Chanel’s POV
Two nights later, Miranda’s welcome party arrived. Every influential wolf from our allied packs was present, all eager to witness the official introduction of Daniel’s chosen mate. While she was the woman everyone believed had always been meant for him, no one knew about me, and I was only the one he kept in the shadows.
I had no business being here, but Daniel had insisted.
“You understand why you need to be here,” he had said earlier. “The pack must see stability. They can’t suspect anything.”
And like a fool, I had agreed, because our families were friends, and they would smell something fishy if I was a no-show.
I stood alongside my family, wearing the mask of a Beta’s daughter, a neutral guest, while he basked in the admiration of the pack, his hand resting possessively on Miranda’s waist. The woman smiled at him with the confidence of someone who had never doubted her place. She didn’t need to fight for him. He had been hers from the start.
However, the night turned darker when the doors to the grand hall slammed open, and a rival Alpha from the Redfang pack barged in. His gaze swept the room before landing on Miranda, and a slow, cruel smile spread across his face.
“Well, well,” he drawled with mockery. “If she isn’t the one destined to rule alongside the great Alpha heir, I must say, it's amusing seeing you here, all dressed up like a queen when not too long ago, you were nothing but my little whore."
A shocked gasp rippled through the hall. Eyes widened, lips parted in scandalized murmurs, and the air turned thick with tension. Miranda’s face drained of color as whispers spread like wildfire.
The Redfang Alpha chuckled darkly. "What? You thought no one would remember?” He leaned closer. "Tell me, does your future Alpha know how well you used to beg in bed?"
Daniel’s roar cut through the air, shaking the very foundation of the hall. In a blur of movement, he lunged at the Redfang Alpha, grabbing him by the collar and slamming him against a pillar with bone-cracking force. "You will shut your filthy mouth!" Daniel’s eyes burned with fury, his wolf barely restrained. "You dare insult my mate in my own territory?"
The Redfang Alpha coughed, smirking despite the chokehold. "Oh, I dare because it’s the truth, isn’t it? She was mine first."
Daniel’s fist connected with his face, and the sickening crunch of bone echoed through the silent hall. It was followed by blood splattering against the marble floor. "Take him!" Daniel barked.
His warriors surged forward, restraining the Redfang Alpha as he laughed, spitting blood onto the floor. "I wonder if she misses me. Or maybe she imagines you as me.”
“You son of a bitch!” Daniel’s hands trembled with rage, but Miranda grabbed his arm, pressing her body against his as if she were the wounded party.
"Please, don't let him ruin this night."
Daniel inhaled sharply before turning to his warriors. "Lock him up. I’ll deal with him later."
The warriors dragged the laughing Alpha away. The guests, on the other hand, stood frozen, eyes bouncing between Daniel, Miranda, and the bloodstained floor. The scandal had already taken root. No matter how much damage control they attempted, the rumors would spread.
“Are you alright?” Daniel murmured, intimate in a way that made my stomach churn.
She nodded, pressing closer to him. The delicate damsel was protected by her powerful mate.
I watched, invisible as ever. He had defended her with unrelenting rage. He had shed blood for her. When I had been insulted, mocked, and dismissed, he had let me stand alone. But for her, he would kill.
By midnight, the party had shifted into something more intimate.
Trying to avoid people, I retreated to the terrace, letting the cool air calm my nerves. But then a smooth, saccharine voice penetrated the air. I turned, finding Miranda standing behind me, a flute of champagne in hand, her lips curled into a smirk.
"Enjoying the view, Chanel?"
I rolled my eyes. "What do you want, Miranda?"
She laughed, waltzing closer. "Oh, don’t act so cold. We were practically sisters once, weren’t we? Though, I have to admit, seeing you sulking here alone is satisfying."
I clenched my fists. "Sisters don’t steal each other’s mates."
Her smirk deepened. "Steal? Sweetheart, you were never meant to have him. Daniel was always mine. He just got distracted and played around with the lesser girl before coming back to where he belongs."
Anger coiled inside me, but I refused to let her see how deeply her words cut. "If he was always yours, why do you sound so threatened?"
Her eyes darkened, the mask slipping for just a moment before she scoffed. "Threatened? Please. Unlike you, I don't need to beg for scraps of affection. I don’t need to be pitied."
I tilted my head, meeting her gaze. "No, you just need to ruin lives to feel secure."
Her grip on her champagne glass tightened. "You're already on thin ice, bitch. If I were you, I'd leave this pack before you embarrass yourself any further."
I laughed bitterly. "Embarrass myself? You mean before you and Daniel finish whatever scheme you're planning against me? Before you try to erase every trace of me from his past?"
Her expression twisted into something ugly. "You were never more than a mistake to him. That’s why he let you go so easily."
A sharp pain lanced through my chest, but I held my ground. "Funny, because he sure seemed torn up about it when he was still in my bed while calling you his mate."
Her nostrils flared, and in the next instant, her palm struck my cheek with a stinging slap. And then a familiar scent filled the space, and I realized too late that Daniel had arrived, standing just beyond the terrace doors.
"Miranda!" His voice was calm, but his gaze flickered between us.
My cheek burned, but I lifted my chin, waiting for him to acknowledge what had just happened.
But he didn’t. Instead, he sighed and placed a hand on Miranda’s back. "Come on, let’s go."
He didn’t spare me a glance. He didn’t even ask if I was okay before walking away with her.
