Chapter 14

~Grace~

I was back in my old house. I hadn’t been in my old bedroom for at least a week, and it looked like a mess.

I held the moonstone earrings Alex had given me in the palm of my hand, turning them over. They glinted in the warm light of my bedroom.

I hated being in here, hated pretending I had forgiven Liam, but it was necessary to take him down.

Wearing one of my old purple dresses, the signature color of the Nightshade pack, I stared at myself in the mirror.

I looked like Luna Grace–the Luna who had spent three years under Liam’s thumb.

This wasn’t who I was anymore.

I put the moonstone earrings in, my small symbol of rebellion.

It was time to go.

Gathering my things, I looked down the stone stairs, where Liam and Samuel waited for me at the bottom, both dressed nicely.

Liam looked up at me as my heels clicked on the stairs, and for a moment, he seemed stunned.

Did I really look that good to him? But I didn’t care.

My mind drifted to the dark castle of the Black Lycan clan, and I imagined myself gliding down the curved staircase, Alex’s beautiful figure waiting for me at the bottom, hand outstretched.

But, that was not reality.

I looked Liam in the eyes as I reached the bottom, trying to read his expression.

There was a kindness in his face I hadn’t seen in a long time, and he held out his hand for me.

I stared at it. How far into this play did I want to go?

I hated the very thought of touching Liam other than hitting him, but I needed him to think I believed his lie.

Before I could make up my mind, I saw Liam’s hand moving swiftly towards my face.

“What are you doing?” I said, instinctively moving backward.

“Take those filthy earrings off, they’re an insult to my name,” Liam hissed, and the moment of kindness I had seen before had vanished.

That was it. I couldn’t hold the charade any longer, I wasn’t going to let him control me.

“Don’t-” I began, but Samuel stepped in between us, grabbing Liam’s wrist before he could reach out again to tear off my earrings.

I looked at him in surprise, and Liam was floored.

I could see the thoughts brewing in his head–how dare his own Beta stop him, an Alpha?

Liam gave him a glare that could kill, but Samuel only looked at me.

I could see sweat beginning to form on Samuel’s forehead, poor thing. He must be scared out of his mind.

“You look beautiful, Luna Grace,” he said, the very slightest tremble in his voice.

I gave him the most honest smile I could, trying to convey how much I appreciated him standing up for me.

Samuel took my arm and escorted me, Liam following closely behind.

The banquet hall was as spectacular as ever, and most attendees had already arrived. Liam, Samuel and I entered, and we were immediately noticed by most.

So much drama and gossip surrounded Liam and I, there likely wasn’t a person in this room who hadn’t talked about us.

And tonight was the first public appearance we made together since Liam’s celebration party where he introduced Sophia’s return.

I ignored the curious faces looking our way, and immediately locked onto a tall figure dressed in the deepest black. Alex.

Even just sitting there, he looked powerful, and everyone felt it. He sat alone at a table in the corner, far from everyone else.

The night was awfully boring. Political brown-nosing, everyone coming up to Liam, praising him for his recent achievements and his progressive thinking with helping Omegas.

It was all fake, and he deserved none of it. Liam, however, having been under the stress of being criticized for so long, didn’t seem to notice or care.

He was beaming, every word of praise filling him up like a balloon.

There was just one very obvious silent voice in the hall that taunted Liam.

Liam felt like he had finally won. He had gotten things under control. I had come back to him, people were praising him.

The last thing he needed to do to rectify his lost dignity was to humiliate Alex.

I had stood politely by Liam’s side the entire night, smiling when I was supposed to, but keeping conversation to a minimum.

I would barely have enough energy to fake liking Liam for the entire night, let alone talk to people I didn’t want to.

Liam suddenly grabbed my waist, and dragged me over to the corner of the hall, directly in front of Alex.

I clenched my fist, forcing myself to control my rage, letting him push me around.

Alex locked eyes with me, and I looked away. I hadn’t told him about my charade. What did he think of me?

“Your Highness, why are you alone here tonight? What happened to the hordes of women that usually flock around you?” Liam said, clearly mocking him.

Alex looked at him, expression blank.

“The tabloids love covering your romantic affairs–you’re with a new woman almost every day. And yet, here you are, by yourself,” Liam finished with a victorious sneer.

I felt numb. I didn’t care to read the gossip tabloids, so I hadn’t heard about Alex’s playboy lifestyle. The sensual voice of the woman in the background of Alex’s call played in my head, and I felt sick.

Was this all I was to him? Just another woman to seduce?

I would definitely keep my distance from him, now. And be more careful about our meetings. If I was going to work with him, I needed to make sure it would be business only.

“There’s someone I have eyes for,” Alex responded calmly. “I don’t have a need for other women.”

Of course he did. But who was it? The woman over the phone?

Liam let out a low laugh, clearly not believing him.

“Really? What does she look like, perhaps I’ve seen her around,” Liam taunted, overflowing with confidence.

I felt Alex’s gaze fall on me, but I wouldn’t look at him. Why should I care what the woman he liked looked like?

“She’s different from any other woman I’ve ever met. Her brown hair looks like silk woven from the most skilled weaver, her chestnut eyes burn with a passion matched by none, her full figure curves beautifully like a river, and her lips…”

As Alex spoke, I felt his gaze linger over different parts of me, and as I looked at him now, his eyes settled on my lips.

“...they can silence a thousand voices with just one word,” he finished, now looking into my eyes.

Oh my god. He wasn’t- he couldn’t-

He was talking about me. There was no doubt about it.

Most wolf women carried smaller, more slender frames, due to high metabolism. It had become the standard of beauty for wolf women, and even if they didn’t naturally have this body, most strived for it.

Being fuller than the majority of wolf women, I had always felt insecure about my figure.

He had to just be provoking Liam. I looked away from Alex, shifting uncomfortably.

Of course, he didn’t actually have eyes only for me. This was just another ruse to upset Liam, and it was working. I could hear Liam’s breathing becoming more ragged beside me.

It hurt that Alex would use me in this way, though.

I looked at Alex slowly, trying to read his expression, and he was still looking at me. His gaze was soft and pure, and it felt so genuine that I had to look away, feeling blood rush to my face.

There was no way!

Next to me, Liam snapped, his perfect night shattered. “Alexander Black, enough! Stop your delusions!”