Christina’s POV
Genevieve looked like I’d slapped her across the face with my words.
She lunged for Hudson’s arm, desperation flashing in her eyes. "That’s impossible! How could you be engaged? You—"
Hudson smoothly pulled his arm free from her grasp. "Yes, I’m engaged. And my mate," he glanced at , "is the jealous type. Best if you keep your distance."
Then, as if to drive the final nail in the coffin, he added coldly, "Miss Crawford."
"You used to call Vivi..." Genevieve’s face drained of color.
I felt goosebumps prickle across my skin. I arched an eyebrow at Hudson.
Vivi? Seriously?
Akira made gagging noises in my head.
Genevieve’s hand clenched into a fist, her long painted nails digging into her palm, though she seed oblivious to the pain.
"Alpha Hudson!" A tuxedoed man in his late twenties approached with the tallest, most willowy woman I’d ever seen hanging off his arm. "What a pleasant surprise!"
He gave a quick once-over. "I see you’ve brought a date. That’s rare for you. You usually show up alone, so I even prepared a companion for you. Sha to let her go to waste."
The woman fluttered her lashes right on cue.
I snorted internally. The guy dressed like a business tycoon but talked like he ran an escort service.
"She’s my mate," Hudson stated flatly.
"Mate?" The man looked at again, more carefully this ti.
"Officially engaged," Hudson added, as if there could be any doubt.
Copying my earlier gesture, he lifted our joined hands to showcase the rings.
Was my Alpha actually... bragging?
"Oh, wow, congratulations. What a surprise." The man managed after stamring for half a minute. The news had clearly knocked him off balance. "I’m disappointed I wasn’t invited to the engagent party."
He turned to , his smile less sleazy now and almost genuine. "Future Luna Christina, a pleasure to et you. I’m Oscar Lindgren. My company does business with The Sabreridge pack."
"Nice to et you. I’m Christina Vance." I would have shaken his hand, but my right arm was still locked with Hudson’s, who showed zero intention of releasing .
"Christina Laurent," Hudson corrected smoothly.
Oscar chuckled, then launched into pack politics with Hudson, while the willowy woman remained attached to his arm like an expensive accessory. When neither man was looking, she wiggled her eyebrows at , then rolled her eyes at the business talk.
I smiled back in solidarity. We were both bored out of our minds.
Genevieve hovered at the edges of our group the entire ti, watching Hudson like a hawk.
When Hudson finished chatting with Oscar, he moved away so quickly Genevieve had no chance to intercept us.
He guided to a quiet corner out of sight. "Sit. I’ll get you sothing to eat. What do you want?"
What I wanted was for won to stop throwing themselves at my mate.
Out loud, I said, "I’ll co with you."
"You’re in heels." He pressed firmly into the chair. "I’ll handle it."
Couldn’t he express those caring thoughts without sounding like he was issuing Alpha commands? If I didn’t know him better, I’d think he was annoyed with .
I shrugged. "Fine. Surprise . Just nothing drippy or ssy."
He nodded and disappeared into the crowd.
Before I could even finish scrolling through my first social dia post, he returned with his arms full of small plates. "Help yourself. I need to speak with so associates who just arrived."
"Go ahead."
"Want to join ?"
"Nope."
I picked up a fancy-looking crostini.
One bite in, my appetite vanished at the sound of a voice I’d hoped never to hear again.
"Chrissy."
I set the crostini down and stood to leave.
Niall blocked my path, reaching for my arm.
I was tempted to slam him to the ground with a well-placed move, but this was hardly the venue.
Instead, I smacked his hand away. "Don’t touch ."
"I’ve missed you," Niall continued, acting like I hadn’t just rejected his touch. "I went to your studio, but you were never there. Where have you been hiding?"
I’d been working myself to the bone in Paris, betrayed and swindled by a business partner I once admired, saddled with a company teetering on bankruptcy, then stranded on a desert island with Hudson, which made realise I could lose my jewellery design work, but I couldn’t lose Hudson.. So I’d agreed to a real engagent.
But none of that was Niall’s business.
"I’m engaged now." I flashed my ring for what felt like the hundredth ti that evening. "Stay away from ."
Another face I’d rather forget appeared behind him.
"Engaged for real? Or is this just another one of your fake arrangents like you had ?"
Serenna Oakley, my cousin, was squeezed into a dress so short that another inch would’ve violated public decency laws.
What in the Moon Goddess’s na was she doing here?
"As real as the flawless diamond on my finger," I shot back.
I looked between her and Niall. "You two ca together?"
She linked her arm with his and tilted her chin haughtily. "Yeah. Problem with that? You jealous?"
I almost laughed. "Jealous of what? Just keep your man on a tight leash. Not everyone is as conniving as you, always scheming to steal soone else’s mate. Do a favor and control him. Don’t let him harass again."
"Harsh words coming from soone who threw away a four-year relationship," Serenna smirked.
"You’ve got it backwards. He threw it away when he slapped and chose my sister," I corrected her coldly.
I walked away before either of them could respond.
Serenna ending up with Niall shouldn’t have surprised . She’d always had a thing for him, even back when he was engaged to .
Now that Niall and Beatrice were done, maybe she thought it was her chance to pounce and secure herself an Alpha mate.
What did surprise was that she’d chosen Niall at all. Didn’t she know his reputation was in shambles?
But that wasn’t my problem.
The party was in full swing now, the volu cranked up several notches. Crystal clinked, laughter rose above the orchestra, and the air was thick with "such an honor" and "delighted to et you."
The atmosphere was heavy with wine, champagne, cologne, and too many competing perfus.
I followed the signs to the terrace for a breath of fresh air.
Apparently, I wasn’t the only one with that brilliant idea.
I ducked behind an ornantal shrub the mont I heard Genevieve’s voice.
She was talking to soone with their back to .
A very broad, muscular, very familiar back.
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