Chapter 17

Third Person POV

“Do you have any idea of the damage you’ve done to this pack?” Alpha Derrick said angrily. “We’re trying to gain strength, not give it away because you can’t control yourself.”

David sat with his eyes downcast, listening to his father’s scolding. His mother, Lily, sat beside him, gently rubbing his back.

“This isn’t David’s fault,” she said firmly. “It’s all because of Ella. I don’t know what’s happened, but something about her has changed. She’s stopped being the gentle, naïve girl that was so easy to deal with.”

“And whose fault do you think that is?” Alpha Derrick snapped. “David must have done something to upset her. She must have noticed your flirting with Amanda or something like that. Why else would she suddenly be so hard to control?”

“I don’t know,” David said with obvious frustration.

“It doesn’t matter what caused it,” Lily said. “We need to figure out a way to make Ella devoted to you again. That way, we can easily control her.”

“Well, come up with a plan quickly,” the Alpha ordered. “If this pack suffers a single loss because of you, then you will no longer be my heir. Mark my words.”

“Yes, Father,” David said. A moment later, the Alpha stormed out of the room, and David quickly made his way to his own bedroom.

He wanted to clear his head and try to think of a plan, but when he opened the door, he found Amanda waiting for him.

She was the last person he wanted to see right now. She had nearly ruined everything with her confession in the restaurant. How could she be so stupid as to just give everything up like that?

He couldn’t tell her off, though; he was still going to need her help.

“What are we going to do about this?” he demanded, walking past her and collapsing onto his bed. “There has to be a way to rein Ella in.”

“She’s gotten too big for her own good,” Amanda said angrily. “The answer is obvious. We need to put her back in her place. We’ll show her just how small and inadequate she is. Then she’ll come running back to you for support.”

“Maybe this is my fault,” David said. “I’ve complimented her too much. I’ve told her too many times how important her status is. Now she’s got it in her head that she’s better than me.”

“We just need to show her that’s not true,” Amanda said.

David agreed, and he had a pretty good idea of where to start breaking down Ella’s newfound confidence.

Ella POV

The dress Alexander had given me for the banquet was beautiful. I didn’t even want to think about how much money it must have cost.

I was a little frustrated to find that it fit me absolutely perfectly, flattering my figure without being too revealing. I spent a long time looking at myself in the mirror before finally getting into the car to head to the banquet, which was being held in the capital.

I saw a glimpse of my future self when I looked in the mirror—my older and wiser self. It made me feel more confident.

I was going to be a little bit late, but I didn’t mind that since I wasn’t being expected. It would give me an opportunity to make a bit of an entrance when I showed up.

There was a driver taking me to the event, but other than that, I was alone in the car, so I was scrolling on my phone. A number of reporters and other people were live-streaming the event, chatting with guests as they made their way inside.

Alexander wasn’t joking about it being a good opportunity to get some press.

We weren’t far from the venue when I saw David’s face in a thumbnail. I clicked on it to open the live stream. My blood went cold as I saw him standing beside Amanda.

Of course, he hadn’t invited me because he’d always planned to take her.

I turned the volume up enough to hear what he was saying, and I scoffed out loud at his words.

“It’s just a real love story, you know,” David said. “From the moment I first met Ella, I was head over heels for her, so of course, when I found out she wasn’t my fated mate, it didn’t make a difference. I had already made up my mind that I wanted to be with her.”

“Isn’t it awkward for you, though?” the person behind the camera asked. “Since your fated mate is Ella’s good friend. And, in fact, you’re here with Amanda and not your fiancée.”

“Ella doesn’t like events like this,” David answered. “She gets uncomfortable with the attention.”

“I’m only here as a friend,” Amanda chimed in, leaning into the frame so her face would be on camera. “Just a very good friend.”

The two of them continued to talk, but I wasn’t hearing their words. I was filled with rage at what David was doing—right after he’d been publicly humiliated, here he was, out in public with Amanda on his arm, making excuses for why he wasn’t with me.

My driver pulled up to the entrance, and I quickly thanked him before getting out. If I hurried, I could still catch up to David. I wanted him to see me as I arrived.

I took a breath to steady myself, then made my way to the entrance and threw the double doors open as I stepped in.

As I had hoped, the moment the doors opened, a flurry of flashes went off as photographers took photos. A murmur went through the room, and I could hear people calling my name, wanting me to turn and look at them for more shots.

I wasn’t supposed to be here, yet here I was, standing in a brilliant bright red satin gown with my hair and makeup done perfectly.

David must have heard them calling my name. I could see him a few yards away, still chatting with a reporter who had approached him.

His mouth fell open when he saw me.

I waved politely and paused to smile at a few of the people calling out for photos, then I made my way to David.

“Ella Rowan!” the person behind the camera exclaimed in surprise. She was a young woman, no older than me.

“Hello,” I said with a bright smile.

“I was told that you wouldn’t be here tonight,” she said. “Can you tell us what made you change your mind?”

I frowned and put on my best confused expression. “Who told you that?” I asked. “David invited me to join him. I was only running a little bit late.”

“But you said—”

“I’m glad you could make it,” David interjected, cutting the reporter off. He immediately stepped away from Amanda and locked his arm with mine. “I was starting to worry,” he said.

I smiled at him, though his touch repulsed me. “Of course,” I said. “I did agree to give you another chance, after all.”

His face went a little pale at my words, and without even looking back at Amanda, he led me further into the banquet hall. I could feel Amanda glaring at my back, but I didn’t give her the satisfaction of turning to look at her.

For the next hour or so, David was very attentive and complimentary. I could tell I had caught him off guard by showing up, and he was doing his best not to make me angry.

Amanda was clearly also persuaded by David to act like my bestie again. She told me what she said the other day was completely because of her sudden heat and shift.

After all, David had just agreed to a contract that would allow me to take quite a bit of land away from him if I found out he’d been lying to me again.

David and I greeted the other Lunas and Alphas, as well as the other hopeful candidates for Alpha King, but I didn’t see Alexander, much to my disappointment. I knew he must be around somewhere, so I was sure I would see him before the evening was over.

At some point, people started whispering, and I could sense that I was being stared at. David seemed to sense it too, frowning deeply.

“Are people staring at you?” he asked a little too loudly.

“It seems like it,” I said in confusion, “but I don’t know why.”

David pulled his phone out and tapped at the screen a few times. Then a look of exaggerated horror crossed his face as he held the screen up to me.

It was a news alert, and the headline read: BREAKING: Ella Rowan Wolfless.