Chapter 8

My fingertips slid across the cold screen of my phone.

The painting Brian sent me-it was nothing more than a disgusting copy.

The original piece? My artwork from three years ago, one I'd never shown anyone. A piece born from heartbreak. I have no clue how Silvia found out about it, but the painting she's now calling hers is identical to mine.

Three years ago, one night. Brian and I had agreed to have dinner together. I waited, full of hope, counting down the minutes until he'd come back.

But he didn't. I waited from day to night, and he never showed up. I ended up standing alone at the cliff behind the Blackwood Pack manor, the moonlight stretching my shadow long and thin. It wasn't until later I found out he'd been chasing after his first love-chasing a lie because the news he got that day wasn't even real.

That moment wrecked me. I was completely shattered. So, I went back to my room and poured all that loneliness and despair onto a canvas.

Now, Silvia's taken my pain and dressed it up as if it's her own masterpiece.

No, not exactly the same.

My painting, set where moonlight met the edge of the forest, held a small, curled-up wolf hidden in a deep, almost black shade of blue. That wolf was me-a soul without a wolf spirit, longing for a place to belong. But Silvia's painting? None of that. Hers was just an empty imitation, all surface-level moonlight and a wolf, no soul at all. She had no clue what the painting really meant. She wasn't anything more than a lousy thief-first stealing my husband, and now trying to steal my work.

"Ms. Rebecca?" Leo's voice pulled me from those cold memories.

His face showed a mix of confusion and hesitation. "Are we really... going to say no to Alpha Brian? He's the Alpha of the Blackwood Pack. Our gallery might be independent, but openly offending him..."

"No." I turned off my phone, done looking at that sham of a painting. "We're not saying no."

Leo's eyes widened in surprise. "You mean..."

"Reply to him," I said, pausing for a moment before continuing, "tell him the Rose Gallery would be honored to showcase his wife's masterpiece. The painting can be part of the exhibit.

"Not only that-give it the best spot. Right at the entrance, under the best lighting. Make sure it's the first thing every guest sees when they walk in."

Leo's face was full of questions, but he didn't press further. He simply nodded and said, "Understood, ma'am. I'll take care of it right away."

"Wait a second." I stopped him, the smile on my lips growing wider. "And one more thing-get that painting I did three years ago, 'The Waiting,' from my private collection. I'll be unveiling it myself."

Leo froze for a moment, his entire body tensing. Then, in an instant, his confused look transformed into one of pure admiration and excitement. "Got it, Ms. Rebecca."

Perfect.

Silvia, didn't you want to leave your mark on this world? Didn't you want to show off your "talent" and "kindness" in front of all the elite wolves?

Fine. I'll make it happen for you.

I'll let you stand at the very top, and then I'll be the one to push you off.

I could almost picture it now-the priceless look on her face when everything falls apart.

After Leo left, silence returned to the office. I poured myself a glass of water. The icy liquid slid down my throat, but it did nothing to calm the storm raging inside me.

Then, my phone buzzed again. The name flashing on the screen was one I could recognize in my sleep.

Brian.

I considered ignoring it entirely, but instead of calling, he'd sent a message. That familiar, commanding tone of his, like nothing had ever changed between us.

"My grandmother is visiting the estate this weekend. She doesn't know about our divorce yet. You need to organize the family dinner. This is what you're supposed to do as Luna. Don't even think about running away from it."

My... Luna... duties?

A laugh, sharp and laced with disbelief, surged up from my chest before I could stop it.

I laughed out loud. The sound echoed in the empty office, cold and cutting.

He threw me out of our bedroom like garbage, dumped my belongings on the lawn for everyone to trample on. He choked me, crushed me with that Alpha dominance of his-all because of another woman. He humiliated me.

This man. His selfishness and arrogance are unreal.

My fingers hovered over the screen, countless biting, brutal words swirling in my mind, ready to pierce through him like a sharp blade. But in the end, not a single one made it to the text.

Ignore him! I have to learn how to ignore him, like he's nothing.