Ashley POV

Well, I'll take it back. His mom is actually a good woman. It's just his father that's the problem. But that doesn't change the fact that Jayden R. Keller, my mate and fiancé, already has a girlfriend who even dared to cheat on me behind my back. Isn't that ironic?

Meanwhile, Blair walked to the sink beside me and carefully washed her hands. Her pale skin looked whiter than it did in the commercials, though I couldn't tell if that was due to good genes, makeup, or the pale light from the overhead light. Really, public bathrooms always have horrible lighting.

I have to admit, though, that she was still beautiful. In fact, she's even more beautiful in real life. Commercials take some of the humanity out of the people who star in them, and even dramas have managed to dull her light a bit. Or maybe it's her "imperfections" that enhance her beauty. The slight curve of her nose, the slight dip of her ears, the slight imbalance between her upper and lower lips - every little thing.

His jacket was a thick but sleeveless denim jacket and a hoodie made of a comfortable, oversized gray sweatshirt material. I remembered that the jacket fit him well, but it was too big for Blair. She even rolled up the sleeves, exposing her slender wrists and fingers. She had a slender, graceful neck - like a swan's - and around her neck, curving to follow the shape of her clearly visible collarbone, was the thin gold chain necklace I had bought for him. I was so sure because I'd spent hours thinking about its unique design, and even longer staring at it after I'd forged it to make sure it was exactly what I wanted. It was the first gift I'd given him after our engagement, and I wanted it to be special. Something he would always remember.

And here it is, in someone else's possession. Isn't that sweet? I was the one who gave it to Jayden, but he had the audacity to give it to another girl. What a sweet person, I scoffed in my heart.

Feelings of jealousy surfaced and told me to snap. But I managed to ignore them. To be honest, I wasn't really in love with Jayden or anything, maybe because we are mates and bond so I could feel that sense of pain. I hated him more. But I wasn't going to let him cheat on me. Not if we had to mate and get married.

Although, is that even an option anymore? If my parents find out, our engagement will definitely be called off. Is this my ticket out of the soon-to-be horrible, shitty wedding town? Is this good for me?

When she realized that I was staring at her, trapped in my own swirling thoughts, Blair looked back at me and smiled politely. "Finally finished today?" she asked in a light, trembling voice. "You and the other coordinators have worked very hard and deserve at least a week off."

This statement took me by surprise for a moment, and I was just about to open my mouth and tell her the truth - that I was just there to get my keys - when an idea popped into my head. "Yes," I replied quickly, putting on my friendliest smile. Strangely, it was painful to smile at her. "I've been here since morning with some other people. I'm exhausted."

My smile must have looked as hurtful on my face as it did in my chest because she gave me a sympathetic look. "I'm sure. They're lucky to have you. At least you can get some rest on the flight overseas."

"Yes," I repeated, not knowing anything about traveling abroad.

I continued to wash my hands, rubbing and scrubbing them in a way that suggested I'd gotten something sticky. While I waited for her to finish washing her hands, I followed her to the hand dryer. When she was satisfied, I stayed in front of the machine, praying fervently that the plan would work.

"Do you want to go back together?" she finally asked, raising her voice above the loud roar of the machine.

I nodded and followed her to the door, remembering the guard who had escorted me earlier. He probably wouldn't approve of me following her, knowing that I wasn't... What did she mean by a coordinator? What did she mean by that?

"Wait," I called out as I stopped.

"What's going on?" she asked, turning her head with her eyebrows raised in surprise.

"There's this guy," I began, hoping my lie didn't sound as outrageous as it did in my head. "He's in security and he's been asking for my number all day. He's waiting outside the bathroom right now. I'm kind of afraid he's going to follow me home or something. If you could do anything to help me get away from him, I'd really appreciate it."

Her eyes widened in horror. "Are you sure you don't have to report this to the manager?"

I shook my head. "I just started working for him, I don't even have an ID yet." Inwardly, I clenched my fist at the brilliant idea of mentioning my obviously non-existent identity. In front of her, I tried my best to play the shy intern. "I don't want to get in trouble."

"It's not a problem, you should know that," she said gently. "But I understand the need to show self-identity, and the girls need to stick together." She gave me a big smile. "What do you want me to do?"

She was really sweet. Really, I almost felt sorry for her. Almost.

"If you could tell him that you want to talk to me backstage or something," I replied, "I could use that opportunity to sneak out of here through one of the back doors. Make it look like you're really mad at me or something like I did something wrong or insulted you. He could stay away from Blair Anderson. You're pretty famous, you know."

She giggled. "I sound like an Alpha mafia boss." She quickly caught herself and regained her composure. "But if he tries to bother you again in the future, you'll have to find his manager. Promise me?"

Okay, now I'm starting to feel bad. In another world or timeline, we might have been best friends. Fortunately, a glance at the necklace on her skin and the jacket on her body restored my resolve.

"I'll do it," I said, managing what I hoped looked like an anxious or at least shy smile. It wasn't too hard to put together since what I was doing was practically trespassing, and it was being done under the guise of being a fake worker. It was probably an illegal act. I could already imagine the media bad-mouthing my family name and the pack that had made my late grandfather a great achiever if I got caught.

"Come on," she said as she pushed open the bathroom door.

Nodding, I followed her out. The guard who had been watching me wore a puzzled expression as Blair wrapped her arm around mine and began to pull me in the same direction I had come.

"I need to speak with her," she said coldly. "Please return to your position."

He opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off. "No protests. She's mine for now."

"If you're sure," he said hesitantly, not really backing down.

"I'm sure." She stepped away from him. When we were both far enough away that it was safe to talk, she muttered, "What an asshole."

"Thank you," I exclaimed, feeling a genuine relief wash over me.

"Yes, of course," she said cheerfully, letting go of my arm. She continued walking down the hallway, very quickly considering her small frame, and I had to work hard to keep up with her. "Do you have a ride? It's a little late for a girl to be walking home alone."

"Actually, I don't," I lied with fake embarrassment. "Do you mind...?"

"Not at all!" She smiled. "I need to take care of the coordinators while they take care of my boyfriend and his group members. In the end, I will take care of him."

"What?" I did. Bingo. The beans had been spilled.

"Oh, you're new, I forgot," she said before lowering her voice conspiratorially. "Everyone has been very good about keeping this hidden and private, and I thank them for that. Inevitably, however, the media will probably find out sooner or later, and our managers have agreed that those who work closely with them will probably find out as well."

"Know what?" I asked stiffly.

"I... I'm in a relationship with one of the members," she said, then blushed.

Suddenly I felt my heart getting cold. I had known it since I had seen her, but it felt worse to hear it in person. In the end, I could only nod once.

"And who is he?" I asked, trying to sound curious but not like I was prying for information.

By then, the two of us had turned a corner that led to a narrow hallway with a pair of double metal doors - not unlike the ones in the women's restroom - at the end and on the west wall in the middle. "Backstage" was written above the door at the end of the hallway, but the fact that I had arrived at my destination was not what caught my attention.

What caught my attention was the crowd of people coming out of those doors - specifically, the seven people I had just seen perform on stage who were walking forward.

They had changed into more casual clothes, wearing jackets or coats with various hats and masks covering their mouths and noses. But even in the opaque bodysuit that covered his entire body, I could catch a glimpse of Jayden, I could smell his scent, the white musk filled my nostrils, even as long as he could still talk. To be honest, even if he couldn't, I'd probably have a better chance of finding him than most. I've known him for so long, that I can even recognize him by the way he walks and moves. He would need more than a white mask and a black Puma brand hat to hide from me and my fierce gaze.

Maybe he felt it too. Because as soon as my eyes fell on him, he glanced between me and Blair. His familiar brown eyes widened in surprise, and I could see movement behind his mask that indicated he actually opened his mouth in surprise. He even stopped abruptly as the person behind him bumped into him, causing him to stumble slightly. Had it been another day, I probably would have felt a sense of joy at the look of confusion on the face of one of the most annoying people in the world.

But now I was angry, and I had every right to be.

"Jayden!" Blair shouted in an overly sweet voice. "Why are you all trying to leave without saying goodbye? I was just in the bathroom with..." She looked at me. "Uh, what was your name?"

I had forgotten his presence and reflexively shifted my focus to Blair. I saw a glimmer of light in her eyes, but it disappeared before I could confirm its nature. Instead, I did my best to stay where I was and continue the charade of being a shy intern. It was also possible that Jayden would do the same and pretend not to recognize me. He was smart enough to pick up on things very quickly. He would play it smooth and keep his cool, and so would I.

However, to my amazement, and I must admit, with an unnatural mixture of satisfaction and fear, he reacted in a completely different way.

Narrowing his eyes to mine, he opened his mouth and swore loudly. Before anyone in the hallway, including me, could speak or react, he growled in the same cold voice I had heard so many times before.

"What are you doing here, Ashley?"

Ashley POV

The situation became silent, as if in suspended animation. The only thing that reminded me that I was still alive, or that time hadn't stopped, was my racing heartbeat. And, of course, the fact that I could feel my face quickly turning red. It was as if life wasn't going to let me off the hook for such an embarrassment. It was just too cruel.

"Jayden, isn't she a friend of your family?"

The figure of the man who spoke, finally breaking the spells that had everyone glued, was about the same height as Jayden. I could not see his hair or most of his face, but I recognized him by the deep voice that had captivated the entire stadium an hour and a half ago with a very painful song. It seemed like he had introduced himself at the beginning of the concert.

"Is it really her?"

The other man who spoke was the tallest of the group. He opened one side of his mask behind his left ear, revealing his whole face. I recognized him, he was the leader of the group, Jackson or better known as Jax. He scratched his cheek and looked at me like I was a very difficult quiz.

"Oh yeah, I've seen your face before, on the news."

The third man spoke the shortest of the group. He immediately stepped forward when Jayden cursed at me, but now he relaxed. I did not know who he was, but I could guess from his light voice.

Then someone snapped his fingers and pulled his mouth mask down under his chin, revealing a sharp nose and high cheekbones. "That's right, whenever you two meet, you always make headlines." I knew who this person was, but I couldn't remember his name. I remember something about his last name. "Your name is..."

"Ashley Van Smith." A man almost as tall as Jax answered. He was the only one not wearing a mask, and I recognized him immediately as Jean - he had blown a kiss at Eva's camera. "I knew it when I saw you in the audience earlier. You were almost up front, weren't you? With all those girls with the big cameras?"

I think Eva and her friends would have been very happy if I had told them that Jean had remembered them. Well, if I could remember. I could not imagine that Jayden was the one with the angry look on his face - he looked like he was ready to kill someone. I should have been the one who was angry. This guy had no shame.

"Damn it," he muttered, his eyes still fixed on me with a cold glare. "Why are you here?" It was like he wanted to swallow me alive.

I could not answer. All I could see was a coat that was too small and too frilly to fit his arms, and a small, light blue bag slung over his shoulder. In one hand he held his cell phone, in the other two plastic bottles filled with water.

And I noticed that he was not wearing his engagement ring. Oh, my facial reaction changed instantly. I felt like my heart was filled with cold water and my face was blank. The gold ring almost felt like it was burning the skin of my finger. I wanted to rip it off and throw it in his idiot's face.

"Why are you cursing at her?" a guy named Tyler asked after a few moments of silence. His tone was not accusatory or hostile, just confused. I could tell that he had figured out that there was something wrong with the whole situation, even if he could not quite put his finger on it just yet.

"Oh, so she's the heiress to Red Moon Inc.? Baby, I thought she was the personnel coordinator!"

Until then, Blair had been silent. But the tone of her voice, the way it echoed through each of her words, was the cause of my frown. Why does she sound so innocent?

His eyes softened slightly as he looked at his girlfriend. I never thought to say or even think about it, but seeing his eyes melt at her made me sick. How long had they been together? How long had he been lying to my parents? And if he loved someone else, why was he still engaged to me and not rejected me as his mate?

"No," he replied in a clipped tone as his eyes looked at me. "Ash, can we talk privately for a minute?"

I was startled before realizing that everyone was waiting for my answer. "Okay," I mumbled.

"We'll wait in the car," Jax said as he tapped Jayden on the shoulder twice.

Meanwhile, Blair left my side and rushed over to Jayden. He handed her his coat, bag, and water and she handed him his jacket back. As if by instinct, he leaned down to let her kiss his cheek and held her hand briefly before letting go.

Surprisingly, it hurt in my chest. I simply turned my head away to look at the scene before me.

Then she put on her coat, which came with a hoodie and hid her face and hair behind a hat and a mask. Two security guards escorted her down the hallway where we arrived, most likely to take her to the other side of the stadium. Her eyes looked at me curiously as she walked by.

She must have known. I was sure of it. She had played me, not the other way around. Well, don't let the innocent face fool you. At least I don't feel guilty about trying to take advantage of her again.

Several security guards escorted Jax and the others out of the building, along with what I assumed was the rest of the staff. Someone I had not noticed until that moment caught my eye. His narrow, dark eyes were expressionless behind the white mask he wore, but I felt goosebumps as I realized he had not even spoken. He was simply observing. He was the last member, and although I could not remember his name, I remembered his terrifying solo performance, the second solo performance with a song in a completely different style than the rest of the concert. His words felt like they were physically piercing me.

Ashley POV

A few excited shouts and cheers were heard as soon as the exit door opened. The guy broke away from my gaze and slipped out after Jax. Then it was just the two of us. It took about ten minutes for the guards to shoo the fans away and for all the staff to be let out of the building. It took me another ten minutes to prepare to confront Jayden. I stared at the worn rubber floor for that long, trying to find the right question.

Since when? How? Why? As soon as the door closed and everyone was out of the room, he walked over to me. I looked up as he stopped half an arm's length from me. His face was without makeup and the ends of his hair sticking out from under his hat looked wet. His expression was hard to read as he crossed his arms and stared intently at me. It was then that I realized he was much taller than me. When did he grow so fast?

"Why are you here?" The question that popped into my head was cut off.

"Eva invited me," I replied stiffly. His eyebrows knitted together. "And you didn't think of turning her down?"

"I did," I replied through my teeth. I couldn't believe it. What was the reason he was so angry with me? Isn't it his fault? "But since I've never been to one of your concerts, I thought, 'I'd better come.' But I didn't expect to meet your lovely girlfriend in the bathroom."

His lips twitched, but he didn't seem to give an answer. His brown eyes just stared into mine, cold and unwavering. That was enough of an answer.

"It's nice to finally meet her," I said with a mocking smile at him, even though it was painful for me. That hurts. "How long are you going to keep us apart? Until we get married? Or even after that?"

"Shhh," he whispered, looking suspicious. "I thought we agreed not to talk about this unless we were absolutely sure no one could hear."

"I thought we agreed that you and I were getting married," I said curtly. "That's a two-man show in this country, at least the last time I checked. Does she know about us?"

He pursed his lips tightly when he met my eyes again. I had always admired his long, soft lashes, but now they disgusted me. I was almost tempted to ask him not to look at me, but I didn't want to let him get away with my answer.

"No," he finally said. " She… Everyone thinks we're just family friends."

" Well," I began, feeling colder than I had all night. "As of today, that won't be a lie anymore."

He frowned, and for the first time in years, I saw something like fear and anxiety in his brown eyes. "What do you mean?"

I pulled out my ring and held it in front of him. "I'm calling off our engagement. I won't - won't marry a cheating bastard like you. You can live happily ever after with someone else, like Blair Anderson. Smile, Jayden - you're finally getting rid of me, may you live happily ever after with your dear girlfriend."

I said with a fake smile and cold eyes. "Oh, and before I forget, I, Ashley Van Smith, of the Red Moon Pack, reject Jayden Ronan Keller, of the Crimson Pack, as my mate and fiancé, we are hereby no longer related."

My inner wolf, Lea began to whine as I uttered the word of rejection to him. 'He cheated on us, he doesn't want us. He already has another girl, just remember that,' I told her. And slowly she began to quiet down and give in to me.

"No."

His tone was hard and trembling, his eyes even harder. I raised an eyebrow in his direction.

"I don't think you've decided yet," I said in as sweet a voice as possible. "As soon as I tell my mom and dad..."

"Please, you can't."

If I didn't know him better, I could have sworn that a hint of desperation crept into his words. Even his face was convincing. But I knew that Jayden Ronan Keller was never desperate. He was rude, cold, and indifferent to me. Now I could also call him a 'bad liar' and maybe even a 'phony'. He's not the kind of person who would be miserable if I left him. Right?

"You can't just break off the engagement and reject me, Ash," he begged. "Please."

I just stared at him for a moment. I had spent years celebrating holidays and occasions with him and his parents. What would happen if I broke off the engagement?

My dad had a soft heart, and he would probably still try to keep in touch with his parents. It was my mom who would cause trouble. Big trouble.

But who could blame her? My parents and his parents had been planning his and my wedding for decades.

"I guess you forced this decision on me when you decided to be in a romantic relationship with another girl," I said, surprising even myself with how hurt I sounded. "I'm calling it off. You and I are never getting married."

I dropped the ring and started to turn around when he grabbed my wrist. I glared at him over my shoulder. "Let go."

"Not until I say so," he said. "Please, Ash, listen to me for a second."

I checked my phone. Eva and the others must have been waiting for me for over half an hour. Were they still outside?

Taking my silence as a cue to speak, he slowly released my wrist. "I didn't intend to fall in love with her. It just happened. You can't blame me for that." I glared at him. Oh boy. This guy really has no shame! Cheating bastard! I cursed him inwardly.

"You must think I'm more stupid than I am," I hissed. I couldn't deny how much his words hurt. "Did you memorize a romantic drama script? Do you even listen to yourself?"

He took a deep breath through his nostrils and took off his hat to run his fingers through his wet hair. I recognized this behavior, he was getting very frustrated. But why?

"How long have we known each other?" I continued when he remained silent. "How long have we known that we were going to get married? I mean, I know we don't like each other, but at least I think we can make this work. Isn't that what you promised my parents and your parents? What did you and I promise each other?"

"I... I can explain," he managed, his gaze becoming miserable. "I just... I need time."

"You need time?!" I exclaimed in disbelief. "You know," I began as I backed away from him. "I don't even want to know. Live happily ever after with her or whoever, I don't care. I'm out."

"Are you crying?"

"No, I'm not crying," I said, touching the corners of my eyes. To my surprise, my fingers were wet. "Stay away from me, Jayden," I added as he began to follow me. "I don't really want to see you. Actually, I'm sure I never want to see your face again."

"That would be hard, considering I'm a pop star."

"Don't try to be a smart ass. You know what I mean." I turned away from him and started walking. "I never want to see you again, Jayden Ronan Keller."