7

Flora's POV

The night of the Annual Werewolf Ball had finally arrived. It was the day when members of other packs gathered to celebrate in unity.

Everyone seemed thrilled—except me. I had meticulously planned every detail of the event. Yet my father had taken all the credit and handed it to Alora, telling everyone she was the one responsible for the flawless execution.

Once the alpha’s daughter, I had been reduced to a mere waitress for the evening, hardly able to believe my father would humiliate me in such a way.

As the guests began to arrive, I donned a mask that covered half my face and retreated into a shadowed corner, avoiding their curious stares.

Then Zack and Alora entered the ballroom, holding hands and smiling broadly.

I clenched my fists, my gaze burning holes into the floor as I forced myself to look away. I didn’t want to waste another thought on Zack.

But my father’s voice boomed over the loudspeaker, drawing the attention of everyone in the room.

“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to this year’s annual ball. We hope you’re enjoying yourselves. We’ve spared no effort to make this night unforgettable.”

Polite applause rippled through the crowd as he continued.

“And we’re pleased to announce some wonderful news. My daughter Alora will soon be engaged to Zack!”

As everyone else erupted into cheers and applause, I froze, my heart pounding. My eyes shot to Zack, who was smiling down at Alora, his hand resting protectively on her waist.

The applause felt like mocking laughter, each clap a reminder of how easily I’d been replaced. I couldn’t breathe. Just yesterday, I had been so desperate, I’d tried to end my own life, and Zack hadn’t even cared.

Had he ever loved me? How had I ever loved him?

The ball continued. Music played. People talked, and laughed, and danced. Through it all, my focus remained on the couple who had destroyed me. Zack and Alora spent the evening together, their smiles radiant, their bodies moving in perfect harmony when they danced.

I questioned every moment I had spent loving him, every ounce of faith I’d placed in him. It seemed he felt no guilt, no remorse for what he’d done to me. How?

A group of nearby women caught my attention, their laughter grating on my ears. I knew them—pack omegas who had once fawned over me, praising my every move. Now, like everyone else, they had turned their loyalty to Alora. I overheard their discussion.

“Where’s Flora? Zack dumped her, didn’t he?”

“Of course! Who would choose the adopted daughter when the real daughter is back?”

“She thought she’d be luna of the pack. What a joke!”

“Zack wasted three years on her.”

Their words cut deep, but what could I expect from others when my own father refused to acknowledge me?

I clenched my fists, willing myself to hold it together. I couldn’t. Humiliation pressed down on me like a suffocating weight, and I fled the ballroom.

But as I neared the door, I caught a scent—intoxicating, irresistible, like nothing I had ever smelled before—and my steps faltered. Closing my eyes, I inhaled deeply, savoring the aroma. My body moved on its own, drawn to the source of the scent. I turned back into the ballroom, weaving through the crowd, the pull growing stronger with each step—until I collided with someone.

I looked up and froze when my eyes met his. It was the devastatingly handsome man from the hotel room. He towered over me, his presence just as commanding as I remembered.

Before I could say anything, a voice from the crowd cut through the air. “I heard Alpha Joshua has two daughters. Where is the other one?”

The question sent a ripple of whispers through the room. I turned to my father, hoping he would introduce me.

Instead, he looked displeased, his lips pressing into a thin line. “She’s sick,” he said curtly, avoiding my gaze. “She couldn’t attend.”

I felt the weight of dozens of eyes on me, and the whispers began.

“It’s because she was caught with a man at the hotel.”

“I saw the news. It’s everywhere.”

“Probably sleeps around all the time.”

“She’s a slut.”

Each word was a dagger to my heart.

I caught Alora’s smug expression, a faint smirk tugging at her lips before she replaced it with a fake smile. “My sister Flora is a free spirit,” she said sweetly. “Please don’t blame her.”

My glare burned into her, but it was Zack’s words that sent me over the edge.

“She’s a slut and a disgrace to the pack,” he spat.

The room spun. Fury surged in my veins, hot and unrelenting. I couldn’t take it anymore.

I tore off my mask, straightened, and glared at the crowd. “Hello, everyone,” I said, my voice cutting through the whispers. “I’m Flora. I’m not sick. And if you’re all going to call me a slut, then show me the proof!”

The ballroom fell silent, dozens of shocked eyes on me, until whispers broke the stillness.

“How can she be Alpha Joshua’s daughter?”

“Look at her—dressed like a waitress!”

“She must be being punished.”

A group of women nearby gave me disgusted looks, their voices loud enough for me to hear.

“Punishment? After what she did? She deserves it.”

Their words stabbed at me, but what hurt more was my father’s reaction—or lack of it. He stood among the guests, saying nothing as they insulted me. His expression was hard and cold, as if I were a stranger instead of his daughter.

I turned my gaze to Zack, silently begging him to step forward, to defend me. But he only stood there, his arm draped casually around Alora, as if I didn’t exist.

Was this the same man who had once promised to love and protect me forever? How could someone change so completely in just a few days?

From the corner of the room, the pack’s omegas, who had jeered at me earlier, raised their voices again.

“She deserves the punishment.”

“She was always like this—characterless.”

My fists clenched as anger surged through me. I pointed at them, my voice sharp and trembling.

“What gives you the audacity to speak about me like that? What have I ever done to any of you?”

One of them sneered, her tone mocking. “You’re lucky the alpha chose to adopt you. If you were born into a middle-class family, they would’ve abandoned you long ago. You’ve ruined his reputation.”

Their words struck me like blows, but I refused to let them see how much they hurt. Taking a deep breath, I straightened my spine and spoke, my voice steady and clear. “Everything you’ve heard is a lie, all part of a plot to bring me down.”

The crowd shifted uneasily, some of them glancing at each other in confusion. My words—and the conviction in my voice—seemed to make them hesitate. For a moment, I thought I might finally have a chance to defend myself.

Then, a waiter stepped forward, holding a tray of drinks. “I have evidence that she’s lying,” he announced loudly.

All eyes turned to him, and my heart sank. As he handed the tray to another waitress, I realized he was the bartender from that night.

“You!” I hissed, my fists clenching in anger.

Ignoring me, he pulled his phone from his pocket and held it up for everyone to see. “Look at this photo,” he said.

The screen displayed a photo of me leaving the hotel with the masked stranger. The angle made it look as if we were close, too close.

Gasps rippled through the crowd, followed by murmurs of judgment and disdain.

I froze, realizing too late that I had been set up again. This was Alora’s doing—there was no doubt in my mind. She had orchestrated everything, from the room card to this humiliating “proof.”

Zack growled, his face twisted with anger. “You lied when the truth was staring us in the face,” he spat, his voice dripping with contempt.

“It’s not what it looks lik—”

“Shut up!” he said, his harsh words shattering what little hope I had left.

I turned to the crowd, trying desperately to explain. “This isn’t what it seems!”

No one listened. Their judgmental stares closed in on me, their whispers growing louder.

The crowd surged forward, pushing me toward the door.

I stumbled, barely able to keep my balance as someone shoved me. My knees buckled, and I braced for the impact of the cold, hard floor. But strong arms wrapped around my waist, steadying me before I could fall.

The scent that surrounded me was intoxicating, familiar in a way I couldn’t explain. I looked up, startled, to see the same man from the hotel room once again. Tall and imposing, his grip held me, firm yet gentle, as he helped me stand upright. My heart raced as I met his piercing eyes.

Why was he here? And why was he helping me again?