought her followers, and now she’s strutting like the next High Priestess. You have real talent and millions of genuine followers from your dance performances. She’s nothing!”
Bella smiled faintly and removed one earring with trembling fingers. “Damien has always preferred his green tea. There’s nothing I can do about it. I won’t keep playing along.”
“What do you mean?” Lena asked.
“I will be divorcing him. I’ll stay at your place for the next few days.”
Lena fell silent. She had always known how deeply Bella loved Damien—how she had once believed even the end of the world wouldn’t make her give up. The silence stretched.
After breakfast, Bella went into the study. She printed the divorce agreement she had prepared weeks ago in secret, then organized her electronic portfolio: stage recordings of her lunar dance performances, awards from the Celestial Conservatory, recent training logs, and her resume. She emailed everything to Alpha Ethan Storm, a respected contact from the Stormfang Pack who had offered to help submit her materials for advanced opportunities.
She packed lightly—only clothes for all seasons—and waited for Lena to pick her up.
As she climbed into the car, Bella turned for one last look at the grand Blackwood villa bathed in morning light. Tears stung her eyes.
Lena grabbed her hand. “Looking back at that cold-hearted Alpha will curse you for life!”
Bella squeezed back. “You’re right. Eyes forward. The next chapter will be better.”
- Writer
