Danika POV

So you’re alive, she stated, feigning happiness. “I’m happy you’re alive.”

But the glint in her eyes said otherwise. She wished I had died, and maybe she wouldn’t have a competitor to drag Drake with her.

“Sister.,” she called, and for the first time in my entire life I hated being called a sister by her.

“I really haven’t had the time to say that I’m sorry. I’m really sorry for what happened. It wasn’t my intention to take Drake away from you. You see, he loves me, and I love him too,” she said, almost crying.

I shook my head as I chuckled. Wasn’t her intention to take Drake away? Was she indirectly saying I wasn’t able to keep him and that’s why she took him away?

I was angry, and her hypocritical tears irked me, making me angrier.

“So why are you crying, playing the good sister by admitting that you stole my man? If there’s anybody that’s supposed to cry, it should be me.” My voice rose in pitch.

She paused for a bit, sniffing her nose. “I didn’t take him away… or or maybe I did. I’ve had a crush on him way back since our time in school, and you were the one he got together with. I was looked down upon by you and everyone else for not being like our father. And you were always praised for not being as useless as our mother. You had everything — good, confident — and I had none. Now that I finally acquired something valuable, shouldn’t I take it?”

I clenched and unclenched my fists in anger, grinding my teeth together.

“That bond will not last long because you stole it. And stolen things do not last.”

She instantly switched her demeanor, cleaning the hypothetical tears with her hands. “So you can cry, huh?”

She laughed hysterically. “So I was able to finally make you cry, then I’m satisfied. Even if it doesn’t last, I’ll live a blissful life knowing that I was able to make you miserable while I lived in your shadows. You were thriving, shining so bright that I was blinded by your light.”

She nodded in satisfaction. “So, yes, I’m satisfied really. You did not just take him away. You did this just so you could spite me.”

I walked closer to her office desk. “You’re so unbelievable. You can say whatever you like to say, but one fact remains, Danika — you’re nothing but a pathetic loser who will never be loved.”

“Do you know what it took me to steal him away from you?” She proudly twirled around. “It just took a bang. And guess what? He found my honey pot so hard to leave and had to start running after me.”

But she drawled and sighed. “I know you’re not yet over him. If not, you wouldn’t grovel around always crying like a puppy. And that was why, with my authority as Lunar, I sent you to the Blood Moon Eclipse Pack just so you could die. So why, huh? Why don’t you just die?”

Her eyes were so cold and filled with malice and contempt.

“Shut it. Keep mute!” I screamed, my hand slamming against her cheeks.

I couldn’t hold back my anger anymore. “I don’t want to hear it.”

I regretted ever doing that, because at that moment the door suddenly flung open. I slowly twisted my feet around to see Drake looking at me with surprised and murderous eyes — eyes that hinted danger, further breaking my heart. He would never look at me in that way before.

“How dare you slap my queen, your Lunar,” he growled, his voice laced with dangerous warnings.

“She started…” At first I tried to put up a protest. But—smack! His hand had already found its way to my face, slapping me hard across the cheek.

“If you’re jealous, then better keep it in check, because I will not tolerate such disrespect from you.”

I looked at his face that showed nothing but coldness, my hand cupping my stinging cheek. How could Drake be this cruel? How could he take sides with Eleanor without even asking to know what happened?

“Report,” he commanded. He was already at my sister’s side, with concern on his face, consoling her with so much love, contrasting with the way he threw death glances at me. I felt suffocated being in the same space as them.

I sniffed my nose. “The Alpha King has agreed with the peace alliance with some terms and conditions stated in the contents of this envelope,” I said, handing the envelope over.

He read through the agreement and looked up at me with so much dislike in his eyes. “He asks for a celebration of collaboration.”

He paused for a short while, and looked at me with those hateful eyes. “And since you dare lay your hands on my Lunar, consider yourself an event planner for this celebration as your punishment.”

His words were cold and final. “You may leave now.”

And just like that, I was dismissed with a wave of his hands.

The celebration day was finally here and I was a mess. Tired and stinky. Edgar has been helpful as well as Eric. We decorated the whole place to perfection — or so I thought.

“It’s beautiful and perfect. You can stop worrying now.”

“Are you sure? Look at this spot, Edgar. I’m not as tall as you are. Help me fix it. And this place too.”

I continued rambling on and on, almost freaking Edgar out. He sighed. “I know you want to make this perfect and it is already perfect. You were independently able to pull the alliance deal off. This one, of course, shouldn’t be your worry.”

“Are you sure?” I asked for the hundred and one time.

“Yes, it is,” Edgar answered, of course for the hundred and one time.

“If you say so, then you can all go home to freshen up while I go do the same. We can’t be left out from looking nice at a party we’ve planned,” I jokingly said, and they nodded — their friends indeed.

What would I have done without them?

I felt nostalgic looking in the mirror. The last time I looked into the mirror was on the day of my birthday. Looking at myself in the mirror now evoked a deep sense of mixed feelings and unpleasant emotions.

I gaped at what was on my head. My silky long hair had turned into a bed nest. I looked so unkempt. I was a mess.

“Now what do I do about my hair?” I sat down thoughtfully. “I can’t just go to the event hall looking so messy.”

I applied my hair oil on my hair and gently untangled it as I raked my fingers through it. I curled it after I combed through it and tied it up into a messy ponytail and dropped two tiny curls on both sides of my face.

I stood up feeling proud of what I’d done to my hair, and now it was time to look for a dress.

I stood in front of my open closet, my fingers slowly gliding through the hanging dresses. I have a lot of fancy dresses. I have accompanied Drake to balls and some events and meetings meant for Alphas, as I was his girlfriend.

But what would be appropriate to wear for this event? My status wasn’t as it was anymore. I wasn’t his girlfriend and the event was not related to me. Either way, I didn’t want to be overdressed or underdressed.

I just wanted something simple, yet elegant and classy. My hand stopped at a black gown when it came into view.

I took it out of the closet, running my hand through the smooth and silky material. It was a knee-length, sleeveless, off-the-shoulder gown with flowers embedded at the end of the gown.

I had bought it but had not worn it. I unzipped it and slid into it, zipped it back up, and looked at myself in the mirror. The gown hung itself in the right places, accentuating my curves.

“Exactly what I needed,” I muttered as I swirled around to have a proper look in the mirror. It was beautiful.

I twisted around, adjusting the gown as I looked at my reflection. I walked towards my shoe rack and picked up a silver-colored heel and walked towards the edge of the bed to put it on.

I didn’t forget to match the heels with a silver earring, and my black clutch purse was what remained — and I was ready.

The air was charged with an air of excitement. The Alpha King — Jonah — was no longer a threat but now our ally. It was worthy of celebration. And of course, every member of our pack took it personally, using this medium to have fun to the brim.

The speaker boomed out from the inside, but I didn’t know it was that loud until I stepped into the event hall. Unlike the last time, when everyone looked at me with eyes that judged, in contrast, the hall was filled with elegantly dressed members, and on their faces were smiles and laughter as they swayed merrily to the tune of the music.

I walked my way through the crowd, pushing through until I got to my destination — the bar counter. The two bartenders were ready to take orders and so were the waiters and waitresses.

“A shot of whiskey,” I shouted as I sat down on a counterstool. “Make it strong.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

The bartender lived up to his name because he tended to my request in a blink, pushing the liquor towards me. I downed it in one go, and two more shots I demanded again, hitting the glass on the bar counter.

“Yes, ma’am, on it.”

The bartender obliged, filling the glasses.

Drake could have fun. Eleanor can also enjoy herself too. Then why shouldn’t I do the same? They were living their best life, so why should I be the one to wallow in misery? Today I was going to forget all about them.

And what better way to forget than get high on whiskey. I have always had a high tolerance of alcohol, so I was going to spoil myself today starting with this drink.

I downed the second shot, and before I could pick the third shot, a hand with long and slender fingers picked it up.

Who—?

I looked at the hand that picked up my drink without my permission, slowly tracing it up to take a look at the person — and my breath momentarily hitched.