Kiara

I'd always known how to prepare for things that were going to happen in my life.

The end of my training, the first time I shifted into my full wolf form without screaming through it and many more. I knew how to brace for most of my life happenings.

But not this.

Not being rejected.

Not by my mate. Definitely not by Chase.

I couldn't move after he left. My body was still there, legs planted to the floor, but everything else inside me had collapsed. My chest felt like it was being torn open. I kept trying to breathe.

But every breath came with pain. Real, unbearable pain.

The door slammed open again.

This time it was my parents.

And just like that, the pain doubled.

My cheeks were already soaked in tears but I couldn't even wipe them away fast enough.

I looked up-just once.

My mother stepped inside, her eyes sweeping over the room like it made her sick.

And my father, his face said it all before it even came out of his mouth.

"You've embarrassed this family, Kiara!" he roared. "I am so disappointed in you."

I flinched.

Not because he yelled. I'd heard him yell before, so many times at Kylie.

But never at me. Never me.

"I didn't do anything, Dad," I said, my voice hoarse. "I swear, I don't even know how I got here. I didn't do anything wrong."

"Oh really?" My mother's voice was colder than I'd ever heard it. "So you did nothing wrong? You just casually slept with two wolves right before your wedding, then?"

There was something dead in her tone. Like she didn't even recognize me anymore.

"I don't know what happened," I said again. I was barely breathing now.

"I am done with this nonsense!" my dad snapped. "You disgust me! As of today, you're no longer a part of this family. You're off the family tree!"

I froze.

He meant it.

I saw it in his face.

"What?" I said, heart in my throat. "Dad, I've always been good. Always. Doesn't that count for something? Just one mistake. One... I don't even understand how it happened. I think I was drugged... someone set me up. I don't even remember how I got here..."

"It was one mistake," he shouted, fists clenched. "But it's the kind that destroys legacies. You've disgraced not just yourself, but us. The family? The entire pack even! Everything we built. All because you couldn't keep your legs closed. No child of mine will ruin my name. Not even you."

My knees gave out. I was still standing, but only barely.

I sobbed into my palms. My whole life, everything I thought I was was ripping into pieces in front of me and no one cared.

He turned and my mother followed.

I reached out.

"Mom... Dad... please. Don't do this. Don't abandon me. Not now. Please."

They didn't turn back.

They just kept walking until they vanished from my view.

And I broke. But I didn't get time to fall apart.

Because then, Kylie walked in.

She crossed her arms and watched me cry like she was watching a play.

And said nothing.

I blinked through tears. My vision shook. My throat burned. But I moved toward her anyway.

"Please help me, sister," I said, my hands clasped together. I wasn't even thinking straight anymore. I just needed someone, anyone. Everyone was turning on me. I needed someone to believe me.

"You'll have to get out of the Valley," Kylie said. Just like that.

"Huh?"

The words didn't register at first.

And then I saw it.

The look on her face.

That wasn't pity. That wasn't worry. That...

That was a smile. A smirk she was trying to hide.

No. No, I was imagining it. I had to be. My mind was playing tricks on me. Right?

"We're not having this discussion," she said. "You'll leave the Valley and never return."

"What are you talking about, sis?" I asked, stunned. "This is my home. My life is here. Chase-"

She laughed. Like she actually laughed.

"You think you still have Chase?" she said. "Oh no, dear sister. Chase was never yours. And this, everything that's happening right now? This is proof you were never meant to beat me to him."

"Kylie-"

She smacked her lips and began circling the room like she owned it. Like she owned me.

There was something dark in her eyes. Something I'd never seen before.

"What are you talking about?" I asked again. "I said I need your help. You could vouch for me, we were at the bar together, remember? We were both drunk, we-"

"The rules never applied to you." She said so casually out of nowhere ignoring my words. 

"What?"

"You were always the pretty one. The sweet one. The smart one. The one everyone trusted. Me? I was always the mistake. Always being judged. Even now, Chase was mine. He was always mine."

I stared at her.

None of this was making sense.

Where was this coming from?

She wasn't even making sense anymore.

"Come on," I said. "You know I can't control who my mate is. I didn't choose Chase. It's not like that. You were his best friend but I didn't take anything from you."

"You took everything," she hissed.

And suddenly she was laughing again. Spinning around, fingers in her hair like a mad woman.

I bit my tongue hard to stop myself from screaming. I only stopped when I tasted blood.

"I want you to feel it now," she said. Her voice dropped into something venomous. "I want you to feel the whole world turn against you."

"How could you do this to me?" I shouted. "We're sisters!"

Were we?

Nothing felt real anymore.

Chase had rejected me. My parents had disowned me. And now the only person left, the one I thought would help, was circling me like a predator.

"Sisters?" she spat. "You're a weak little wolf that everyone adored just because you had a pretty face. Sisters? Don't make me laugh."

It hit me.

Right then.

All of it.

And I said it.

"You spiked my drink."

It wasn't even a question.

But my voice trembled anyway.

"You did this to me."

"Yes!" she screamed, eyes wild. "So what? You ruined everything! You took everything from me! You deserve what you get!"

And then, her hand suddenly snapped forward and slapped me. Hard.

"That? I've always wanted to do that." She said afterwards.

My face burned and I stumbled backward, stunned.

Hot tears poured again.

I covered my cheek, but I couldn't cover the ache in my chest.

This... this was betrayal. Real betrayal.

"I don't understand," I whispered. I wanted to believe this was some kind of mistake. That I'd wake up soon and this would all make sense.

But she was still there. Still grinning.

And it only got worse.

"Chase was mine all along," she said. "And you took him. You just showed up like always and pointed. And got everything."

"I didn't take him away," I said, wiping my face with the back of my hand. "He's my mate. That's not something I chose. You know that."

"Oh, but we can choose," she growled. "We can. I would've chosen him a hundred times. But no one ever asked me. Because no one ever cared about what I wanted."

"That's not true."

But the words were weak.

And I could feel it all now.

Anger.

Pain.

Betrayal.

Twisting together into something sharp and suffocating.

She ran a hand through her hair, laughing again, and I bit down so hard I thought I'd scream.

"I want you to rot," she said. "You bitch."

"How could you do this?" I screamed. "You're my sister!"

She didn't care.

She sneered. "You were loved for nothing. You had everything. And now? You have nothing."

Her grin widened.

"Guess who's going to be Luna now," she said. "Guess who's going to marry Chase now, me! So do not wast your time begging, say goodbye to the Valley. No one wants you here anymore."

I wiped my eyes again. My body still shook but I wasn't crying this time.

I couldn't.

Not now.

Not after everything.

I had only one card left.

"I'm carrying Chase's child."

Her face cracked.

She went completely still.

This wasn't how I imagined it.

I thought it'd feel magical, beautiful even when I tell my family this news, preferably after the wedding. I'd thought about how chase would jump around at the news when I told him on our honeymoon, it was all me at to be a surprise, to be a thing of joy.

But now?

It felt like mud.

Like filth in my throat.

Her nostrils flared. She stepped away from the window like she wanted to lunge.

And I finally saw her for what she was.

Not a sister.

Not family.

A stranger.

"You're lying," she said, voice rising. "You're lying again."

"What do you think?" I said, my voice quieter now. "I'm pregnant. With Chase's child."

She laughed. A harsh, empty laugh. "You think anyone's going to believe that? After being caught in bed with two wolves? To everyone else, you're trash now. A slut. You lost an Alpha over two omegas. You're nothing."

"They'll believe me. I'll find someone from the bar. Someone who saw us. Someone who knows the truth."

She stiffened. I saw it.

She hated that.

Good.

"You won't find anyone," she said. "No one cares. No one's listening to you anymore."

"When I get proof," I told her, "you'll pay for this. You'll take responsibility. I'll make sure of it."

"Shut the hell up!" she screamed.

"I'll make you pay for this, Kylie. I swear to the moon-"

Then she moved. So fast that I did not see it coming, claws flashed before my eyes and before I knew it, fresh pain exploded through my stomach.

I gasped. I couldn't even scream.

Her claws pushed in deeper, and her hand twisted like she wanted me to feel every inch of it.

"You deserve to die," she said.

Blood filled my mouth. A single tear slipped from my eye.

She pulled back, and my knees buckled.

"You don't deserve him," she whispered, smiling as I crumbled.

I couldn't breathe. Heck, I couldn't even speak.

She watched me fall. While she kept laughing.

"Looks like you'll be heading to hell before me, dear sister," she said as the darkness swallowed me whole. "Greet the devil for me, will you?"

Kiara

Six years later,

I slipped through the mannequins like I wasn't even there, quiet, invisible, just trying to move fast enough to not be seen. I ducked into the side door and pushed my way toward the reception.

My feet ached already.

I sank behind the counter and breathed out like I'd just finished running a marathon no one clapped for.

The computer beeped in that annoying way it always did. I typed in my passcode like muscle memory, and just like that, the beeping stopped.

Then a man walked in from the side door.

His eyes were heavy, swollen like he hadn't slept in days.

"Is my order ready?"

His voice was sharp. I could Immediately tell that he was already irritated.

"What's your name, sir?" I asked, fingers already hovering over the keys.

We got people like him every week. The type that wandered from the first floor all the way to the third just to start a fight.

I could already tell what kind of customer he was. His whole energy screamed confrontation. But I tried-I really did-to keep my face still.

Don't judge. Don't assume. Just stay neutral. Do the job.

"Don't look at me like that," he snapped.

I blinked. "Like what?"

"You're talking back, huh?" He leaned in, close enough that I could smell his breath. His hand lifted, reaching toward my face.

I instantly slapped it away, hard.

I didn't even have the time to think it through.

I glanced toward security just in case. I wasn't scared.

If I wanted, I could rip him apart right here. Tear him into meat and not feel a damn thing.

But I couldn't afford that.

Not now.

This job was everything. My only lifeline.

So instead, we argued.

He tried to reach for me again and I told him off. My voice wasn't sweet. I didn't fake it for him.

When he finally stormed out, the tension snapped like a rubber band in my chest.

I breathed in, then out.

Then-

"Stop acting foolish at the very least!"

It was Erica. My boss.

I didn't need to turn. I already knew the voice.

I winced.

"Why would you speak to a customer like that?"

I swallowed. "You didn't even bother to ask why I did it."

"Again with the excuses!" She shouted, loud enough that my headache pulsed harder.

Unfair. She didn't even care what he did. She never cared.

"I work long hours," I muttered. "And someone comes in here-"

"You can quit then! Go find somewhere else to hide your pathetic self, huh?"

I sighed.

I clenched my hands, fingers curling into dry fists.

I couldn't say anything else.

I could've. God, I wanted to. But I didn't.

Because she was my boss. Because I had responsibilities now.

Because this wasn't a life I chose. It was one I was dragged into.

I had to survive.

I thought back. Back to that night.

The betrayal. The blood. The claws. My sister's face.

I had crawled my way out of hell with nothing but grit and silence and a hunger to stay alive.

No one knew me here. No one asked questions. I hadn't spoken to anyone from my past in six years. No Chase. No family.

Last I heard, Chase had left town.

Good for him.

I didn't care.

My boss turned with her usual exaggerated sigh. "How many times do I have to tell you-standing here means you're the face of my shop. At least try to look like it."

"I'm doing my best," I said.

"No, you're not," she said with that fake little smirk she wore like perfume. "You think I should do everything around here too? You look like you're ready to scare the clients away."

I said nothing.

Because I'd learned.

You don't fight her. You just wait. Let her talk herself out. She always did.

She'd hated me from day one, and I still hadn't figured out why. Maybe I reminded her of something. Maybe she just needed someone to hate.

"And you're not the type to be left alone," she added with a snort. "That's the problem, Kiara. You don't know the first thing about business."

"I should get back to my post," I said, my voice low, tired.

I circled around, one hand on my waist, not even sure where I was going.

Standing in one place made my knees scream.

Then the bells rang. The doorbells from the front.

I turned.

"We have a VIP," I said.

She stopped mid-rant. Her eyes snapped to the entrance, then lit up.

Money.

That look she got-it wasn't even excitement. It was hunger. Greed.

Because VIPs meant cash, cash meant prestige. And Prestige meant she could keep pretending I wasn't the reason her business was still afloat.

She wouldn't fire me. She couldn't. I was her best designer.

If there was a big name walking through that door, she'd shove me out front no matter how much she hated me.

It was just how people worked.

She practically skipped away, her heels clicking too loudly on the tile.

Her laugh echoed through the showroom.

That was definitely not just another VIP.

It had to be someone big.

I peeked out and saw her lead him toward the back. The measuring room. The private one.

She sounded... different.

Excited. Breathless. Giddy. Like a girl on a date, not a boss handling a client.

I tiptoed closer.

The door was slightly cracked. I pushed it open just enough to peek in.

His back was broad. Posture confident. He leaned slightly as he walked like the room itself didn't matter. Like nothing mattered.

Erica was practically bouncing beside him.

"You haven't been in here in three years," she said in her overly sweet voice. "I thought you abandoned my business ."

He chuckled.

Smooth.

Deep.

That sound alone made me pause.

I didn't know him.

But just from that laugh, that voice, I could imagine.

He was the type of man people didn't forget. The kind women whispered about after he left.

I shut my eyes. Just for a second. And imagined what it would be like to have someone like that as my own client, mine, not Erica's.

I loved what I did. I did. The joy of clients seeing my designs, the way they lit up when they wore something I made.

But Erica...

She stole everything.

Every piece I made, she claimed. Every compliment, she swallowed.

And I let her because I needed the job.

"I haven't been in town in five years," the man said.

Erica clutched the necklace around her neck. "I heard about the carnival. You missed it."

"Gillian made sure I didn't miss anything," he said. His hand touched the tabletop casually, like even furniture bowed to him. "But I'm back. And planning to stay."

"You're welcome anytime," she said. "You're my favorite, just so you know."

He nodded. "I like when you pretend I matter."

She laughed like it was a joke they'd shared for years.

And it probably was.

I started to turn away.

But just then, Erica saw me.

"I was just about to call you," she said, surprisingly polite. "Come in."

That rare politeness-it wouldn't last. But I took it. I savored it while it lasted and licked my lips as I walked in.

The warmth from the man's presence hit even though I had still not seen his face.

There was something about him... Something Familiar.

Familiar in a way that made my stomach clench.

I clutched the measuring tape close like it could protect me.

I'd dealt with plenty of expensive clients before.

But this man-he was different.

He didn't just wear luxury. He breathed it.

He had that air. The kind that made people listen. The kind that told you he wasn't just rich. He was dangerous. Important. Untouchable.

"Don't just stand there," Erica snapped.

Before I could move, his voice cut in.

"Let her be, Erica."

He was amused. I heard it in his tone.

Erica melted under it.

"We wouldn't want you looking bad for the reception party," she said, too breathy now. "Although I doubt you could look bad in anything."

"Well, if you're willingly allowing her to handle the measurements," he said, "then I'm not worried."

She gave me a quick glare before turning the smile back on him like nothing happened.

He beat every other client who'd ever walked through that door.

I stepped forward.

And Erica stepped back.

"I'll leave you to it then."

I moved to him, heart kicking at my ribs.

I reached to tap his shoulder.

He turned.

And I froze.

The smile dropped from his face.

His eyes sharpened.

Anger. Recognition.

And just like that- The color drained from my face.

Chase?

Chase.

She was here.

Kiara was here.

Alive.

Not dead.

Not missing.

Not even a rumor.

Right there. Standing in front of me in that black dress with her measuring tape, like the past didn't exist.

Like she hadn't shattered everything.

The second I saw her, everything slammed back into me. The room. The bed. The betrayal. The rejection. The look on her face when I said the words.

I'd tried so hard to forget.

I really thought I'd buried her.

I thought she was gone. I let myself believe it. Told myself over and over that she didn't exist anymore.

And now-

Now she was standing here like nothing ever happened.

She looked tired. Smaller than I remembered.

Yet still beautiful. God, still beautiful.

And that pissed me off more than anything.

How dare she still look like that?

How dare she still stir something in me just by standing there?

She held the measuring tape like it was the only thing keeping her steady. Her eyes glanced over my body, slow, calculating.

"Could I help you out of the jacket, sir?" she asked.

Sir.

She was pretending. Like she didn't know me. Like we were strangers.

And maybe that was the best way to play this. Maybe it was better to pretend too.

Still, the moment I opened my mouth, my voice sounded stiff. Cold and Robotic.

"You're awfully slow."

I turned to Erica before I could think better of it.

"Couldn't you find someone faster? I doubt this one even knows her job."

"Don't ruin this for me," Erica snapped at Kiara.

I almost smiled.

They hated each other. That much was clear.

If Kiara wanted to act like we were nothing, I could play that game. Hell, I could ruin her entire day if I wanted to.

She lowered her head slightly, and I couldn't read her expression. But I knew my words had landed. I knew that look-like she was swallowing something bitter.

"I'm sorry," Erica said to me. "She's good at what she does, though. I can say that for her."

I nodded, sharp and slow. "I suppose I can put up with someone like her touching me for this."

Erica gave me that tight fake smile again, the one she practiced in front of mirrors. Then she turned to shoot Kiara one last glare.

Kiara stepped out from the light and reached out, quiet, steady. She stretched her hands to take my jacket, and I let it fall from my shoulders.

I readjusted my watch.

Ran my tongue along the back of my teeth.

Her eyes were on me. Cold.

She stood tall. Shoulders squared. Stiff. Like she was pretending she hadn't just been knocked sideways.

She looked at me like she didn't remember.

Like I was just another man.

Maybe I never really knew her.

"What's your kind of style?" she asked, sliding the tape from one shoulder to the other. "Casual or...?"

I shrugged. "I should know your name though, don't you think?"

She shifted. Glanced toward the door. Swallowed before she looked back.

"Kiara, sir."

Sir. Again.

I could feel it cracking something inside me.

"This is for an important party," I said, forcing the anger back down. "Should be perfect. Maybe a tuxedo."

She nodded once. "A tux fits you."

Her voice dipped lower. "Please turn around, sir."

I turned.

Our eyes met in the mirror.

And it hit again.

Electricity.

Heat.

Fury.

Six years. I had buried this. I had hated her in silence for years. Told myself she meant nothing. But this-

Just one glance, and I could feel it again.

And I hated that.

"I... will begin the measurements now," she said.

She took my hand and stretched it forward.

Measured the arm and wrote it down.

She then stepped closer. To my chest.

So close I could hear her heartbeat and smell her skin.

I gritted my teeth as my whole body coiled.

It had been years since she'd been this close.

And it was still too much.

"Subtle doesn't look good on you," I said.

She froze. Just slightly. I felt it in her fingertips.

"I don't understand what you mean, sir."

Of course she didn't.

Of course she'd play dumb.

She bent down. Lowered the tape to my hips, to my legs.

I hated the way it felt.

Her touch.

I hated how my skin still reacted.

How my breath betrayed me.

How badly I wanted her to stay there.

I hated it all.

"You seem off balance," I said. "Afraid of going down between my thighs?"

Her head snapped up.

Her mouth twitched.

I'd gotten to her.

Good.

"I'm trying to be as professional as I can be," she snapped. "Please stop making this about you."

"I thought I was the client here."

I smirked. Her eyes narrowed.

"This is about me, right?"

She exhaled. "Stop being an ass and maybe it will be."

"Ouch."

I stepped back. Just slightly.

Then turned toward the door.

"Then I guess you wouldn't mind me telling your boss about-"

"I'm sorry," she said fast.

The tape was still in her hand.

I turned back around slowly, soaking it in.

She was still so easy to push.

"Spread your legs for me, sir," she said.

Her voice caught halfway through.

She realized it the moment it left her mouth.

I licked my lips.

And did exactly what she asked.

She knelt, fumbling with the tape.

Her hands brushed my thighs. And it slipped higher.

Her breath caught.

Mine did too.

She tried to readjust. Tried to steady herself.

But her fingers still managed to graze my crotch.

Accident or not-it didn't matter.

Her eyes widened. And she bit her lip.

I looked down at her, breathing heavy.

She swallowed.

And I-

I wanted to grab her. To pull her into me. To crush her mouth with mine. To drown in her the way I used to.

And I hated that even more than I hated her.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I... I..."

"Don't tell me you don't remember," I growled.

I wasn't supposed to bring it up.

But it was bubbling too fast.

The anger.

The betrayal.

The want.

All of it clawing its way to the surface.

My parents wanted me to marry her sister.

We were engaged, but it didn't feel real.

None of it did.

Except her.

She still felt real.

Even when she was supposed to be the worst thing that ever happened to me.

She stood quickly and placed the tape on the corner table.

"I don't know what you mean, sir."

"Oh don't give me that crap," I said through gritted teeth. "You're still just as-"

The door flung open.

Erica burst in with her fake bright voice. "I hope we met your expectations!"

It was jarring. The way everything snapped back to pretend.

She looked between us and didn't even notice the tension slicing the air. She didn't care.

I slipped my jacket back on and walked over to her.

I waved a hand in Kiara's direction as I spoke, "next time I'm here, don't let her near me. Or it'll be the last time I step foot in this place."

Erica stiffened. "Did something happen?"

"Everything is wrong," I said, eyes fixed on Kiara.

Her eyes were glossy.

But I didn't care.

I wasn't supposed to care.

"I'll send my secretary to handle the rest," I muttered. "I wouldn't-"

"Mummy!"

The word hit me like a slap. I turned immediately.

A little boy came running in. He was a Young boy. Way too young.

I blinked.

Was Erica still birthing at her age-?

Is it a grandkid?

Erica spun fast. "I told you not to let your child come in here again!"

Her voice was sharp, but not quite a scream. She was holding it back. For me.

I looked at Kiara.

She knelt in front of the boy and smoothed his hair while he giggled and wriggled away.

She then stood and bowed slightly. "I'm sorry for the disturbance," she said softly. "I'll take him out."

"Stop bringing him around and you won't need to keep apologizing!" Erica snapped.

Kiara nodded again. She then took the boy's arm and led him out without a word.

"Always bringing in that child," Erica grumbled, shutting the door.

I stood there. Frozen.

She had a child?

Kiara had a freaking child?

While I'd been breaking myself apart, stuck in memories of her betrayal, she dared to move on?

She met another man and started a life?

What the actual Fuck!