Liora's POV

The private room was warm, golden-lit, and thankfully more silent compared to the chaos I'd left behind. Just as I was settling into the quiet room, the door swung open.

"Liora!" Raya burst in, half-laughing, half-breathless. Her cheeks were flushed from the cold or the sprint, probably both, and her sleek ponytail had lost its perfect symmetry.

"You're late, Raya," I teased her playfully with a smirk, rising to hug her.

"I know, gods, don't remind me. Traffic was hell, and I forgot how bad the bridge gets after six. I swear I left an hour ago." She hugged me tightly, then pulled back and gave me a suspicious once-over. "You okay? You look... smug."

"I might've slapped someone." I said rolling my eyes when I remembered Selene.

"Oh, don't just say that" Raya said, chuckling.

"And to make it up to you for being late, I brought... you know it, gifts!." She squealed excitedly and dropped into the chair beside me and immediately started pulling items from her oversized tote like a magician performing a reveal. "From Seoul. First, this." She handed over a structured, midnight-blue handbag. "You said you didn't have anything with gold hardware, and this screamed you."

I ran my hand along the leather. "Raya, this is... ridiculous." I said with a bright smile. She really didn't have to.

"And this." She plopped a small velvet box in front of me next. "Rare shade from Hera. I fought two women in duty-free for it."

I opened it. The lipstick was a dusky rose, exactly my tone. "You're a menace." I teased her

"Oh, I'm not done." A small beautiful black hairpin followed. "Figured you could use something like this" She said to me with a wink.

"Raya-"

"One more. Necklace. Vintage. Couldn't pass it up." I let out a gasp at her words. She still wasn't done with these expensive and delicate gifts. The chain was delicate, with a tiny moonstone pendant that looked so beautiful.

"This is too much," I said softly, overwhelmed in spite of myself.

"No, it's exactly enough." She gave me a mock stern look. "Because you deserve luxury" She said and I smiled.

"Thank you so much Raya, I have no idea where I'm going to wear all these to" I said, truthfully grateful and confused.

"You'll have lots of dates to wear them on" she said, already picking up a menu, "right after I set you up with someone hot. Hotter than Kade. Maybe a model. Or a stuntman."

"A stuntman?" I repeated raising my brows.

"I heard they're flexible." she said with a mischievous wink and We both laughed. Raya didn't waste time in placing orders and I joined her in on it. Soon the table was filled with different delicacies and we both started eating. Halfway through the second course, I excused myself. I needed to use the washroom.

"I'll be right back," I said, sliding my chair out.

Raya nodded without looking up. "If you're not back in five minutes, I'm coming in after you." she said with a playful stern look.

"Please don't." I chuckled and walked away. The hallway to the restrooms was dim, quieter than the main dining area. I walked into the women's room and it was more quiet. I walked towards the faucet, turning it on and letting cold water run over my hands. The air smelled faintly of sweet vanilla, a flavor I liked.

I let out a gasp when I caught someone in the mirror. My eyes had locked onto him before he even spoke. What was he doing here

"Kade." I called out in surprise.

He reeked of alcohol. His shirt was wrinkled, half-untucked. The bandage on his forehead was still in place, but his eyes. bloodshot, unfocused.

"Liora," he slurred, stepping closer. "Why haven't you answered me?"

I took a slow breath. "What are you doing in the women's washroom? Get out, now." I glared at him.

"You blocked me," he said, staggering forward. "Why would you block me?" He asked, completely ignoring what I had just said.

"Because I didn't want to hear from you." I said to him point blank.

"I've messaged you, called you, I thought something happened." He continued to ramble.

"You know exactly what happened." I stepped away from him, drying my hands calmly. "You made a choice. Now live with it."

He reached out suddenly, gripping my wrist. His skin was hot, clammy. "Don't do this," he said. "I know you still love me."

I yanked my arm back. "Let go." I gritted my teeth, his grip on me was quite strong but I managed to free myself.

"You do," he insisted. "You always did. You wouldn't have reacted like that earlier if you didn't still care."

"You don't know what you're talking about Kade" I shot at him.

"You're lying." His breath was sour with whiskey. "I told you. My position in the Hayes Pack isn't secure yet. But once it is, once I inherit the title, I'll divorce Selene. I'll marry you. Properly. Like I should've from the start." He continued to speak. I stared at him, genuinely stunned by the audacity. How dare he?

"You want me to wait around while you finish climbing your ladder, while you keep parading that woman around, and then what? Crawl back to you when you're finally bored?" I scoffed at his words. "You're delusional"

He flinched. "Liora-please."

"No." My voice was sharp, final. "There's no 'us.' Not in this life. Not in the next. I don't care about your title. I don't care what promises you think you can throw at me. I don't want you."

"I know you don't mean that," he snapped, voice rising, desperate now. "I know how you looked at me. You were mine. You still are." And then, he grabbed me again. This time tighter, his fingers bruising around my arm as he dragged me backward.

"Kade!" I shoved at him, stumbling in my heels.

"Just talk to me!" he said, pulling me toward the men's room door. "No one will hear, I just need to explain-"

"Let go of me!" I screamed at him. I began to panic. The hallway was too quiet and there was no one around. I twisted in his grip, digging my nails into his wrist. "You're hurting me, Kade." I said to him again.

"Stop fighting me, dammit-!"

"Kade!"

The next second, I was shoved, my back slammed against the cold wall with a force that rattled through my spine. I hissed, pain flaring through my ribs. He loomed over me, stinking of alcohol. His hand braced beside my head, the other grabbing my jaw roughly.

"Kade, don't you dare. Get away from me" I yelled at him in panic as he leaned in, trying to kiss me. I turned my face away sharply. His lips scraped against my cheek instead. I felt bile rise in my throat. I wanted to throw up. I felt so disgusted by his actions in that moment.

"Stop it! Get off-"

He stilled, breathing heavily, then went quiet. His eyes locked on the faint mark on my neck, barely visible in the low light. Just a shadow, but one he knew too well.

"What. is that?" he asked, voice suddenly sharp and cold but I didn't answer. His gaze darkened, jaw tightening. "Liora. Who the hell put a mark on you?"

"You lost the right to ask me that." I snapped back at him.

His hand dropped from my jaw, but the fury didn't. "Answer me." His voice was filled with anger but I couldn't care less.

"I don't owe you anything." I shot at him.

His nostrils flared. "You let some other mutt touch you?" He raised his brows furiously.

"More than touch me." I stated coldly.

His face twisted in anger at my words. "How could you" He growled, dragging my shoulder. I struggled, but he was stronger than usual, crazed by anger and whatever he'd drunk. He yanked at my coat, tearing one sleeve halfway off. Then his hand went for my collar, fingers tugging at the neckline of my dress.

"I should've known. You- you're filthy." His voice was low, shaking with rage. "I'll see for myself. You think you can lie to me-?"

"Kade get your hands off me!" I tried to shove him back, panicking even harder.

He gripped tighter. "I gave you everything, you were supposed to be mine!" He yelled.

And then, he was suddenly gone. Ripped away from me so violently that the air shifted. Kade's body hit the opposite wall with a loud crack. The thud echoed down the hallway like thunder. I blinked, my heart beating so loud. And Then I saw him.

Rowan.

He was standing where Kade had just been standing and had a furious expression on his face. Rowan, he had saved me! Kade groaned from the floor, pushing up with one arm. Rowan walked toward him, calm. Controlled. But the air around him. it pulsed with something dangerous.

"You put your hands on her again," Rowan said, voice quiet, "and I'll tear them off." That was no empty threat and Kade knew it.

Kade stumbled to his feet, furious. "You bastard-"

He lunged at him but Rowan didn't even flinch. He sidestepped, caught Kade's momentum, and slammed his elbow into Kade's back. Then, with one sharp motion, he twisted and threw him to the ground again, harder this time. I heard something crunch. Kade coughed, sputtering.

"You think this is your territory?" Rowan asked, tone still maddeningly even. "That you can treat her like property and walk away?"

"She was mine!" Kade shouted, blood now trailing from his mouth.

"No. She was never yours." Rowan knelt beside him, one knee pinning Kade's shoulder. "You were just too blind to see it."

Kade struggled. "You've ruined everything!" Kade cursed, breath heaving.

Rowan looked over his shoulder at me. "Liora." I took a breath. The torn strap of my dress hung from one shoulder. My hair had come loose. My chest was tight, but I wasn't trembling anymore. I wasn't scared anymore. Rowan was here, he was going to protect me.

"You want to say anything to him?" Rowan asked.

My heels clicked against the tile as I stepped forward. Kade's eyes locked on mine, bloodshot, bruised, frantic. I didn't hesitate, my foot came down hard on his face. The sound was dull. His head jerked slightly. Blood poured from his nose. He groaned. I stared at him, my expression blank.

"One more violation," I said, my voice low and measured, "and I will run you over myself. And I won't stop at the first hit."

Kade gave a faint, miserable nod, still under my foot. How pitiful. I stepped back. Wiped my hands on a napkin from the hallway dispenser.

"Get lost."

Liora's POV

I braced myself against the edge of the sink, staring at the restroom door as it continued to sway on its hinges.

Kade had fled fast. His suit had been soaked, his hair in disarray-nothing like the perpetually arrogant man I remembered.

The door banged against the frame and swung back with a dull thud.

I closed my eyes and pressed my trembling palms against the cold marble countertop, forcing myself to breathe. The nausea twisting in my stomach hadn't faded. My skin still seemed to remember where he had touched me. I scrubbed at my arm hard, as if I could erase the feeling.

If Rowan hadn't shown up. what would he have done?

The thought alone made my stomach churn. I almost wished I had killed him when I had the chance.

That bastard.

"You're ruthless."

The lazy voice drifted from across the room. I opened my eyes.

Rowan leaned against the opposite sink, arms folded across his chest, one brow arched, that familiar crooked smile tugging at his lips.

"The poor idiot looked like he was about to piss himself. You're scarier than I am."

I lowered my hand and straightened my spine. "What are you doing here?"

Right now, I had no desire to talk about Kade.

He tilted his head, his smile deepening, but didn't answer. Instead, he pushed off the counter and walked toward me-unhurried, confident, as if he knew I had nowhere to go.

Instinctively, I stepped back until my lower back hit the edge of the sink. The chill of marble told me the truth.

I was trapped.

He was too close. Close enough that I could catch his scent. Close enough to drag me straight back to that night.

Heat rushed to my cheeks.

"What are you thinking about?" His voice dropped, almost a whisper. "Blushing already?"

I pressed my lips together and forced myself to look up at him. His gaze was lowered, heavy and intent, studying me like he wanted to carve the moment into memory.

"What do you want?"

He lifted a hand and brushed a loose curl from my cheek, tucking it behind my ear. His fingers grazed the shell of my ear, sending a subtle shiver through me.

"I want your thanks. I did save you."

I took a steady breath. "Fine. What do you want? Money?"

He shook his head. The way he leaned closer silenced me completely.

"Money means nothing." His eyes darkened. "I want something more valuable."

"Your kiss."

I jerked my head to the side. "No."

Of course, he didn't listen. He lowered his face slowly, deliberately, giving me plenty of time to stop him.

and I did.

My palm came up between us, pressing flat against his chest. It was solid, warm, unyielding. He didn't step back. Instead, he shifted slightly, a wicked curve tugging at his mouth.

His lips descended, not to my mouth, but to my collarbone.

A sharp breath caught in my throat.

Right where he had marked me that night, he pressed a lingering kiss, then grazed the same spot with his teeth.

The sensation was intense enough that I couldn't fully suppress it. A faint, traitorous sound slipped from my lips before I could stop it.

Rowan pulled back, satisfaction glinting in his eyes, his mouth flushed and damp.

I swallowed hard, fighting the reckless urge to grab him and kiss him properly. In the dim light, his eyes seemed brighter than ever.

"You like it," he teased.

I wanted to deny it. I really did.

But the question that burst from me wasn't the one I'd planned.

"Why did you mark me?"

The moment the words left my mouth, I regretted them. But it was too late.

"Impulse," he said lightly.

Impulse.

I parted my lips, a hundred questions crowding my throat.

What did that mean? Did he act on impulse with every woman? What about now?

But I didn't ask.

Something hollow opened in my chest, and I couldn't name the feeling.

Before I could steady myself, he leaned down again, intending to kiss me.

I stepped away sharply.

"You're just trying to provoke Kade. You only wanted to ruin whatever he was planning. To you, I'm nothing but a tool. Right?"

Rowan stopped. He didn't argue. Didn't deny it. He only shrugged, almost as if he agreed.

"Does it matter?" he said casually. "I like your kisses. You like mine. Isn't that enough?"

I stared at him-at that infuriatingly indifferent expression, at those unreadable eyes.

Damn him.

Damn all men.

I wanted to slap him. To wipe that careless look off his face. But more than that, I wanted to run, from the heat coiling in my stomach, from the foolish flutter in my chest, from this chaotic tangle of emotions I couldn't sort out.

"Get out," I said coldly.

I shoved past him and headed for the door.

My steps were quick. Too quick.

Like I was fleeing.

He didn't call after me.

Cool air from the hallway rushed over me as I stepped out of the restroom. I didn't look back.

The corridor to the private room felt strangely short.

By the time I entered, I had forced a smile onto my face-thin and hollow.

Raya was holding a wineglass, eyes sparkling, words spilling out of her mouth.

"There you are!" she called cheerfully. "Touch-up or murder plot? You were gone forever."

"Long line," I lied, trying to keep my voice steady.

She didn't believe me. Her smile turned sly. "You missed the best part-guess what I did?"

I blinked, grateful for the change of topic. "No idea. Ordered three more bottles?" I arched a brow. That would've been very on brand for her.

"Please, I'm not that predictable." She practically bounced in her seat, dark curls tumbling over her shoulders. "I submitted one of your old pieces-the garnet and obsidian necklace, remember? I sent it to the Carla Showcase under your pen name, 'Nine.'"

My stomach dropped.

"Raya."

"It won, babe. First place. 'Number Nine' just stepped into the spotlight!" She let out an excited squeal at my stunned expression.

I gripped the edge of the tablecloth, fingers curling tightly. "You crossed into my work without asking," I said quietly.

"Yes, because you would've said no. But look what happened!" She thrust her phone toward me. On the screen was an email-clean logo, bold serif font declaring: Congratulations.

I stared at it.

"Major jewelers are already reaching out," she said, almost trembling with excitement. "You're about to blow up."

"That's. amazing," I managed. "It really is."

But my voice sounded distant to my own ears, as if I were still trapped in that dim restroom, caught in the aftermath of Rowan's touch.

"You don't sound excited," Raya pointed out with a frown.

"I'm just. processing."

"I know it's overwhelming. Now that so many people want to work with you, we have to celebrate." She grinned brightly.

I nodded.

It was incredible news. Truly.

If Kade hadn't tried to assault me. if Rowan hadn't stirred up feelings I didn't want to face. I might have been happier.

Liora's POV

The next morning, my phone had started ringing before I even rolled out of bed.

Unknown number. I let it go to voicemail.

Then another call-from a different area code. Then the emails began pouring in. By noon, my inbox looked like the floor of an auction house in the middle of a bidding war.

Jewelry dynasties I wouldn't have dared mention even in my wildest daydreams were begging to collaborate with "Nine."

Nine. Not me.

They didn't know that Number Nine wore my face. They didn't know that Number Nine was me-Liora.

I ignored every single message.

Even the invitation from the Selena family corporation-the platinum empire her father ruled like a monarch.

If she ever found out, she'd probably have a stroke.

---

Two days later, I stood alone at the base of the grand staircase in the ballroom.

Grandfather was supposed to escort me in, but he'd come down with a sudden cold and was confined to bed. So I attended alone.

The most powerful wolves in the territory had gathered tonight, dressed in couture and diamonds, their laughter carrying that subtle, oppressive edge that only true authority possesses.

I held a glass of champagne and positioned myself beside two socialites-not randomly, of course. They seemed quite interested in my presence.

"I heard Alpha Quinn's mysterious heir is attending tonight," one of them whispered-loud enough that it wasn't really a whisper.

"Oh, please," the other scoffed. "She's probably a fabrication. No one's ever seen her. Who knows if she even exists? Maybe Quinn just made her up to stall the succession issue."

"Good point."

I stood less than three steps away, taking a slow sip, pressing down the smile threatening to curl my lips.

If they knew the subject of their conversation was standing right beside them, wineglass in hand, watching them.

The thought alone was amusing.

But they would never know. Even when their eyes skimmed past me, they did so the way one might glance at an unremarkable piece of furniture.

Exactly how I preferred it.

I was about to move-perhaps to refresh my champagne-when a shift at the entrance made me pause.

It wasn't a sound.

It was the air. A subtle change in pressure. The instinctive tightening you feel before danger steps into the room.

I followed that invisible pull and looked up.

Selene and Kade.

They entered with a kind of rehearsed synchronicity. Or rather-Selene did.

She looped her arm through Kade's, her pace measured. Her gaze swept across the ballroom before her steps did, like a ruler inspecting her domain.

Then her eyes stopped.

On me.

For a single second, her flawless smile froze-undisguised.

She tilted her head and murmured something into Kade's ear. I watched him follow her line of sight. His brow tightened slightly. He muttered something back and subtly lifted a hand as if to stop her.

It seemed my previous warning had left some impression.

But Kade still didn't understand Selene.

Trying to restrain her would only make her approach faster.

As expected, she paused for no more than a heartbeat before shrugging off his hand and walking straight toward me.

The surrounding guests sensed it immediately. Conversations dipped. The crowd instinctively parted, creating a clear path for her.

No one spoke.

But everyone watched.

After all, what was more entertaining at an event like this than a public confrontation?

"Security!" she called out when she was five steps away, her voice cutting cleanly through the hall. "There's a thief in here. Remove her immediately!"

How tedious.

I calmly set down my glass and pulled the invitation from my purse. "Look carefully," I said evenly. "I have an invitation."

Selene's eyes flicked to it for a fraction of a second. Then she extended her hand, palm open, tone dripping with undisguised command.

"Give it to me."

I glanced at her outstretched hand.

Then I flicked the card lightly between my fingers, pivoted smoothly to the side, and slipped it back into my purse, snapping it shut as if her suspended hand didn't exist at all.

The invitation bore my grandfather's name in bold script. Anyone with eyes would know exactly who I was.

But let her announce my identity?

As if.

Who did she think she was?

The gesture was blatant provocation. I knew it. Everyone knew it.

A ripple of soft gasps spread through the room.

After a split second of stunned silence, Selene recovered.

And she smiled.

That smile was more dangerous than anger. Uglier than embarrassment.

"Fake," she declared sharply, her gaze dragging over me from head to toe as if assessing a cheap counterfeit. "Impressive, Liora. Where did you get a forged invitation? What did you sell to afford that dress? Spread your legs for it?"

I had promised myself I wouldn't respond to any of her taunts.

But even I couldn't keep from frowning at something so crude.

"You-"

"Selene."

Kade's voice had cut in before I could finish. He stepped forward slightly, warning threaded through his tone.

"Enough-"

"Enough!"

The same word. The same moment.

From a different direction.

The two voices overlapped in the air-but Kade's was immediately overshadowed.

Not by volume. By weight.

No one looked at Kade.

Everyone turned. Including me.

Rowan stood at the edge of the parted crowd. I hadn't even noticed when he arrived.

Before I realized it, a warm hand had settled against my waist.

He had scanned the room slowly, deliberately, before his gaze locked onto Kade-whose expression was already twisting with fury.

Then Rowan spoke.

"Kade, control your mistress. If she disturbs my companion again. You know what will happen."