Chapter 23 Clara’s Big Day

Chapter 23 Clara’s Big Day
Clara’s POV 

The sun had barely risen over Evergreen Pack, yet the entire territory was already bursting with noise.

Workers hammered new beams into place. Omegas swept the front yard of the packhouse. Warriors patrolled in clean uniforms, trying to look strong even though everyone still carried the weight of the recent invasion.

But today…

Today was supposed to wash all that sadness away.

My wedding.

My coronation.

My moment.

And I intended to enjoy every single second of it.

I stood in my room—my new room, the Luna’s chamber—while more than fifteen private stylists fluttered around me like butterflies. Brushes, combs, powders, jewels… everywhere.

“Hold still, Luna Clara,” one of them said gently.

Luna Clara.

The words made my skin tingle.

I smiled at myself in the mirror. The reflection staring back at me was perfect... golden hair, silky waves falling down my shoulders, lips tinted pink, eyes soft and innocent. Exactly the image I needed everyone to see.

“Make the curls tighter,” I ordered another stylist. “And add more shine.”

They obeyed instantly.

Of course they did.

Edmund had given them all strict instructions to treat me like royalty. And why wouldn’t he? I had him wrapped around my finger so tightly he could barely breathe without checking if I approved.

While the stylists continued fussing, a maid rushed in breathlessly, holding a velvet box.

“Luna… this just arrived. From Alpha Edmund.”

I pretended to be calm, but my heart raced. Edmund had promised me a surprise, but I didn’t think he meant something big.

“Bring it here,” I said softly.

The maid placed it into my hands. The velvet felt smooth and rich under my fingers. I opened the box—

And gasped.

Inside lay a diamond necklace so bright it looked like it had been born from lightning. The jewels were massive, each one catching the light.

“Oh… goddess,” one stylist whispered. “That must cost millions.”

Millions.

And he spent it on me.

A slow smile curled my lips. Isabella never wore anything this precious. Isabella never had stylists, gifts, praise, attention… nothing compared to what I was getting right now.

She was probably dead somewhere in a ditch, and this necklace?

This necklace proved that I had won.

Completely.

I lifted it up carefully. It sparkled against my skin as one stylist fastened it around my neck. My reflection looked like royalty—more than royalty. I looked like destiny.

A knock sounded at the door.

Before the stylists could answer, the door swung open.

Ramona stepped inside.

Edmund’s little sister.

Pretty, delicate… and always watching me with those judgmental eyes. She didn’t even bother greeting anyone. Her gaze shot straight to the necklace around my neck, then to my face.

"So it’s true,” she said quietly. “He really gave you that.”

“What do you want, Ramona?” I asked, not in the mood for her attitude.

She stepped closer, arms crossed. “I’m here to talk to you before the ceremony. One last time.”

I rolled my eyes and motioned for the stylists to step back.

Ramona came to a stop a few steps in front of me. She looked smaller than usual… or maybe I just felt bigger now.

“Clara,” she said, voice sharper, “I don’t approve of this.”

I blinked, pretending to be confused. “You don’t approve of what?”

“You becoming Luna,” she snapped. “You were Isabella’s maid, Clara. Her maid. And now you’re wearing her crown? Prancing around like you deserve everything that she worked for?”

The air tightened.

Several stylists gasped.

I kept my face neutral, but inside, her words hit a nerve. Hard.

Don’t react. Don’t react. Don’t react.

Ramona continued, “I was friends with Isabella. She was good to you. She trusted you. And now she’s gone—”

“Gone?” I echoed, raising a brow. “She left, Ramona. She abandoned the pack.”

“That’s not what I believe,” Ramona whispered. “And deep down, I know it’s not what you believe either.”

My pulse quickened.

For a moment, Isabella’s face flashed through my mind. Her shock the night Edmund rejected her. Her tears as she tried to save her son. Her screams—

No.

No, no.

I buried the memory deep.

“I don’t have time for this,” I said stiffly. “If you’re done, leave.”

Ramona’s jaw tightened. “You changed. You’re not the girl Isabella used to trust.”

I leaned in slightly, lowering my voice so only she could hear.

“No,” I said, smiling. “I’m better.”

She stared at me like she didn’t recognize me anymore. Good. She shouldn’t.

“You’re a disappointment,” she whispered.

“And you’re irrelevant,” I replied.

Her eyes widened. “Clara—”

I shoved her.

Hard.

She stumbled backward and hit the floor with a thud.

The stylists gasped again. One rushed to help her, but I lifted a hand to stop her.

“Let her stay there,” I said calmly.

Ramona looked up at me, stunned, hurt, angry… but too shocked to speak.

I stepped closer, towering over her.

“Get lost,” I told her coldly. “While I go get married… and become your Luna.”

Her lips parted in disbelief.

I smiled sweetly—then turned away from her completely.

The stylists hurried back to me, fussing as if nothing had happened.

“Fix the curls,” I said. “And bring me the crown.”

Behind me, Ramona stood up slowly. I could hear her breath shaking. She wanted to fight back. She wanted to scream.

But she didn’t.

She simply walked out, closing the door behind her.

Good.

She finally knew her place.

Once she was gone, I allowed myself to exhale deeply. My heart was still pounding from the confrontation, but I couldn’t let anyone see.

Today was too important.

I sat back down in front of the mirror, lifting my chin proudly.

“Continue,” I told the stylists. “We don’t have time to waste.”

They immediately returned to work—curling, painting, arranging, perfecting.

As they worked, I let myself drift into the fantasy I’d been building for months.

I imagined walking down the aisle in front of all Evergreen. Everyone kneeling… cheering… praising me. I imagined wearing the Luna crown, finally being the woman I always deserved to be. The woman Isabella never appreciated. The woman Edmund would never dare betray again.

He chose me.

He loved me.

He would obey me.

Everything in this pack would soon belong to me.

And once Leon returned for the final takeover…

I would be standing safely on the winning side.

My life was finally falling into place.

I pushed the faint, annoying thought of Isabella aside. Even if she was alive, she wouldn’t dare return. Not with the world thinking she abandoned her pack and ran like a coward. Her reputation was already ruined.

I made sure of it.

“Luna Clara,” a stylist whispered, clipping a final jewel into my hair. “You look breathtaking.”

I smiled at my reflection.

Yes.

I did.

And nothing—absolutely nothing—was going to take this moment from me.

Not Ramona.

Not the people whispering behind my back.

And definitely not Isabella.

She was gone.

Dead or hiding—it didn’t matter.

I was the Luna now.

And no one could stop me.

Not anymore.