Fake Mating To My Ex's Powerful Enemy

Chapter 25: Chapter 25 The Dickhead and His Side Piece

Christina’s POV

Violet’s face twitched as she made another desperate grab for the phone, but the damage was done.

The girl with the phone zoomed in obediently, her eyes widening. "There’s a C," she blurted out. "Tiny, but it’s definitely there!"

A ripple of tension swept through the crowd in attendance.

"That’s the designer’s signature, right? The C?" someone whispered, audible to every werewolf’s enhanced hearing.

"It says C. Moon Goddess, it really is Christina’s design!"

Violet’s face transformed from ghost-pale to crimson in seconds. She snatched her phone back and jabbed the power button like she was trying to destroy it.

Too late. The whispers were already evolving into open laughter,the kind with teeth. ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom

"If you’re going to steal," I said sweetly, "at least do it properly."

I took two slow steps forward, stopping just outside her personal space, then studied her necklace carefully.

I frowned slightly, like I’d just found something rotten in my drink. "That thing around your neck shouldn’t be here. It’s the prototype—the original design. Last time I checked, it was locked in a glass case at the Nyx Collective flagship showroom."

I tilted my head, giving her the kind of look alphas reserve for subordinates who’ve broken pack law.

"Stealing is really your only talent, huh?"

For half a second, the room froze. You could hear a champagne bubble pop, even through the enhanced senses of every wolf present.

Then Ysolde cracked up, her laugh loud and savage. "So the necklace’s stolen too? Damn, is the your pack that weak? Can’t even afford proper jewelry anymore?"

Violet looked like she wanted to melt through the marble floor. Her face flushed crimson, making her seem completely out of place under the lights. She fidgeted with her necklace, probably feeling as though it might burn right through her skin.

I saw the moment she contemplated fleeing. She shifted her weight, glanced sideways, just about to bolt—

When the ballroom doors flew open again and a fresh wave of noise crashed in.

Niall Granger had arrived. And standing beside him, looking disgustingly smug in bubblegum pink, was Beatrice Vance – my own sister.

Niall wore a sharp black suit, cold and expensive, like it had been peeled right off a Dior model. Beatrice floated beside him—not holding his arm, but close enough that they might as well have been glued together.

Murmurs rippled across the room.

"Moon Goddess, they look good together. A perfect mate match."

"Always knew Niall never truly bonded with Christina. Beatrice has always been his real choice."

My confident smile slipped, peeling right off my face like a mask.

Seeing them side by side in public hit me harder than I expected. It wasn’t heartbreak. It wasn’t rage. It was more like the bitter realization when you reach for what you think is water only to taste poison instead.

I knew Niall too well. He’d planned this display deliberately.

Louisa was still in the hospital recovering. Which meant she wouldn’t witness this. Wouldn’t hear about it until much later, after the entire wolf society had already grown comfortable with the idea of Niall and Beatrice being a potential mated pair.

By then, Louisa, who despised Beatrice with fury, would be trapped by pack protocol. Everyone would expect her to accept it.

After I’d refused to continue our charade as mates, this was his revenge – his Plan B.

The plan was calculated, cunning, and absolutely repulsive to me.

I recalled the last pack gathering I’d forced myself to attend with Niall. We’d arrived together, technically, but he’d abandoned me the second we greeted the hosts. He left me standing there like an unwanted Omega while he spent the night discussing territory lines and pack politics with his inner circle.

I should’ve recognized it then. Niall Granger was never going to accept me as his true mate.

I understood now why his pack members kept giving me those strange glances at that gathering. It wasn’t about my dress or my appearance. It was pity.

And Goddess, thinking about it still made my throat burn with humiliation. Akira whined within me, still smarting from the rejection.

I blinked hard, forced my emotions down, and pulled Ysolde away by her arm.

Ysolde threw a death glare over her shoulder, then said, loudly enough for everyone to catch. "Imagine bringing your mistress to a formal pack gathering. Some people have thicker hides than a concrete bunker."

Beatrice stalked toward us, blocking my path.

"Chrissy," she said, flashing this tragic, I’m-so-sorry expression, "I didn’t know you’d be here. Niall and I just met to discuss pack business, and then he mentioned he didn’t have a companion, so he asked me to come."

I stared at her.

"Right. Total coincidence. Is that why you’re dressed like a Valentine’s Day massacre?" I flicked my fingers dismissively at her sparkly pink gown. "That your usual attire for pack business discussions now?"

Beatrice blinked. The realization hit her a second too late that I wasn’t yielding anymore.

She used to have me perfectly assessed. Sweet, soft, desperate for Niall’s approval and acknowledgment of our bond. I used to endure anything for the chance that he might truly recognize me as worthy.

Not tonight. Akira was done being submissive.

Beatrice clutched her hands so tightly I could see the blood drain from her knuckles. Her eyes went glassy fast, like she was about to start the waterworks on command.

"It’s all my fault," she said, voice trembling with false emotion. "I shouldn’t have come with Niall. Please don’t be angry with me."

Before I could tell her exactly where to shove her fake apology, Niall approached. He took one look at Beatrice and immediately shifted into protective Alpha mode. ƒгeewebnovёl.com

His gaze flicked to me. For a split second, something flared in his eyes, surprise and maybe even a hint of regret, but he extinguished it quickly, as though it was forbidden to show any positive reaction to me since our bond was broken.

"Chrissy, don’t start," he said sharply, his Alpha tone slipping through. "I invited her. This is on me."

I smirked, refusing to be cowed by his attempt at dominance. "I’m not starting anything. She’s the one fake-crying."

Niall clearly didn’t believe me. He shot me a warning glare, grabbed Beatrice’s wrist, and pulled her away.

Ysolde flashed his retreating back a very enthusiastic middle finger.

"Think he’s just parading Beatrice around to provoke me?" I asked, reaching for a champagne flute I didn’t even want.

Ysolde snorted. "Partly, yeah.But mostly? He’s mainly here to scope out The Sabreridge Pack situation. My brother heard half the wolves in this room are trying to establish connections with the mysterious and powerful Alpha tonight."

"Emmett told you that?" I asked, referring to her brother .

She nodded. " Straight from the horse’s mouth. Clive Granger was supposed to make an appearance himself, but he’s stuck at the hospital with Louisa. So he sent his golden boy Alpha instead."

Something Beatrice had mentioned earlier kept nagging at me. "Wait. Are Beatrice and Niall... working together now?"