The vibration of my phone against the nightstand sounded like a jackhammer in the silence of the bedroom. It was past midnight, and the empty space on the mattress beside me was cold to the touch. Cyrus wasn’t home.
I snatched the phone, my heart already hammering a frantic rhythm against my ribs. It was Jasmine.
"Elena?" Her voice was a hushed, frantic whisper. "You need to get down to the Grand Hotel. Now."
My grip tightened on the device. "What? Why? Is it Cyrus?"
"It’s him," she hissed, the sound of static crackling in the background. "He just went into Room 304. Elena... he’s with Sarah. I saw room service bring up a bottle of champagne. I tried to stop them, but—"
The air left my lungs. Sarah. His new, twenty-two-year-old personal assistant. The one with the wide, innocent doe eyes and the legs that seemed to go on forever. I had told myself I was being paranoid. I had told myself that a Beta like me should be grateful an Alpha like Cyrus Hall even looked her way.
"I'm coming," I choked out.
"Hurry," Jasmine urged, her voice dripping with what sounded like terrified concern. "Before it’s too late to save this."
I didn’t remember the drive. I only remembered the red haze of jealousy that clouded my vision, turning the city lights of New York into blurred streaks of fire. I was the future Luna of the Black Moon Pack. I was supposed to be composed, regal, and strong. But right now, I felt like a cracked mirror, holding together by sheer will.
When I reached the third floor of the hotel, Jasmine was already there, pacing near the elevator. She looked impeccable as always, her dark hair cascading over her shoulders, her face pinched with worry. She grabbed my arm the moment I stepped out.
"Elena, breathe," she whispered, pulling me toward the door. "Just... prepare yourself."
I didn't want to prepare. I wanted to burn it down.
I didn't knock. I didn't wait. I simply shoved the door open. It wasn't locked—a detail that felt like a slap in the face.
Inside, the scene wasn't the orgy I had feared, but the intimacy of it was undeniable. Cyrus was sitting on the edge of the bed, his tie loosened, a glass of amber liquid in his hand. Sarah was standing too close to him, leaning over a spread of documents on the duvet. There was a silver bucket on the nightstand. Champagne.
They both jumped as I stormed in.
"Elena?" Cyrus stood up, his brow furrowing. "What the hell are you doing here?"
"What am I doing?" My voice rose to a shriek, stripping away all my Beta training. "What are *you* doing with her in a hotel room at one in the morning, Cyrus? Champagne? Really?"
"Ms. Nelson, please, we were just reviewing the merger schedule!" Sarah stammered, clutching a folder to her chest, her face draining of color.
"Don't lie to me!" I lunged forward. Jasmine, who had followed me in, rushed to intercept me, her hands grabbing my waist.
"Elena, stop! Look at them!" Jasmine cried out, pulling me back. But in the scuffle, her hip checked a tall ceramic floor lamp. It teetered and crashed with a deafening shatter, sending shards of pottery skidding across the carpet.
The noise was like a gunshot. I froze. Sarah screamed.
"ENOUGH!"
The command didn't just hit my ears; it slammed into my soul. Cyrus used his Alpha tone. The power of it rolled off him in a suffocating wave, forcing the air from the room. My knees buckled, my wolf whimpering in submission inside my head. It was a physical blow, a heavy weight pressing my forehead toward the floor. I gasped, clutching the doorframe to stay upright, tears of humiliation stinging my eyes.
The silence that followed was absolute.
Cyrus stood over me, his eyes glowing a faint, menacing amber. He wasn't looking at me with love. He was looking at me with disgust.
"Get out," he growled, his voice low and dangerous. "All of you. My office. Now."
***
Thirty minutes later, the silence in the Alpha's office at the pack house was worse than the shouting. I sat on the leather sofa, trembling, my hands clasped so tightly my knuckles were white. Jasmine sat beside me, rubbing my back in slow, soothing circles.
Cyrus stood behind his desk, staring out the window at the dark skyline. Sarah stood in the corner, sobbing quietly into a tissue.
"You have disappointed me, Elena," Cyrus said, not turning around. His voice was cold metal. "My mate is supposed to be a pillar of stability. Instead, you burst into a business meeting like a deranged rogue, destroying property and terrorizing my staff."
"Business meeting?" I whispered, my voice cracking. "There was champagne, Cyrus. It was a hotel room."
"Because the conference room was booked for the Delta summit, and we are on a tight deadline for the Silver Pack alliance," he snapped, turning to glare at me. "The champagne was a gift from the hotel management. It was unopened."
My stomach dropped. I hadn't checked the bottle.
He turned his gaze to Sarah. The young girl flinched. "Sarah."
"Yes, Alpha?" she wept.
"Pack your things," he said, his face impassive. "You're fired."
"No!" I gasped, standing up. "Cyrus, you can't. If nothing happened, why fire her?"
"Because you made it impossible for her to work here," Cyrus said, pointing a finger at me. "You humiliated her. The rumors will start by morning because of *your* outburst. I have to let her go to protect the pack's reputation from your instability. This is on you, Elena."
Sarah ran out of the room, her sobs echoing down the hallway. I sank back onto the sofa, the guilt crushing me like a boulder. I had ruined an innocent girl's livelihood because of my own insecurity.
Cyrus sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I can't look at you right now. Go home."
He stormed out, slamming the door behind him.
I buried my face in my hands, letting the tears fall. "I'm so stupid. I ruined everything."
"Shh, shh," Jasmine cooed, pulling me into her embrace. She stroked my hair, her voice soft and sweet like poisoned honey. "It's okay, El. You just love him too much. That's your problem. You get so crazy when you're jealous."
She leaned close to my ear. "You really need to control yourself, honey. If you want to be a good Luna, you can't be so... unstable. But don't worry. I'm here. I'll help you fix this."
I nodded against her shoulder, grateful for the only friend I had left, completely unaware that the woman holding me together was the one who had just shattered me.
