The bass from the nightclub pounded through my body as I navigated through the crowd, a champagne flute balanced in my hand. Tonight was special—Derek's birthday celebration in the VIP section of Luminous, the most exclusive club in the city. I'd spent hours getting ready, wanting to look perfect for him.
"To Derek," I whispered to myself, taking a sip of champagne. "Happy birthday to the man who changed my life."
I couldn't help but smile as I remembered how gentle he'd been when we first met. Derek Vance, the handsome Beta heir to one of the most powerful corporate packs in the country, had swept me off my feet. Coming from a small, loving pack, I'd been naive and romantic—exactly what he'd wanted.
"You look beautiful tonight," he'd told me earlier, his fingers brushing my cheek. "I have something special planned for later."
That was Derek—always the romantic, always knowing exactly what to say. I'd moved across the country for him, leaving behind my family and everything I knew. But it had been worth it. We were engaged now, and in one week, we'd announce our engagement to both our packs.
"Ladies' room," I murmured to myself, setting down my glass. "Then I'll find Derek and give him his birthday surprise."
The hallway leading to the restrooms was dimly lit, the music fading slightly as I moved away from the main area. I hummed softly to myself, my heart light with anticipation. When I reached the corridor that branched off toward the VIP bathrooms, I heard it—breathing, heavy and urgent.
"God, Derek, right here?" A woman's voice, husky with desire. "Someone might come."
Derek's low chuckle froze me in place. "That's half the fun, isn't it?"
I stepped forward, my body moving of its own accord, drawn by some terrible magnetism toward the sound. The hallway curved slightly, and as I rounded the corner, time seemed to stop.
Derek had Lana pressed against the wall, his mouth devouring hers in a deep, carnal kiss. His hands gripped her possessively, one tangled in her hair, the other sliding down her body with intimate familiarity.
The scent hit me first—Derek's distinctive musk intertwined with Lana's cloying arousal pheromones. It was overwhelming, a nauseating mixture that told me everything I needed to know. This wasn't their first time.
"Selena?" Lana's eyes opened during the kiss, meeting mine over Derek's shoulder. There was no surprise there, no guilt—only a flash of something that looked disturbingly like triumph.
Derek turned slowly, his expression shifting from passion to annoyance as he registered my presence. Not guilt. Not shame. Just annoyance at being interrupted.
"Selena," he said flatly. "You should have waited in the VIP section."
* * *
Days passed in a blur of denial and desperate hope. Maybe there was an explanation. Maybe I'd misunderstood. I needed to see him, to hear him say it wasn't true.
I used my key to enter Derek's penthouse, my heart pounding against my ribs. The space smelled of him—expensive cologne and that distinctive musk that had once made my knees weak. Now it made my stomach turn.
"Derek?" I called out, setting down the small gift I'd brought—a vintage watch I'd spent months saving for.
No answer.
I moved deeper into the apartment, past the sleek living room with its floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city. The bedroom door was slightly ajar.
I pushed it open.
The sheets were tangled, the bed clearly recently occupied. And there they were—Derek and Lana, her head resting on his bare chest, his arm draped possessively around her shoulders.
"Selena." Derek's voice was cold, detached. "You really should learn to call first."
Lana stretched languidly, her eyes never leaving mine as she deliberately licked a trace of moisture from Derek's lips. Her smile was predatory, challenging.
"We were just celebrating," she purred. "Weren't we, darling?"
I couldn't speak. Couldn't move. The room seemed to tilt around me as Derek's expression hardened.
"This is becoming tiresome," he said, sitting up and running a hand through his hair. "Lana and I have been seeing each other for months. It's time you accepted that and moved on."
* * *
"I don't understand," I whispered as they led me through the parking garage of Derek's company building. "What evidence? I never—"
"Save it," Lana hissed, her perfectly manicured nails digging into my arm as she gripped me. "No one's going to believe you now."
Pack members gathered in a loose circle, their expressions ranging from curiosity to disgust. Derek stood at the center, his face a mask of righteous anger as he held up documents—documents I'd never seen before.
"Corporate espionage," he announced, his voice carrying across the garage. "Selena Moretti has been selling company secrets to our competitors."
The crowd murmured, eyes narrowing as they looked at me.
"That's a lie!" I protested, but my voice sounded weak even to my own ears.
Lana stepped forward, her face a perfect picture of regret. "I tried to warn him about you, Selena. I saw the signs, but Derek wouldn't believe me until he saw the evidence."
Derek's hand closed around my upper arm, fingers digging painfully into my flesh as he pulled me toward the elevator. "We need to talk privately," he growled.
The elevator ascended to the top floor—the executive level with its panoramic views of the city. Derek shoved me out onto the balcony, the wind whipping my hair across my face.
"You were never supposed to find out," he said, his voice eerily calm. "You were supposed to be the perfect, oblivious fiancée until I was ready to make the announcement about Lana."
"And now?" I asked, my voice surprisingly steady despite the fear coursing through me.
"Now you're a liability." He stepped closer, his eyes cold. "No one will miss a nobody from a nobody pack."
His hands connected with my shoulders, shoving me backward. There was a moment of weightlessness, of terrible clarity as I realized what was happening.
"Derek, please—" My words were lost in the wind as I fell.
* * *
I jolted awake with a gasp, my body drenched in sweat, heart hammering against my ribs. For a moment, I couldn't remember where I was—the phantom sensation of falling still vivid in my mind.
My bedroom. My own bedroom.
I grabbed my phone with trembling hands, squinting at the screen. The date stared back at me, impossible yet undeniable.
One week before the engagement party.
One week before Derek's birthday.
One week before everything fell apart.
"I'm dreaming," I whispered, pinching my arm hard enough to leave marks. "This can't be real."
But it was real. Somehow, impossibly, I had been given a second chance.
The grief and shock of betrayal crystallized into something harder, colder—rage. Pure, all-consuming rage that burned away the tears before they could form.
"They think I'm dead," I murmured, a slow smile spreading across my face. "They think they won."
I swung my legs over the side of the bed, standing on shaky legs as a new reality settled over me like armor.
"Derek. Lana." Their names were poison on my tongue. "This time, I'm ready for you."
My reflection in the mirror showed a woman I barely recognized—eyes hard as flint, jaw set with determination. The naive girl who had trusted so easily was gone.
In her place stood someone new. Someone dangerous.
Someone who would make them pay for everything.
