Chapter 21
Aria’s POV
The crystal chandeliers cast dancing shadows across the ballroom as I returned from the balcony, my silver dress whispering against the polished marble floor. The cool night air had helped clear my head, but the weight of dozens of watching eyes still pressed against my skin like unwanted hands.
Emma materialized beside me, her champagne flute catching the light. The designer gown she wore probably cost more than six months of Lucas’s school fees. “Aria, darling.‘ Her voice dripped honey–sweet poison. ‘We simply must clear the air about that unfortunate incident at the training facility.”
I kept my face carefully neutral, though my fingers itched to curl into fists. Six years of professional fighting had taught me when to guard and when to strike. This wasn’t the time for
either.
‘I’ve been feeling just awful about it,” Emma continued, her practiced smile never reaching her eyes. “We were such close friends once. Can’t we start fresh?”
–
The word ‘friends‘ from her lips made bile rise in my throat. Memories of that rainy night at Mountain View Resort flickered through my mind the drugged water, the dark room, mocking laughter in the parking lot afterward.
her
‘I think we’re done here.” I turned to leave, but Emma’s hand shot out, grabbing my wrist. The sudden movement sent my wine glass tilting, dark red liquid cascading down the front of her cream–colored gown like spilled blood.
Emma’s shriek cut through the elegant music, silencing nearby conversations. “My dress!” Her eyes filled with tears on command, each drop precisely timed for maximum effect. “This was custom–made for tonight! How could you?”
The commotion drew attention like sharks to blood. Ethan followed me, entering the hall from the balcony, his powerful frame cutting through the crowd with predatory grace.
Emma saw him coming too. Her performance shifted seamlessly into its second act, her voice trembling with carefully crafted vulnerability. “I only wanted to apologize, to make things right between us.” She pressed closer to Ethan as he arrived, her fingers curling around his arm like pale spiders. “But Aria, she… she’s always been so violent…”
The scene was a perfect mirror of that night six years ago the same crocodile tears, the same false accusations. Only this time, I wasn’t that naive eighteen–year–old girl anymore.
Ethan approached us, his expression conflicted. “What’s going on here?” His deep voice carried authority, but there was a note of weariness in it, as if he’d grown tired of playing peacekeeper.
“She deliberately ruined my dress!” Emma’s voice quivered perfectly, each word calculated for maximum impact. “After I tried so hard to make amends…
I couldn’t hold back a laugh. “Make amends? Like you did six years ago, Emma? With your fake concerns and crocodile tears?”
“Aria. Ethan’s forest–green eyes met mine, and for a moment, I saw something there – uncertainty, perhaps even doubt, “Whatever happened in the past, we need to maintain civility
here.”
Emma pressed herself against his arm, her designer dress now artfully stained. “I just…‘ She dabbed at her eyes with a monogrammed handkerchief. “I just miss my best friend…”
‘Your best friend?” The words exploded from me, sharp enough to make nearby wolves flinch. “Was I your best friend when you sent that text? When you watched me walk into that trap? Or maybe when you stood in that parking lot, laughing while my life fell apart?”
The gathered crowd whispered behind jeweled fans and crystal glasses. “Unstable,” someone murmured. Dangerous, whispered another. “No wonder she was banished.”
Ethan raised a hand, silencing the whispers. “Aria, please. As a facility instructor-”
‘Don’t.” I cut him off, my voice steel–edged. “Don’t you dare lecture me about proper behavior while she stands there spinning her lies.
‘Then help me understand,” he said quietly, and something in his tone made my heart stutter. ‘Because right now, all I see is-
*All you see is exactly what she wants you to see.” I gestured to Emma’s performance. “The perfect victim. The wounded friend. Tell me, Ethan, has she always been this good at crying on command?”
“An apology would resolve this,‘ Ethan suggested, though his voice carried less conviction now.
I lifted my chin, meeting his gaze directly. The silver dress Leo had chosen felt like armor, keeping me upright when all I wanted was to scream the truth. “No.”
A collective gasp rippled through the watching wolves. No one refused Shadow Fang’s heir.
Ethan stepped closer, his alpha presence filling the space between us. Aria. Don’t make this more difficult than it needs to be.”
‘Difficult?” I smiled, though it felt more like baring teeth. “You want to talk about difficult? Try being drugged, betrayed, and banished from your pack. Try rebuilding your life from nothing while raising a child alone.” My voice dropped to a dangerous whisper. “Try watching your so–called best friend cry fake tears while she destroys your life. That’s difficult, Ethan.”
Emma’s perfectly crafted mask slipped for just a moment, real fear flickering across her features. Good. She remembered the girl she’d helped destroy. Now she could meet the woman who’d risen from those ashes.
You can’t talk to him like that, she hissed, clutching Ethan’s arm tighter. “He’s the Shadow Fang heir-
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Chapter 21
“And you’re still hiding behind others‘ power. I cut her off coldly. “Some things never change, do they, Emma?”
‘If you’ll excuse me.” I turned away from them both, keeping my movements deliberate and controlled. ‘I have a son waiting at home who actually deserves my attention.”
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