Chapter 1 001

~~ Zia Vaughn ~~

“Babe, why are you calling off our engagement?” Tiffany asks, her eyes widening in shock.

For reasons I can’t understand, she looks utterly terrified as she stares at me, and thereafter Flint.

My heart clenches painfully.

Five years have passed, yet hearing another woman call him that still hurts.

The number of judgmental glares directed at me from everyone in the hall feels suffocating.

I shouldn’t be here.

I wasn’t supposed to be attending the engagement ceremony of FLINT VALTOR, my ex-fiancé.

Five years ago, I stood in this same hall with him. We couldn’t get our hands and eyes off each other.

And the same pack members glaring at me right now are the same ones who couldn’t stop congratulating Flint and me.

But then tragedy struck.

We had been waiting for our parents, but right here in this hall, the news got to us that both our parents had died in a car accident on their way to our engagement party.

And that same car was the one we were supposed to come in.

Flint became convinced without doubt that they didn’t die a natural death. And he blamed himself for being unable to protect us.

And when the elders insisted on calling off the wedding, saying it was a sign from the Moon Goddess, and telling everyone that I was cursed, he didn’t argue.

He obliged.

I begged him, I pleaded with him not to give up on us. Or on our love.

But he said, “It’s for the best, Zia. You deserve a love that feels safe. I am an Alpha. My enemies would come for me. And they would get to you because you, Zia Vaughn, are my weakness.”

So, since then, I have convinced myself that a man who loved me wouldn’t have let me go so easily.

To me, that meant he had never loved me at all.

Each time I remember, it always brings tears to my eyes.

But I can’t afford to do that right now. Not with all the eyes on me.

The last thing I want is them accusing me of playing the victim.

One question keeps running wild in my head as I watch the drama unfold before my eyes.

Why is Flint suddenly calling off the engagement?

All this chaos and drama starts after Alec, Flint’s gamma, whispers something into his ear.

And the strange part is that whatever Alec says makes all the color drain from Flint’s face.

I am not the only one watching.

For half a second, Caleb’s gaze flickers toward Alec too sharply and alert.

But then it is gone before I am sure I’ve seen it.

Then his face settles back into the same tight concern.

I don’t think much of it. Caleb worries about almost everything these days.

“Please, babe, answer me,” Tiffany demands, tears welling in her eyes.

My chest tightens painfully when Flint gazes at her.

“You did nothing wrong,” he tells her. “I didn’t call off our engagement. I only postponed it because there is a blood moon. If we go ahead with the engagement tonight despite it, our marriage will be cursed.”

The realization hits me like a missed step on a staircase. That it isn’t because of me.

I had thought that seeing me tonight would stir his heart again because it has been five years since we saw each other.

What am I expecting? I suppress a scoff.

Murmurs erupt in the hall immediately, and all eyes land on me again.

“She caused it. There wasn’t supposed to be a blood moon today.”

“She’s truly cursed. I wouldn’t want someone like her even a mile near me.”

“Our pack would do better without her.”

Almost everyone in the hall murmurs, casting disdainful looks at me.

And Tiffany chooses that moment to lash out.

“But there wasn’t supposed to be a blood moon today. We picked our wedding date carefully,” she says to Flint.

“We can’t question the Moon Goddess. Only she can make a second-minute change,” he replies.

“This is all because of her,” Tiffany points at me and says through gritted teeth. “She brought bad luck here.”

Everyone in the hall nods in agreement except Flint, Alec, and my brother Caleb.

A dull throb settles behind my ribs, one that I’ve almost grown used to.

I tell myself that I am okay with it. That I am already used to this by now.

I am used to the harsh words and their judgmental glares since the time I got ostracized from society.

I lift my chin, keeping my head high even though my heart is shattering quietly in my chest.

“My sister isn’t bad luck,” Caleb chimes in and defends me. “She didn’t even want to be here.”

He is right.

I don’t want to be here. Caleb doesn’t want me to be here, either. But I have no option but to show up.

Because Flint is my Alpha. And not showing up to his engagement means disloyalty, and it is punishable by death.

And I don’t want to give everyone their long-awaited desire to see me die.

That is why I am here.

“Then why isn’t she married yet? She is 26 years old,” Tiffany shoots back at Caleb. “She has been waiting for an opportunity to seduce Flint again.”

Her accusation cracks the wall I have put up to stay strong since I entered the hall.

How can I get married? When no one in any pack spares me even as much as a glance.

How can I get married? When no one even allows me to purchase items from their store?

Tiffany knows that I am ostracized, and this is her way of rubbing it in my face.

And yeah, it works, because my lips are one second away from trembling because of the tears threatening to fall from my eyes.

“Enough!” Flint thunders.

The temperature in the room drops by many degrees, and no one dares to make a sound.

Our eyes meet, and my breath catches.

Something dangerous glistens in his eyes that sends a shiver down my spine.

A part of me waits. For one word. One denial. But it never comes.

He chooses not to defend me. Just like five years ago.

Something cold settles low in my stomach.

Watching him standing beside Tiffany makes me feel like all the air is being sucked out of my lungs.

Five years ago, I imagined myself standing beside Flint on our wedding day.

Now another woman occupies that place that was supposed to be mine.

I remind myself that it won’t hurt this much after I leave. That this is only temporary. And that I have to endure this, and I will never get to see them again.

So I force a smile, step forward, and look at Tiffany.

“I’m sorry for causing you trouble on your engagement. But as my brother said, if I had a choice, I wouldn’t be here. The sudden appearance of the blood moon has nothing to do with me either,” I pause.

If Tiffany’s scowl could kill, I’d be dead the moment I started speaking.

However, I ignore it and continue because this is the crucial part.

“And I assure you that… I don’t have feelings for Alpha Flint,” I add calmly.

Flint’s jaw tightens when I say the last word, and his grip on the champagne glass tightens to the extent I think it might shatter.

His gaze lingers on me longer than it should, and Tiffany notices this because her frown deepens.

“Then stay away from him and never show your face in front of us again,” Tiffany snarls.

Flint just stands there, with that annoyingly handsome face of his.

He keeps staring at me as though he has something to say.

I keep a straight face the whole time because I refuse to give them the satisfaction of seeing me break.

So I press my lips together and nod in response to Tiffany’s words, because anything else could expose how I really feel.

I hold back the tears that threaten to fall.

Meanwhile, Caleb stands some distance away from me, his palms balled so tightly that his knuckles turn white.

He is the only family I have left.

He is the most precious person to me in the world, and most of the time, I forget that he is my adopted brother.

I know this night will turn out chaotic as long as I attend this ceremony because I am Flint’s ex-fiancée.

But what I don’t expect is him calling off his engagement.

It isn’t about the blood moon theory. Flint isn’t the type to call off an engagement over an omen.

Not unless something far worse has happened.

I decide to leave because with the way things are going, I might as well be thrown out.

And I don’t want that.

Besides, I am not welcome here and I have already congratulated Flint and Tiffany on their engagement.

Everyone already witnessed that I attended. I am not going to be punished.

So why stay?

Therefore, I bow a little, turn around, and begin walking out of the hall.

There is no need to be here anymore. I don’t want to be as embarrassed as I already am.

This is torture enough.

As I walk away, no one stops me, just as I expect, and I am glad.

But suddenly, before I reach the door, a hand grips my arm, making me halt immediately.

My pulse spikes.

Is it a security man?

Have they instructed them to arrest me because they think the blood moon is my fault?

Slowly, I turn, my heart hammering in my chest.

My brows furrow when I don’t see any security men.

Rather, it is Alec who stops me.

But why?

Alec is standing a few inches away from me, and for a brief second, genuine pity flashes across his face.

Dread settles heavily in my chest.

Because the last time I saw that look on Alec’s face was five years ago.

The day my parents and Flint’s parents died.

Then Alec finally speaks.

“Zia, you can’t leave.”