Chapter 3:Confrontation (Scarlett's POV)

I stretched and was enjoying the free sunshine when a familiar sleek black SUV pulled up in front of me. The tinted windows rolled down to reveal Jason Reed, Alexandria's beta, sitting behind the wheel. My stomach clenched as the passenger door opened. Grace Winter stepped out, moving with a deliberately fragile grace that made my teeth ache. Despite her supposed "silver poisoning," she looked immaculate—her platinum blonde hair cascaded in perfect waves, her designer outfit complementing her willowy figure. The pack members in the yard froze, their attention instantly captured by her arrival. It was like watching moths drawn to a flame. "Grace!" one of the office staff called out, rushing forward. "You're back from Europe!" Grace's pale blue eyes sparkled with pure joy." I'm back darling, I missed you all," she cooed, her voice sweet as syrup. From her oversized purse, she began producing beautifully wrapped packages, handing them out to every wolf who approached. "Just a few trinkets from my travels," she said modestly, though the packages were clearly expensive. I curled my lip in disgust as I watched their eager reactions. Pack members who had just witnessed my confrontation with Alexander were now fawning over Grace like she was already their Luna. "Always the same performance," Cora growled within me. "The fragile princess bestowing gifts upon her adoring subjects." This wasn't the first time I'd witnessed this scene. Even during my engagement to Alexander, the pack had made it abundantly clear who they preferred as their future Luna. Grace had been groomed for the role her entire life—or rather, my entire life, since she had taken my place in the Winters Pack. This is not without irony for me. In this drama of real and fake princesses, an attack on my birthpack by hoodlums resulted in the babies being switched. Grace was the fake princess who was raised as the baby daughter of Chief Winters, while I - the real princess - was left at the orphanage. If it hadn't been for Roman and Mom... My mood dimmed. Grace spotted me watching and altered her path to approach me directly. Her steps were calculated—just weak enough to garner sympathy but not so weak as to appear truly ill. "Scarlett, my dear sister," she called out, loud enough for everyone to hear. "It's been so long!" She extended her arms as if expecting a hug, a beautifully wrapped box of chocolates in her hand. "Here's a gift I brought you from Europe." I remained motionless, refusing to play into her charade. Grace dropped her arms but maintained her sweet smile, though her eyes hardened slightly. "Alexander just told me you misunderstood," she said sweetly, a look of pain laced in her fragile tone. "I came over here specifically to explain it to you, to make sure that everything between us remains... harmonious." I pushed her outstretched hand away, not bothering to hide my contempt. "Harmony?" I replied coldly. "Have we ever been in harmony? You mean this harmony where you hurt me behind my back while playing the victim in his eyes?" Grace blinked rapidly, feigning surprise at my hostility. She glanced around, ensuring we had an audience, before leaning in close. "Maybe Alexander understands who he really wants," she murmured, her breath hot against my ear. The familiar scent of her perfume—the same one she'd worn three years ago when she'd orchestrated the attack that nearly killed me—filled my nostrils. Something in me snapped. I didn't give Grace time to continue her little performance. My hand shot out, gripping her wrist like an iron vice. I could feel her pulse racing beneath my fingers. "Finally stopped pretending?" I hissed, my voice low enough that only she could hear. "You've been poisoning me with lies and trying to kill me since the moment I returned to this pack. Don't think I'm going to let you." Grace's mask of sweetness vanished for a split second, revealing the cold calculation beneath. Then, with theatrical timing, she wrenched her arm free and let out a blood-curdling scream. "Ahhh! You're hurting me!" she wailed, clutching her wrist to her chest. Her scream echoed through the yard, drawing the attention of every wolf in the vicinity. Several stepped forward, concern etched on their faces. "Grace? Are you okay?" "What happened?" Before I could speak in my defense, the crowd parted, and Alexander emerged from the building. His tall figure loomed over the gathering, radiating Alpha authority. His amber eyes locked first on me, then darted to Grace's trembling form. "What the hell is going on here?" he demanded, his voice carrying across the yard. Grace immediately rushed to his side, pressing herself against him as if seeking protection. "It's okay, it's okay. Scarlett's just in a bad mood." she whispered loudly enough for everyone to hear. "I was just trying to make peace..." Alexander's face darkened with fury. "Scarlett, are you insane?" he stormed, taking a step toward me. I didn't flinch. Instead, I rolled my eyes at his predictable reaction and sauntered forward, deliberately placing myself between him and Grace. "Your delicate Grace has decided to play the poor maiden as usual," I spat, loud enough for our audience to hear. "If she is your destined mate, why don't you settle this political marriage right now and be done with it?" Alexander let out a low, warning growl. The kind that would make most wolves cower in submission. I stepped closer, deliberately and threateningly invading his space. "You don't scare me, Alexander. Just looking at your hypocrisy makes me want to vomit." Gasps echoed around us. No one spoke to an Alpha this way, especially not in public. "I refuse to let you continue to humiliate me or pretend I'm part of this farce," I continued, my voice dripping with condescension. "Hurry up and cuddle and comfort your lovely Grace." I turned on my heel and strode away, leaving chaos in my wake. Behind me, I could hear Grace's continued wails of distress and Alexander's furious shouts demanding I return immediately. I ignored them all, walking briskly to my car parked at the edge of the lot. My hands were shaking with rage as I yanked open the driver's door and slid inside. "That bitch hasn't changed at all," Cora snarled inside my head. "Still playing the victim while plotting behind everyone's backs." I gripped the steering wheel so tightly my knuckles turned white. Three years ago, Grace had orchestrated an attack by rogue wolves that left me with scars both physical and mental. Instead of punishing her, the Winters Pack had sent her to Europe "to recover," leaving me to pick up the pieces. And now she was back, pregnant with Alexander's child, still playing the same games. I was about to start the engine when a familiar voice slid into my mind through the wolf link. "Scarlett. Don't go. We need to talk." Sarah, my birth mother, who always choose Grace over me, even after discovering the truth about our birth, even after I was nearly killed by Grace. I gripped the steering wheel even tighter, ignoring the instinctive flutter I felt at hearing her voice. No matter how much I tried to harden my heart against her, some small, pathetic part of me still yearned for her maternal affection. "Talk about what, Luna Sarah?" I mentally shot back, resentment clear in my tone. "Alexander? Or your returned baby Grace?" Sarah's reply came smoothly, her tone calm but with an undercurrent of steel. "Grace is sick, Scarlett. You don't understand what she's been through. She is very weak now, and in order to avoid any excitement for her, we think that the ceremony of the union of your mates with Alexander can be postponed." A harsh laugh escaped my lips. "Postpone?" I repeated aloud, though I knew Sarah could hear me through our link. "For her? For her again?" The memory of Grace hurting me came flooding back with pain and clarity. I could still feel the phantom pain of the wound from three years ago-the day after Grace's "friend" had attacked me, and I could clearly feel the sensation of my own blood coming out in great sheets and soaking the ground beneath me. "Back then you all kept asking me to forgive and forget, and promptly sent her off to Europe," I yelled into the mind link, not caring if my emotional outburst gave Sarah a headache. "But you guys never cared about what I endured, what kind of damage I suffered.Do you know the desperation that comes when blood gushes out of your body in great swaths? You have no idea, and you don't care!" "Scarlett, please," Sarah continued to plead. "You must understand the situation. Grace is truly ill this time. The silver poisoning is affecting her ability to shift. She needs Alexander—" "In that case," I cut her off coldly, "you guys just let her fulfill her engagement to Alexander and leave me out of it." With that final thought, I severed the mind link, slamming mental barriers into place with such force that I knew Sarah would feel the rejection physically. I slammed the steering wheel hard.Running away now would solve nothing. If I was going to break free from this toxic cycle once and for all, I needed to sever all ties completely. I clenched my fists as I got out of the car once more, my decision made. Today was the day I would end it all—starting with my so-called mate.