The scent hit me first—not mine.
A mix of perfume and something else, something sharp and unfamiliar. My heart raced as I caught the floral notes clinging to Lucas’s coat. I didn’t need to look twice to know the scent wasn’t from me. It wasn’t even close.
I turned slightly, and there it was. The lipstick stain—a bold red smear on the collar, so blatant that it almost mocked me. My breath caught in my throat, and I swallowed down the surge of bile.
The memories flooded in, sharp and jagged. Lucas had been pulling away for weeks—always distracted, always busy with “pack matters.” But I knew better now.
He wasn’t just busy. He was slipping away.
And then, as if on cue, I saw them—a pair of delicate, lacy red panties caught on the edge of his pants. The sight was a punch to the gut, and my hands trembled as I reached down to pick them up. The soft fabric felt wrong, like it didn’t belong in my hands, but they were his—his latest 'betrayal' lying in plain sight.
I clenched my fists, forcing myself to set the panties down. I couldn’t let myself fall apart. Not yet. Not when the Alpha Summit was hours away.
I turned toward the table, where the paper bags lay, the contents taunting me. The emerald dress and earrings. His gift, as if I were just some pretty doll to be dressed up. His mate, forced into submission.
My body reacts to emerald stones! I wanted to scream. But instead, I just stared at the dress. It wasn’t the dress I hated—it was everything behind it. Everything that came with it. His control, his expectations.
I forced my hands to move, opening the bag, holding the dress up. The green fabric shimmered under the lights, taunting me. I could almost hear Lucas’s voice in my head, demanding I wear it, demanding I be the obedient mate.
But my pulse was thundering now, my wolf restless under my skin, clawing at the cage of my chest. I didn't wear them.
And then, his voice.
“Catherine.”
I froze. Lucas stood in the doorway, his gaze hard, his stance threatening.
“Where are the emerald earrings and the dress I gave you?”
I didn’t flinch, even as his tone sent a ripple of tension through the room. “I didn’t wear them.”
His jaw tightened. “You didn’t wear them,” he repeated, his voice dangerously low. “Do you know how insulting that is? To me. To the pack.”
I met his sharp gaze, refusing to back down. “My body reacts to emerald stones, Lucas. They burn my skin. I’ve told you that before.”
Lucas let out a humorless laugh, the sound laced with contempt. “Oh, how convenient. My mate is too 'delicate' for the gifts her Alpha provides. You’re just being difficult, Catherine.”
“I’m not being difficult,” I replied evenly, though my heart thudded in my chest. “I’m being truthful. Or is that something you can’t handle?”
That did it.
In one swift motion, Lucas closed the distance between us, his hand wrapping around my throat. I gasped as he slammed me against the wall, his grip firm but not enough to cut off my air.
The cool marble pressed into my back as I met his burning gaze.
“You think you can embarrass me tonight? Make me look weak in front of the other Alphas?” His voice was a venomous whisper, his breath hot against my face. “Do you even understand the consequences of your actions?”
“Let go of me!” I hissed, clawing at his hand, but his grip only tightened.
“You’re mine, Catherine. Mine to command, mine to dress, mine to control. If I tell you to wear emeralds, you wear them.”
The pain of his words hit harder than his grip. My vision blurred slightly, but I forced myself to speak, even as my voice trembled.
“And if you think I’m a puppet for you to control, Lucas, you’re gravely mistaken.”
His lips curled into a sneer. “Mistaken? No, Catherine. 'You’re' the mistake.”
I froze.
He released me with a shove, and I stumbled forward, gasping for air. My hand flew to my throat as I coughed, trying to steady myself.
“I won’t have you humiliate me tonight,” Lucas said, his voice as sharp as a blade. “Fix yourself. Now.”
I straightened slowly, ignoring the ache in my neck and the humiliation burning under my skin. My eyes locked on his, defiance blazing despite the ache in my chest.
“I’ll play your game tonight, Lucas,” I said, my voice cold. “But don’t forget—every game has an end.”
His laugh followed me as I turned away, the sound echoing in my ears like a cruel promise.
***
I wore the green dress.
Despite everything in me screaming not to, I put it on—the one Lucas had insisted upon. The moon emerald earrings dangled from my ears, a cruel weight against my skin. The stones burned, a fiery sensation spreading like tiny needles pricking into my flesh, but I endured it. I had no choice.
The Alpha Summit wasn’t about me, not tonight. It was about appearances. About showing Midnight Crest Pack as strong, united, and untouchable. And for that, I had to play my part, no matter how it destroyed me.
I glanced at myself in the mirror before leaving. My skin was paler than usual, a faint flush betraying the pain beneath the surface, but the dress hugged my body perfectly. Elegant, poised, and submissive—that was the image Lucas demanded.
