Chapter 100: Shards of the engagement
JULIA
The night air bit into my skin as I wandered down the nearly empty street, the moonlight casting long shadows that danced with every step I took. My heels clicked against the pavement sharp, angry echoes that mirrored the chaos brewing in my chest.
How?
How the hell did Stephen get Selena back?
I had taken her far away hidden her so deep she should’ve disappeared into dust. I did everything to make sure she would never return to this pack, and yet… there she was. Standing beside him. Looking whole. Alive. Loved.
My fingers curled into fists, nails digging into my palms as I struggled to breathe. I thought I was finally winning Stephen back. Thought that the way he held me, the way he pounded into me like he was starving, meant something.
But no.
I was nothing but a distraction. A dirty secret.
He was still hers.
Rage flared hot in my veins. I’d counted on Alpha Tyler. I made sure Selena ended up in his hands. Stephen wouldn’t have been reckless enough to step foot into enemy territory would he? Or maybe I’d underestimated him again. Maybe he was more dangerous than I gave him credit for.
My eyes burned with unshed tears, but I refused to let them fall. I refused to be weak.
I had to stay focused.
From the way he looked at me cold, detached I could tell he didn’t know I had anything to do with Selena’s disappearance. Good. It needed to stay that way. No one could ever know.
If I couldn’t have Stephen, then neither could she.
A car whooshed past, headlights flashing across my face. I barely blinked. My mind was a storm, and I was caught in the center of it.
Suddenly, a body stepped into my path. I collided with a firm chest, stumbling back, heart pounding. My eyes met his and everything stopped for a moment.
Desmond.
He looked like hell. Sunken eyes, dark circles, a permanent frown carved into his once-smug face. The confident warrior was gone, replaced by a ghost of a man. Selena’s disappearance had shattered him.
“I’m sorry,” I murmured softly, masking my emotions.
He blinked, trying to focus. “Julia?” His voice was raw, uncertain.
I nodded, letting a small, sympathetic smile tug at my lips. “You’ve looked better.”
He gave a weak laugh, the sound empty. “She’s still gone. No word. Nothing.”
I laid a gentle hand on his arm. “You’ll find her. Maybe sooner than you think.”
A flicker of hope sparked in his eyes, and I filed it away. Desmond still loved Selena. And I could use that. Play on it. Manipulate it.
If I could gain his trust make him believe I cared I could plant the seed. Slowly. Carefully.
Eventually, I’d tell him she was back. That she was with Stephen. And then I’d let his heart do the rest of the damage.
He’d help me destroy her, and he wouldn’t even know he was doing it for me.
If I couldn’t have Stephen… then I’d make damn sure Selena ended up with no one.
ADAM
The whiskey burned down my throat like acid, but I welcomed the pain. At least it was something.
I stared at the broken glass on the floor, the remnants of the engagement toast I’d thrown against the wall not long ago. The scent of roses from the party still lingered in the air, a cruel reminder of everything I’d lost.
Stephen Kingsley had walked into my mansion.
Uninvited.
Unafraid.
And worse… he walked out untouched. With her.
I had guards stationed everywhere. Background checks. Surveillance. I trusted no one. And yet his men were already inside. Embedded in my home like a damn parasite.
I’d been outplayed.
My fingers dug into the edge of the marble counter until my knuckles blanched, the cold stone biting into my skin. My pulse throbbed in my ears like a war drum, drowning out the clink of laughter still echoing from the empty ballroom. The air smelled of roses and champagne sweet reminders of a night meant to mark my triumph.
Instead, it reeked of failure.
I’d thrown that goddamn engagement party for Selena like it was a victory parade. Like claiming her in front of everyone would make it real. Like ownership was love.
But the truth hit me now with a force I couldn’t deflect.
She was never mine.
A growl crawled up my throat raw, guttural. I slammed both palms against the counter, then swept everything off it in one violent motion. Glass shattered, porcelain crashed to the floor, the wine decanter spun once before slamming into the wall. The chandelier above trembled, crystals chiming like funeral bells.
I stood amidst the wreckage, chest heaving. My reflection in the dark window looked back at me wild-eyed, unrecognizable.
He had her.
Stephen.
The name burned through me like acid. I pictured her curled into him, her smile soft, her laugh real. Maybe she was whispering things to him she once said to me things I’d believed.
She should be here. In my home. In my bed. Wearing the ring I chose, not someone else's mark on her skin. My nails bit into my palm as I clenched my fists.
"I’ll bring her back," I rasped. My voice barely sounded human. My breath came in short, sharp bursts, like I was about to shift like my wolf was clawing up from the depths.
She wouldn’t come easily. I knew that. Especially if she remembered everything. She’d scream, fight, hate me. But I could live with her hate.
What I couldn’t live with was losing.
Stephen thought he’d won.
Let him enjoy the illusion.
Because this war wasn’t over.
And I never lose the war.
AUTHOR’S NOTE
Thank you for reading this chapter.
Each scene, every line of dialogue, was written with the hope that it would pull you deeper into the story. If your heart raced, if you felt the tension, or if you paused to feel what the characters were going through then I’ve done my job.
Your time and attention mean everything. Thank you for being here, for turning the page, and for walking this path with me one chapter at a time.
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