Not only had I been uninformed about the meeting she was attending, but now she wanted my Luna dress as well.
That dress was a sacred family tradition, worn only by the Luna of the pack. Knowing this, Brown still wanted her to wear it.
"You can have it," I said lightly, though my heart was breaking. "I'll have the omegas prepare the dress for you."
Besides, I had no intention of putting it on my body ever again.
"You don't need to do that. I already did," Brown announced, his words piercing my heart like a blade.
He had no right to do that. Since I headed the female omegas, they only took such significant orders from me. The dress could only be released with the Luna's approval.
"Thanks, Olivia," Mia cut in sweetly. "I knew my stay here would be memorable because of you."
I didn't utter another word as I stood to leave the table, but Mia stopped me.
"You don't mind taking some pictures of us, right? Since it's your anniversary, I want to preserve this memory," she said, extending her phone toward me.
Memory, indeed.
Mia hurriedly moved closer to Brown and clung to him like a parasite. In the past, when Brown and I went on dates, Mia was always the one taking pictures for us. Now the roles were reversed.
I took several photographs in various poses of my mate with his lover until they were finally satisfied and left the table, smiling at each other.
After watching their retreating figures, I turned to leave but accidentally knocked over a small ceramic coffee kettle on the table.
The kettle wobbled precariously, then toppled over completely. Scalding liquid cascaded down, splashing across my bare feet and ankles. I gasped sharply, stumbling backward as I steadied myself against the table's edge. The burning sensation spread across my skin like wildfire.
Hot coffee seeped between my toes and pooled on the floor around me, but Brown had already turned away, his attention captured by Mia as they smiled and chattered over their photographs. They disappeared around the corner, leaving me alone with my agony.
How different things would be if this had happened to Mia. Brown would have swept her up immediately, called for ice, fussed over every possible burn mark. He would have insisted on a doctor and the finest care money could buy.
But I remembered a time when I would have received such care. When my father ruled as Alpha, omegas rushed to tend to my every need. A single scratch would have summoned healers and worried attendants. Everything changed the day my parents died. Now, despite my mating to Brown, I remained invisible. I had been forgotten for far too long.
I quietly left the dining area and returned to the omega quarters where I now belonged.
The afternoon stretched endlessly as I tended to my wounds, unsure if I even wanted to attend the meeting. I vowed to myself that I would find a way to break free from Brown and reclaim my pack as soon as possible.
An omega interrupted my brooding thoughts, touching my shoulder gently.
"Luna, I have something important to tell you. Alpha Brown ordered us to prepare the family's traditional Luna dress for your sister. Are you just going to sit there and watch her wear it?"
"It's fine, Julia. It's just a dress. She can wear it..."
Julia cut me off, her surprise evident. "No, Luna, it's not just a dress! Can't you see what they're planning? This council meeting held by the Alpha King is strictly attended by the five allied Alphas of the Northern region and their Lunas, where the Lunas are supposed to formally greet the Alpha King."
"It's a tremendous honor to meet with him because nobody except his family knows what he looks like. Rumors say he's the most powerful wolf alive, and no one dares challenge him."
"From my perspective, this can only mean one thing: Alpha Brown is positioning Mia as his Luna, and he's trying to get the other Alphas to recognize her as well. At this point, Luna, if nothing is done, you'll be no different from us omegas."
Julia stared at me desperately before tears pooled in her eyes and streamed down her cheeks uncontrollably.
I stood before the mirror, staring at my reflection as tears dropped onto the tiles below.
"I have to meet this Alpha King myself, but how?" I thought desperately.
There was only one way out of this nightmare I had created by trusting Brown. I had to give him a taste of his own medicine.
I pulled out my phone and sent a message to Austin: "Make arrangements for an expensive and breathtaking dress for me."
The time had come to remind everyone exactly who I was.
