Chapter 35: Broken Illusions
\#### **Celeste’s Fury**
The moment they stepped out of the boutique, Celeste grabbed Kieran’s arm, her manicured nails digging into his skin.
“What the hell was that?” she hissed.
Kieran didn’t answer right away. His jaw was locked, his fists clenched at his sides as he stared after Raine, watching her disappear into the crowd with *them*.
With *Xavier Draven*.
Something inside him burned.
A Month ago, he wouldn’t have given Raine a second glance.
A Month ago, she had been beneath him. A weak, pathetic thing meant to serve, not to stand beside *him*.
But now?
She wasn’t the same girl he had rejected.
She had changed.
And he hated it.
“Kieran!” Celeste snapped, yanking him back to the present. “Answer me!”
He turned to her slowly, his dark eyes sharp with something unreadable.
Celeste swallowed.
She had seen that look before.
It meant danger.
But she wasn’t about to back down. Not now. Not after *that*.
She let out a sharp, bitter laugh. “So that’s it? That’s why you were acting like some obsessed stalker in there? Because she put on a new dress and learned how to throw around a few words?”
Kieran’s jaw tightened.
Celeste scoffed. “You rejected her. You humiliated her. And now, what? You suddenly *want* her?”
Silence.
Celeste’s hands curled into fists. “Unbelievable.”
Kieran finally looked at her, his expression unreadable. “You don’t understand.”
Celeste’s eyes flashed. “Then *explain* it to me, *Alpha*,” she spat, mockingly emphasizing his title. “Because from where I’m standing, you looked *desperate*.”
The words hit like a slap, but Kieran didn’t flinch.
Instead, something in him *snapped*.
In a blink, he moved.
Faster than she could react.
One second, she was standing in front of him, seething. The next, her back was against the nearest wall, his hand braced beside her head, his presence towering over her.
Celeste sucked in a sharp breath.
She knew Kieran was strong.
But he had never used that strength on *her*.
Never reminded her of the power difference between them.
Until now.
“Be very careful how you speak to me, Celeste,” Kieran murmured, his voice quiet but dangerous.
Her heart pounded, but she forced herself to keep her chin up. “I’m just saying what everyone else is thinking,” she hissed. “You’re the *Alpha*. You don’t chase after used-up rejects.”
His eyes flashed.
Celeste knew she had pushed him too far the moment she said it.
Before she could react, his fingers wrapped around her throat—not enough to hurt, but enough to make her *listen*.
Enough to remind her that he *could* hurt her if he wanted to.
“You think you’re untouchable,” Kieran murmured, his grip tightening just slightly. “You think you can talk to me however you want just because you’ve been by my side the longest.”
Celeste’s breath hitched.
His voice was cold. *Too* cold.
“But here’s the thing, Celeste,” he continued. “You are *not* my Luna.”
The words were a slap to the face.
Her nails dug into his wrist, but he didn’t budge.
“You’ve never been my Luna,” he said. “You were just a convenient distraction. A way to pass the time.”
Celeste’s vision blurred with rage.
She *refused* to believe that.
She had *invested* in Kieran.
She had stood beside him, strengthened his position, *made* him into the Alpha he was today.
And now he was throwing her away?
Because of *Raine*?
Celeste gritted her teeth, ignoring the panic clawing at her throat. “You don’t even *like* her,” she choked out. “You *rejected* her.”
Kieran’s expression darkened.
His grip tightened just enough to make her gasp.
“Then why can’t I stop thinking about her?” he murmured.
Celeste *froze*.
No.
No, this wasn’t happening.
Kieran wasn’t supposed to *want* Raine. He wasn’t supposed to care.
Celeste was the one who had been by his side.
The one who had always been there.
The one he was *supposed* to choose.
But now…
Raine was gone.
And for the first time, Kieran felt what *she* must have felt when he rejected her.
The sting of being discarded.
Celeste’s face twisted with fury. “You’re making a mistake,” she seethed.
Kieran’s lips curled into something cold. “I think I already did.”
Then he let go.
Celeste stumbled, coughing, rage burning beneath her skin as she glared up at him.
But Kieran didn’t look at her.
His mind was already elsewhere.
Already chasing after the one thing he had thrown away.
And now, he wasn’t sure if he would ever get it back.
\---
Back at Xavier’s estate, Raine sat curled up in one of the massive leather chairs, absently watching the flames flicker in the fireplace.
She should have felt tense. Uneasy.
But she didn’t.
For the first time in *years*, she felt… calm.
Ivy plopped down beside her, stretching lazily. “Well, *that* was satisfying.”
Reed chuckled. “Kieran looked like he wanted to eat his own words.”
Raine smirked slightly but said nothing.
Because deep down, she *knew* what Kieran had seen.
He had seen the version of her he never expected to exist.
And it had shaken him.
Good.
She wanted him to choke on his regret.
Xavier sat across from her, golden eyes watching her closely. He hadn’t said much since they got back.
Which was… unusual.
Ivy nudged him with her foot. “You’re being too quiet.”
Xavier smirked but didn’t take his eyes off Raine. “Just thinking.”
“About?”
He leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on his knees. “About how people always want what they can’t have.”
Raine exhaled slowly.
She knew he was talking about Kieran.
She also knew Xavier wasn’t *wrong*.
Kieran had *only* noticed her now because she was no longer within his grasp.
Because she wasn’t weak anymore.
Because she wasn’t waiting for him.
And that was his mistake.
Because she was *never* going back.
Ivy stretched with a yawn. “Well, if he *does* try something, he better be ready for an ass-kicking. I’ll break his nose for fun.”
Reed grinned. “I get dibs on the ribs.”
Xavier smirked. “I’ll take the spine.”
Raine rolled her eyes. “You’re all insane.”
Ivy grinned, throwing an arm around her shoulder. “Yeah, but you *love* us.”
Raine hesitated.
Then, slowly, a small smile tugged at her lips.
Yeah.
She kind of did.
And for the first time in her life…
She didn’t feel alone.
\---