DAHLIA
I settled on the bed, my laptop open in front of me as I tried to book a flight to New Orleans.
But every airline I checked had no available tickets from my location.
I let out a frustrated sigh and rubbed my temples. Why was this happening now, of all times?
I was going to have to wait a few days before I could even book a flight, and that sucked real bad.
I thought about booking a flight somewhere else, but my heart wasn't in it.
New Orleans had always been my dream destination, the place I had always wanted to visit. I couldn't settle for anywhere else.
Closing my laptop, I hugged myself, feeling empty and hollow inside.
It all made sense now—the reason why Tristan had never marked me as his true mate, the way he had always made excuses and put it off.
He had never seen me as his Luna, his rightful partner. In his eyes, Kaylee was the one who deserved that honor.
Of course it had to be her. She was a strong she-wolf, bold and beautiful.
And she was the legitimate daughter of our father, whereas I was just the illegitimate child born by a maid.
My father had never extended his love to me, even though he knew of my existence.
But when he found out about my healing abilities, he welcomed me with open arms.
Kaylee and her mother, however, had made my life a living hell, especially after my mother died of a rare cancer.
And now, to add insult to injury, Tristan had chosen Kaylee over me, his own mate.
As the day wore on, I couldn't help but torture myself by scrolling through Kaylee's social media.
There were videos of her enjoying the beach in the Maldives, wearing a bikini and flaunting her diamond ring.
She posted a picture of a man's hand on her waist, holding her while she showed off her ring.
The picture was cropped, but I could recognize the arms of Tristan even in my dreams.
The comments flooded in, congratulating her on her engagement.
"Wow, your engagement ring must cost my entire house and all my properties!" one person gushed.
"It glitters just like you!" another exclaimed.
"Did you just get engaged, Kaylee? Wow! Who is the lucky man? Congratulations! Is it Alpha Tristan? It has to be since you both are so close!"
I felt sick to my stomach knowing that the engagement ring was the same one Tristan had given me, but mine was a lower quality.
It wasn't anything special after all, and neither was I. I was just a fool, taken in by Tristan's lies and deception.
Three days flew by quickly, and Tristan had the decency to finally come home.
I stood in the living room, my arms crossed as I watched him walk in with Kaylee trailing behind him, carrying a small suitcase.
I raised an eyebrow, my mind racing with questions.
"What's going on?" I asked, trying to sound calm. "What's Kaylee doing here with a bag?"
Tristan cleared his throat, casting a sideways glance at Kaylee. "Oh, I hope you don't mind, but Kaylee's house is undergoing renovations right now, and she needed a place to stay for the next few days. I hope she can crash here."
I scoffed in disbelief. "What happened to Dad’s house, Kaylee? Couldn't you go there?"
She whined, her voice grating on my nerves. "You are not even married to Tristan yet, and you're so stingy with him. It's Tristan's house, and if he says I'm welcome, then I am."
I rolled my eyes, my patience wearing thin. "You haven't answered the question. Why couldn’t you stay at Dad’s house?"
She gave a dismissive shrug of her shoulders, inspecting her brightly red-colored nails. "Dad and my mom are out of town right now, and there's no way I could stay in that big house all by myself. I need company."
I raised an eyebrow, not willing to let her off the hook. "What happened to hotels? You could find a small room."
Tristan stepped in, his voice firm. "Why are you being difficult, Dahlia? She's your sister, and you should learn to make sacrifices and accommodate her."
I felt a surge of anger, but I bit back my retort. "Fine. Whatever."
Tristan nodded, his expression satisfied. "Good. There's a pack celebration tonight, and you need to get ready to be present."
I had just booked my flight to New Orleans, and the last thing I wanted was to be stuck at some packed event, pretending to be the perfect mate while my heart was shattering into a million pieces.
"I'm not really in the mood to go," I said with a slight frown.
Tristan's expression turned stern. "As future Luna, you have to be present, and you have to be on time. It's your duty."
Begrudgingly, I agreed, knowing I had no other choice. When I finally got glammed up and came downstairs, I caught Tristan gazing at Kaylee, his eyes filled with a tenderness that I had never seen directed at me.
I heard him tell her how breathtaking she looked.
He cleared his throat when he saw me, his expression awkward. "You look good too, Dahlia."
I muttered my thanks, feeling out of place as we all went outside.
But just as I settled into the front seat of the car, Kaylee's phone vibrated, and her face fell.
She started pouting like a stupid fish, her lower lip jutting out in a pathetic way.
"What's wrong?" Tristan asked, his brows creasing in concern.
"I have an appointment," she groaned. "They need me for my dress fitting as one of the bridesmaids for the wedding. It’s important, and I really have to go, like, right now."
Tristan looked between us, his expression indecisive. "Okay, the best way to solve this is for me to drop Kaylee off first since it’s in a different location. Then I’ll come to the meeting with her afterwards."
He turned to me calmly. "Dahlia, why don't you step down from the car and take a cab instead? You can make it to the meeting on time and represent me."
