Christina’s POV
Two days after hospital discharge, the Frostpelt Pack’s official announcent landed in my inbox. Opening it, I found exactly what I expected.
"We are pleased to announce the engagent of Alpha Niall to Beatrice Vance. Their love story represents the unity between our packs. The Crescent Pack joins us in celebrating this blessed union..."
I scanned the rest. Not a single ntion of anywhere. Like I never existed in their lives.
When the physical invitation arrived the next day, I tossed it straight into the trash can.
"Disgusting," Akira growled in my mind. "Can’t believe we were fated mates with that piece of garbage for so many years."
"Yeah, thank the Moon Goddess we rejected him," I replied, staring at the gold-rimd card peeking from the trash.
"But we lost our ability to sense mates because of him. That rejection damaged us."
I sighed. "That doesn’t matter right now. We’re doing fine as we are. We’ll figure out the future when we get there."
Ti to focus on more important things. Like making Isobel Brooke pay.
My week had disappeared into legal etings and evidence gathering.
Today’s eting was in a café off West 18th. Across from sat Hannah Wu, LGH’s legal rep.
She turned her tablet around and tapped the screen.
"Isobel’s been questioned," she said. "But the police don’t have enough to detain her on the charges we’re pursuing. Right now, it’s just preliminary statents. No grounds for prosecution yet. But with additional witness testimony, that could change."
I nodded. That tracked.
"I might have soone. Priya Sharma. Isobel broke her leg and burned her throat with boiling water. Her vocal cords never healed properly. Her family took hush money and moved away. I’ve kept in touch, sent her money now and then. I don’t know if she’ll testify, but it’s worth asking."
Beside her, Hannah’s paralegal jotted down the na.
"That’s exactly what we need. Send her contact details. We’ll take it from there."
"Would it be better if I called her first, laid the groundwork?"
"That would help, yes. Given the prior settlent, there’s likely a confidentiality clause in place. I’ll need to get a copy from her, then we can assess whether it’s enforceable and advise her accordingly. She may be more responsive once she understands her legal options."
I called Priya during lunch.
She was cautious but agreed to speak with Hannah.
Then I started texting old classmates.
The more witnesses we had, the better our odds.
***
I was halfway through a cup of tea when my phone buzzed.
"Christina Vance speaking."
"Luna Christina, it’s Hannah."
"You’ve convinced Priya already? That’s fast work." I checked the ti. "It’s barely been four hours."
"We’re still in talks. This is about the defendant."
I loved how she used that word to refer to Isobel. "Go on."
"She’s been formally charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm. The arraignnt is set for tomorrow."
"I see. Do I need to show up? As the plaintiff or sothing?"
"This is a criminal case. You’re not the plaintiff. But you may be called as a witness."
"Got it. And the school stuff?"
"Still under review. The officers did question her again, but nothing’s been filed yet."
"Think she’ll get bail?"
"Normally, yes. But in this case, I doubt it."
"Why?"
Hannah paused, like she was weighing her words.
"Her father, Dashiell Brooke, tried to reach out to Alpha Hudson."
I sat up. "What?"
"He actually tried you first, unsuccessfully."
"Yeah, I’ve been screening my calls."
"He may have contacted your parents, too, though I can’t confirm that. Eventually, he reached LGH. Asked for a eting. He wanted to discuss a private settlent, so kind of conciliation. From what I gather, his company’s under serious financial pressure. Cancelled orders, accelerated loan repaynt schedules. He seed to believe LGH was involved."
"Was he right to believe that?"
Hannah, very much a lawyer, didn’t answer that.
I moved on. "Did Hudson take the eting?"
"He declined. He sent Beta Dominic and instead."
I exhaled. "And?"
"We made our position clear**—**it’s either the girl or the company. He can’t keep both."
I let out a low laugh. "How long did he take?"
"Less than a minute. He chose the company."
"Figures. So that’s why you said bail’s unlikely."
"Exactly. Mr. Brooke has already lost two major projects this week. Ten more clients have pulled out. Long-term contracts. He knows which way the wind’s blowing."
"Thanks for the update."
"Of course. Let us know if anything changes on your end."
She hung up.
I stared at the screen.
LGH’s legal team was terrifyingly efficient.
If the rest of the company ran that tightly, no wonder Edouard Laurent skipped over his son and handed Hudson the reins.
"I should probably learn from the man," I muttered.
Ti to return to my actual job. I’d planned to quit Nyx Collective after everything that happened, but Savannah had been incredibly supportive. After my leave, I decided to stay.
Back at the office, everyone was buzzing about the Venice Film Festival. Eliza Black had walked the red carpet that afternoon in Italy, which ant photos were flooding in just as everyone headed to lunch in Highrise City.
She wore a gold strapless gown paired with Violet Lin’s jewelry set. Flashy and attention-grabbing, not my style, but it photographed well.
Violet stared at her screen, gripping her phone with white knuckles.
"The necklace looks incredible on Eliza’s face shape," she announced.
She glared at while saying it, eyes smug, nostrils flared.
While others watched the livestream, Violet refreshed her social dia obsessively. She’d bragged for weeks about how Eliza would tag her personal account, putting her na "in lights."
Didn’t happen.
Eliza’s PR team posted a generic roundup, tagging everyone—hair, makeup, stylist, designer, and jewelry—in one mass caption.
Violet didn’t seem to care. She looked ready to cry from joy anyway.
Her notifications kept pinging as her follower count climbed. She imdiately reposted the PR team’s photo, adding gushing comnts about Eliza’s "elegance" and how "she makes anything look classy."
Within minutes, paid promoters pushed "Eliza Black’s personal jewelry designer" into trending topics.
Colleagues congratulated her. So even clapped.
Violet couldn’t stop grinning until she noticed at my desk.
I sat with my coffee going cold, the livestream paused on a close-up of Eliza’s necklace, zood in for detail.
Violet sauntered over and perched on my desk. "Still staring at my work? Jealous much? Don’t worry, I can give you tips if you need them."
I ignored her, examining not just the necklace but the bangle, ring, and earrings.
The cuts, the clasps, the stone placents—I’d definitely seen them before.
And they absolutely weren’t Violet’s designs.
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