The Scorned Luna Lives Again!

Chapter Twelve

Looking at her savings she had enough to buy a nice dress and still have enough to buy her independence from the pack. She planned to open her own jewelry shop and live a quiet life away from her family though as she looked at the invitation to the event she began to feel a strange tug on her heart. Could she really abandon all of it? Even Mikhail? She hid the envelope in a secret compartment of her nightstand and curled up to strategize, putting away her emotions for now.

Luckily for Ashlyn, Lily was so busy trying to seduce Marcus and didn't notice Ashlyn and Mikhail getting closer. He even took her shopping for the auction, a simple but elegant floor length, black dress that shimmered with silvery sparkles. It clung nicely to her figure, her natural curves were accentuated without exposing anything giving her a strong and alluring presence.

Mikhail was stunned by her natural beauty and grace, Lily always bought the most trendy and often more revealing outfits. It hasn't really dawned on him how differently the two sisters were.

After shopping they went out to lunch, enjoying a quiet time out until Ashlyn spotted an all too familiar figure draped around Marcus's arm in the distance.

The pair was cozy in a booth, his hand resting on her bare thigh as she pressed her breasts firmly against his arm while giggling at some comment he made and he was leaning in to enjoy her pheromones more closely. The scene made Ashlyn tremble from rage and disgust.

Mikhail growled in disapproval but Ashlyn touched his hand. "Don't... It's not worth it."

He sighed and the siblings left quietly. The guilt was eating away at Mikhail. How could he have never noticed how bad the relationship between Ashlyn and Lily was? How could he have missed what a shameless person Lily was?

When they got back to the pack Ashlyn could smell Marcus's scent everywhere, the pair didn't even hide their relationship in front of the pack. Some members were visibly uncomfortable with the pair but others knew Lily was favored by Alpha Jacob so the idea of her getting Alpha Marcus's love was not an outlandish one. Still the air in the pack was tense.

Ashlyn paid no mind, locking herself in her room to avoid Lily and Marcus as much as possible. Her focus was staying out of trouble before the auction.

The night of the auction Ashlyn focused on dressing to impress. She styled her long honey hair into soft, bouncy curls that flowed gently down her back, her bright ruby eyes shimmered with anticipation as she slipped on her new dress and silvery heels.

The final touch to her ensemble was a black phoenix stone necklace of her own design. It was her favorite design, it consisted of a large ovular piece of jet black stone that shimmered with a colorful light that resembled a raging fire when the wearer moves, the stone was nestled in a sterling silver setting that looked like a Phoenix. The necklace wasn't too big but big enough to show every detail. She complimented the necklace with matching stone earrings that dangled from their silver settings and a simple but elegant sterling silver bracelet.

Looking at her own reflection she was surprised, she looked like a completely different person. Young, confident and strong. She never realized how different dressing up could change how she felt about herself as she never dressed up in her past life. There was never a reason to. Her brothers refused to be seen with her, she was too shy to make friends and Marcus kept her under lock and key so she never went out besides to work and run errands. It felt like a monumental step towards the freedom she craved and as she threw open her door she was ready to face whatever was to come.

She managed to make it to the auction without incident. She tried to be confident but as she pulled up to the auction house she was intimidated by the opulence of the building, it was on par with the houses of nobility which was understandable as it was once the pack house of an ancient and powerful pack long since gone. The elders kept it maintained and renovated it to fit in modern times but it never lost its ancient charm. The building was made of black stone and the lights cast a timeless golden glow that beckoned you inside.

After giving the guard her invite she scanned the lavish foyer for Mikhail, it was hard to see him when there were so many well dressed ladies and gentlemen all cluttered together. Everything about this event was giving off an aura of wealth and refinement that made Ashlyn feel a bit intimidated. She had basic lessons in etiquette for dinner parties but she was never a great conversationalist. Her timid upbringing always made it difficult to speak confidently with others so people would find her awkward or weak.

She fidgeted nervously as she navigated the crowd. Despite her new found confidence, large crowds of strangers was still a difficult obstacle for her. Luckily she found Mikhail, chatting casually with some of his fellow art lovers. She made her way to him, as she drew closer one of the females that were chatting amongst the group spotted her necklace.

"That's gorgeous, such a simple but elegant design. Who crafted it?" She asked calmly as she traced a gloved finger on the light silvery feathers of the necklace.

Ashlyn blushed with embarrassment. "I..I did." She said shyly.

The woman gasped, "you did it all? The designing and the crafting?" Her eyes were wide with disbelief.

Mikhail smiled proudly. "That's my younger sister, talent runs in the family you know." He said boisterously.

The collective chuckled at his comment, a younger beta male nudged him playfully. "You and her maybe, the other two have no talents." He teased.

Mikhail's cheeks flushed for a moment. Jacob and Lily were not very talented, Jacob found it a waste of time to pursue hobbies and Lily just lacked talent in everything she tried. Still he felt awkwardly not being able to defend them.

Ashlyn smiled softly, "they have their own talents. Talent isn't easily measured by pursuits of art and creation. Jacob is a talented business strategist and financial manager. Lily had a gift with people. Talents that are often overlooked but valuable."

The crowd nodded in agreement and Mikhail smiled. He knew how she had been treated by both siblings but she refused to put them down even when given the opportunity. He thought back to the times like would catch Lily gossiping about Ashlyn or even Jacob to others that knew little about them. He was proud that Ashlyn was a gentler person and had a subtle grace to her.

After that the conversations went to topics of art, literature and light debates of various topics. Ashlyn was surprised that she not only was engaged but felt comfortable mingling with strangers.

As the time came for the actual auction to begin everyone began to file into the large attached auditorium. It looked almost like a small playhouse with rows and rows of soft cushioned seats facing a large wooden stage dressed with vintage velvet curtains. At the center of the stage was an elegantly crafted, wooden podium being well lit by massive spotlights, beside it was a matching wooden table to display the auction items lit with its own spotlight. To add to the aesthetics of an old fashioned theater there were large balconies lining the finely crafted walls where more prestigious guests sat.

It was exhilarating to Ashlyn who sat beside her brother in one of the balconies. It was more spacious than on the ground floor and offered drinks to the guests but her focus was how they could view the entire room from their seats.

The items being bid were creations of various packs or discoveries not claimed by the council. Art works. Vintage items. Even rare minerals were all auctioned. Mikhail watched proudly as his work was being auctioned off at high prices, the most expensive being his painting of the Moon Goddess. Many clamored for it but one person got it.

Though she was seated in the front amongst the usual guests she had bid for the painting at the staggering price of 1 million dollars. When they went to claim their prize Ashlyn was surprised to see that the bold buyer was the young actress and future powerhouse, Selena Sterling.