Chapter 3

The next day, a calendar notification reminded me of the Fletcher family banquet.

I put on light makeup to cover the exhaustion from a sleepless night.

When I reached for the dining hall door, I froze.

Sitting in the seat that belonged to me—was Selina.

She was wearing the gown Dominic had custom-designed for me, her hair elegantly pinned up, sipping soup from a spoon Dominic held to her lips.

"Selina, you need to keep your strength up."

Seeing this, I turned to leave.

"Elena?" Selina looked up, feigning surprise. "Come, have a seat!"

Every eye in the room locked onto me like arrows.

Dominic strode over and grabbed my wrist. "What are you doing here?"

"Am I not supposed to be here?" I asked mockingly.

"Henry and Margaret thought we had already broken our bond..." he replied.

I went completely numb. So everyone had already accepted that Selina was the rightful Luna.

At this point, staying was utterly pointless.

"I'm not feeling well. I'm going back to rest."

"No!" His grip tightened painfully. "Selina invited you. You need to show some respect."

"Alpha Dominic!" My voice trembled.

"Elena Vance!" he snapped, his gaze colder than a stranger's. "Did you show up unannounced just to make a scene and compete with Selina?"

My eyes stung with tears.

Across the table, Selina suddenly burst into violent, choking coughs, looking like she was suffocating.

Dominic shoved my hand away without hesitation and rushed to her side, not caring that I stumbled backward.

Selina gasped weakly, "Elena... are you still blaming me? If you walk away now, it means you'll never forgive me!"

Dominic's face darkened. "Elena Vance, sit down."

I didn't move.

With a single gesture from him, two Pack guards stepped forward, grabbing my shoulders from both sides and shoving me forcefully into a chair.

"Don't embarrass everyone," Dominic warned coldly.

I let them hold me down. The pain had long since stopped registering.

Seeing that I wasn't fighting back, he gave my hand a brief, patronizing squeeze before walking back to Selina's side to dote on her.

Meanwhile, I sat pinned in the farthest corner, an absolute outsider.

Whispers of mockery broke out among the Pack members:

"Some people occupied the Luna seat for three years, and she couldn't even compare to three days of the real thing."

"Selina is so sweet and gracious. Not like some people, walking around with that stone-cold face all day..."

I endured every cutting remark.

When the dinner finally ended, I stood up to say goodbye to William and Catherine Fletcher.

Catherine gave a dismissive nod. "I heard you've been frequenting the Moonlight Tavern every night. If Selina hadn't told me, I never would've known how disgraceful your behavior was."

The blood in my veins turned to ice.

A fabricated lie—was this Selina's parting gift to me?