AVALON POV:
The main hall of the Sterling estate was a sea of noise and glittering lights. Pack members, dressed in their finest, mingled and laughed, their voices echoing off the high, vaulted ceilings.
I walked in with Clara at my side. My dress was simple, a column of liquid silver that shimmered with every step. I had left my hair down, a pale blonde cascade over my shoulders. My face was a mask of calm indifference.
All eyes were on the center of the room.
There stood Cassian, a proud, possessive hand on the back of a woman in a striking white dress tailored like a warrior's uniform. Kaelen Knight. Her auburn hair was braided intricately, and her smile was bright and confident.
"...a true hero of the people," Cassian was saying, his voice ringing with a pride he had never shown for me. "Brave, selfless, and the future of this pack."
A wave of applause rippled through the crowd. Young wolves looked at Kaelen with open adoration.
I watched them from the edge of the crowd. Once, the sight of Cassian praising another woman would have torn me apart. Now, I saw the scene for what it was: a carefully staged performance designed to crown Kaelen while humiliating me.
Gemma, preening at Kaelen's side, spotted me. She leaned in and whispered loudly to Kaelen, "Some people just have no self-awareness. Showing up to a party that isn't for them."
Kaelen placed a calming hand on Gemma's arm, her expression one of perfect, practiced grace. "Don't say that, Gemma. I'm glad Avalon could come."
Her voice was pitched just right, carrying to the people nearest them. They murmured in approval of her magnanimity.
Cassian nodded, his eyes soft with affection for her. He thought she was being gracious.
The ceremony moved on. Tradition dictated that the newly introduced partner offer a toast to key pack members.
Kaelen, with Cassian at her side, picked up a glass of red wine. Her first stop was me.
Of course.
The hall fell silent. The air crackled with anticipation. Everyone turned to watch the drama unfold.
Kaelen stopped before me, her smile flawless. "Avalon," she began, her voice dripping with false sympathy. "I know this must be difficult for you. But I truly hope we can be like sisters in the future. I drink to you."
She held the glass out, an offering of peace that was really a declaration of victory. Her eyes held a spark of challenge.
Everyone was watching me. Waiting for me to take the glass, to play my part as the graceful loser.
Cassian's gaze was a silent command: Don't make a scene.
I looked at the wine, then slowly lifted my eyes to Kaelen's. I didn't reach for the glass.
"Sisters?" I repeated, allowing a faint smile to touch my lips. "What an interesting word for the woman standing beside my husband."
Kaelen's smile tightened. "What?"
My gaze moved briefly to Gemma before returning to Kaelen. "A few minutes ago, Gemma called me a shameless outsider who had no right to attend. Now you want to parade your kindness before the pack by offering me a public toast."
I tilted my head. "Which story am I supposed to help you sell, Miss Knight? That the Sterling family despises me, or that you are generous enough to welcome the wife whose place you intend to take?"
A murmur swept through the hall.
Kaelen's fingers tightened around the stem of her glass.
"You misunderstand me," she said quickly. "I only wanted to make peace."
"No," I replied. "If you wanted peace, you would have spoken to me in private. You came to me in front of an audience because you wanted the woman being replaced to raise a glass and bless your victory."
I glanced at the watching crowd, then back at her. "That would make a beautiful display of your compassion, wouldn't it? The beloved heroine embracing the pathetic discarded wife while everyone applauds."
Her flawless smile began to strain at the corners.
"Unfortunately, I have no intention of helping you turn my humiliation into another performance designed to prove how kind you are."
Kaelen's face stiffened. She had expected tears or a quiet retreat. Instead, the silence in the hall now belonged to me.
"I... I just..." she stammered, looking to Cassian for help.
His jaw was tight, his eyes burning into me. "Avalon, stop this nonsense."
I turned to him with a look of mild surprise. "Nonsense? Your sister insults me in my own home, your chosen woman asks me to publicly celebrate being replaced, and I am the one creating a scene?"
My smile sharpened. "You should be thanking me, Cassian. I am merely giving your guests an honest version of today's ceremony."
He was trapped. If he defended Gemma and Kaelen, he would confirm every word I had said. If he rebuked them, he would tarnish the perfect image he had built for Kaelen.
The whispers around us grew louder. Several guests exchanged knowing looks, while others openly watched Kaelen with newly sharpened interest. The color rose visibly along her neck, and the hand holding her glass began to shake.
With a sharp crack, the crystal wine glass slipped from her fingers and shattered on the marble floor. Red wine splattered across the white hem of her dress like a spray of blood.
