Free Web NovelChapter 148: Chapter 148 The Pack Gathering
The sharp click of heels against marble flooring drew both my attention and Hugo’s to the restaurant entrance. There stood Selene, rage blazing in her eyes, with her ever-faithful shadow Cici hovering just behind her shoulder.
The timing was too perfect to be coincidence. Selene and her lapdog appearing precisely as Hugo was making his pathetic attempt at seduction? This reeked of a setup.
"Selene," Hugo choked out, his face draining of color faster than a beta being cornered by an enraged Alpha. "What are you doing here?"
Cold sweat beaded on his forehead as panic replaced his earlier arrogance. This clearly wasn’t part of whatever script he’d been following.
Selene stalked forward, jealousy burning beneath her carefully constructed mask of indignation. "You have the nerve to ask me that? When you’re here with *her*?" She spat the last word like it was poison in her mouth.
Cici, not missing her cue in this little performance, stepped forward with a sneer. "Honestly, does everyone in Howling Peaks not know that Hugo is Selene’s fiancé? Or are you just pretending not to care?" freewebnoveℓ.com
I turned my glacial gaze to Cici, "I see you’ve healed nicely since our last encounter," I remarked, my voice deceptively soft. "Forgotten the lesson already?"
The casual reminder of our previous confrontation hit its mark. Cici’s mouth snapped shut, the memory of my last "correction" still painfully fresh.
After a moment, Cici found enough courage to squeak out a weak defense: "You’re the one in the wrong here! Acting all innocent when you’re the one having dinner with someone else’s fiancé!"
Hugo, who had initially appeared terrified at Selene’s arrival, now seemed to be relaxing as he assessed the situation. No physical violence, just women fighting over him—his expression shifted from fear to something far more disturbing: smugness.
"Ladies, please," he interjected with mock concern, making absolutely no move to actually defuse the situation. "This kind of scene isn’t appropriate in public."
In one fluid motion, I delivered a swift kick to Hugo’s shin, causing him to yelp in surprise and pain.
"What are you grinning about?" I snarled, my Alpha nature flashing through my carefully maintained facade. "Finding this entertaining, are you?"
Before he could respond, I dangled my phone in front of his face. "I wonder how much more you’d enjoy watching this video of yourself propositioning a married woman while engaged to my sister? Maybe we should share it with everyone here—give them the full picture."
Hugo’s eyes widened in horror as realization dawned. "You were recording?"
"Of course I was," I replied coolly. "Did you think I’d meet with a snake like you without protection? I’ve been carrying recording equipment since the incident at Frostfang Pack. Some wolves can’t be trusted to remember conversations accurately."
Hugo’s face contorted with rage. "You conniving bitch!" he spat, forgetting his audience completely. "You set me up! That’s fighting dirty!"
My lips curved into a predatory smile. "All’s fair in war, Hugo. And make no mistake—with pathetic, two-timing wolves like you, it’s always war."
I scanned him from head to toe, my disdain palpable. "Besides, for someone of your... caliber... I hardly need sophisticated tactics."
Hugo’s hands clenched into fists, his control slipping dangerously. "You’re asking for it,Sylvia Frost," he growled, taking a menacing step forward.
"ENOUGH!" freewēbnoveℓ.com
Selene’s shrill command stopped both of us in our tracks.
Her face had turned an alarming shade of crimson, humiliation radiating from every pore. "Everyone is staring," she hissed through clenched teeth. "Have you both lost your minds?"
Without waiting for a response, she grabbed Cici’s arm and stormed toward the exit, her pride in tatters.
I cast one final withering look at Hugo before turning on my heel to leave. The last thing I needed was my name linked with this pathetic excuse for a wolf in tomorrow’s gossip columns.
As I stepped outside into the cool night air, I took a deep breath to clear my lungs of the stench of Hugo’s deceit. My phone vibrated in my hand—a text from Caesar.
[Everything alright?Need me to come get you?"]
My wolf practically melted at his concern. Through our mate bond, he could sense my distress even from miles away. I’d told him about the meeting with Hugo, insisting I could handle it alone. Now I was glad I’d had the foresight to record everything.
"Just finished dealing with Hugo. Heading home now. Tell you everything later," I texted back.
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Selene’s POV
HOW DARE SHE?
My blood boiled with every step I took away from that humiliating scene. Sylvia had crossed a line today that couldn’t be uncrossed. My engagement to Hugo was common knowledge throughout Howling Peaks, and yet there she was, brazenly meeting him in public.
I clenched my fists so tightly my nails bit into my palms, drawing blood. Mother needed to hear about this immediately. This time, Sylvia couldn’t possibly deny what she’d done.
There had been at least twenty witnesses in that restaurant who saw them together—saw how comfortable they were with each other. Between my testimony and Cici’s, we finally had something concrete against my perfect, untouchable sister.
I glanced sideways at Cici, who wore an expression of utter frustration.
"I can’t believe I froze up again," she muttered, her voice thick with self-loathing. "Why do I always become a statue when she looks at me? We were in public! What could she possibly have done to me there?"
I fought the urge to roll my eyes. If Cici weren’t so good at carrying my shopping bags and agreeing with everything I said, I would have discarded her long ago. But a willing servant had its uses, even if that servant lacked courage or basic intelligence.
"Selene," Cici ventured, her voice still tight with indignation, "why didn’t you expose Sylvia right then and there? We had her cornered with witnesses all around us!"
"Timing," I replied coolly, keeping my pace brisk. "This isn’t the moment."
Cici clearly didn’t understand strategy. The confusion on her face was painfully obvious. She probably thought I’d gone soft, when in reality, I was playing a much longer, more devastating game.
"Look," I explained with exaggerated patience, as if speaking to a particularly slow pup, "petty public squabbles won’t hurt Sylvia. We need something bigger—something that will make the entire pack turn against her once and for all."
Understanding dawned slowly on Cici’s face, her expression shifting to one of wide-eyed admiration.
"Oh! That’s brilliant! You’re so smart, Selene."
I managed to keep my smile in place, though inwardly I was rolling my eyes. How had this woman survived to adulthood with the intelligence of a particularly dim-witted rabbit?
With Cici suitably pacified, I quickened my pace toward home. Originally, I’d planned to tell Mother about Sylvia’s indiscretion immediately, but when I arrived, Mother greeted me with unexpected warmth.
"Selene, you’ve arrived at the perfect time," she said, her face lighting up. "I was just about to send for you."
My anger momentarily forgotten, I looked at her with confusion. "What did you need me for, Mother?"
Alpha Astra smiled indulgently. "You’ve been so busy lately that you’ve forgotten about our pack gathering, haven’t you? You usually organize these events, and I trust no one else to handle it as perfectly as you do."
Realization dawned on me. Of course—the Frostfang pack gathering. With everything happening lately, especially with Frostline Enterprises securing those two major projects under Sylvia’s guidance, I’d nearly forgotten.
Mother understood their motives as well as I did. They only cared now because Frostline was thriving, and they all wanted to secure their place at the table.
"I’ll handle everything, Mother," I promised fervently. "It will be just as perfect as previous gatherings, if not better."
Alpha Astra’s smile widened with pride. "What more could I ask for with such a thoughtful daughter? Just follow your usual instincts—you know what’s best."
As she spoke, a plan began forming in my mind. Perhaps telling Mother about Sylvia’s indiscretion in private wasn’t the best approach after all. What if, instead, I revealed everything during the pack gathering? With all members of the Frostfang pack present, Sylvia wouldn’t be able to talk her way out of it.
Even if she had secured those two projects, such embarrassing and dishonorable behavior couldn’t be ignored. Not even by Mother. Not with so many witnesses.
Yes, the pack gathering would be the perfect stage. I would finally expose Sylvia for who she truly was.
The seeds had been planted today. Now I just needed to nurture them into the poison that would finally bring my sister down once and for all.
