**Kimberly’s POV**
“What did you just say?”
I stepped closer, standing directly in front of her. Just seeing her smug grin made my blood boil. How could someone smile after causing so much pain? I couldn’t wrap my head around it.
“I’m sure you heard every word I said, so don’t act like I need to repeat myself!” Mona smirked.
“I can take any of your insults, but don’t you dare lay a hand on my friends!” The words slipped out of my mouth before I even realized, fueled by my rage.
Ever since Alpha Derrick chose her as his future Luna, her arrogance has been unbearable. She’s constantly testing my patience, pushing my limits.
“You can act tough all you want, but soon you’ll be nothing more than my servant. Enjoy your freedom while you still can.” Mona’s voice dripped with malice as she gave me a menacing look and started to walk away.
“Where do you think you’re going?” I grabbed her wrist and yanked her back before she could take another step. Without thinking, I slapped her hard across the face.
“What… what did you just do?” She gasped, holding her cheek, eyes wide with shock.
“Yeah, I slapped you. And I’ll do it again if you don’t stop messing with me!” I shouted, my anger boiling over.
“You’ll regret this, Kimberly! I swear you will!” She spat the words at me before storming off to her room, her hand still pressed to her face.
I knew I had crossed a line, but I didn’t care. I was tired of her games, and that slap was long overdue. Mona was always trying to get under my skin, but today, she went too far.
I left the house soon after, needing to clear my head. Mona’s threats didn’t bother me; she was just trying to rattle me, and I wasn’t going to let her succeed.
As I walked, my thoughts drifted back to my friends, Hannah and Louis. They were supposed to meet me at the coffee shop, but now I was late. I hoped they wouldn’t be too annoyed.
After an hour of walking, I arrived at the coffee shop, expecting to find them waiting. But when I looked around, neither of them was there.
“Where are they?” I mumbled, pulling out my phone to call Hannah. The phone rang and rang, but she didn’t pick up. I tried Louis next, but the same thing happened-no answer.
“What’s going on?” I muttered, frowning as I sat down at an empty table. I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.
************
Meanwhile, back at the house, Mona was fuming as she stormed into her room. Without wasting a second, she grabbed her phone and dialed Alpha Derrick. It rang twice before he picked up.
“Why didn’t you answer my calls?” Mona snapped, her voice laced with anger.
“I’m busy, Mona. Just tell me what you need,” Alpha Derrick replied coldly.
“Do you know what Kimberly did to me? She slapped me! Right across the face!”
“Is that so?” His voice was flat, almost uninterested.
“Yes! You need to do something about her!” Mona’s voice trembled with rage.
“Look, I’m sorry that happened, but I’ll handle it later. Is there anything else?”
“Yes! Not Kimberly… I want her friends to suffer for this!” she demanded.
“What are you talking about? My men didn’t take anyone.”
“What do you mean?” Mona’s face twisted in confusion. “We agreed on this! Why would you change the plan?”
“I didn’t change anything. My men went to the coffee shop, but no one was there, and they checked their house too-nothing,” he explained, his tone growing more irritated.
“You must be joking! Then who else could’ve taken them?” Mona asked, her voice softer now, filled with uncertainty.
“I don’t know. But I have too much on my plate right now. We’ll talk later.” Alpha Derrick hung up before she could say another word.
Mona stared at her phone, her mind racing. She had been so sure of herself, threatening Kimberly earlier, but now everything felt uncertain. She hadn’t even checked if the job was done.
“No, this can’t be happening! I should’ve made sure!” She muttered, pacing around her room, her heart pounding with regret.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. “Come in!” she called, her voice shaky.
When the door opened, she was surprised to see her father, Alpha Darwin, standing there.
“Dad? What are you doing here?” she asked, trying to steady her voice.
“I came to talk to you, Mona.” He stepped inside, closing the door behind him.
“What is it, Dad?” Mona asked, trying to act normal, but her mind was still racing with everything that had just happened.
“I don’t know if you’ve heard, but I talked to Alpha Derrick about delaying your engagement. I wanted to tell you myself,” Alpha Darwin said carefully.
“Yeah, I heard,” Mona replied, her tone flat. She wasn’t in the mood to talk about the engagement right now.
“You don’t seem surprised,” her father remarked, studying her expression.
“I’m not. I understand why you want to wait,” she said, trying to sound calm. Her mind was still elsewhere, trying to piece together what had gone wrong.
“I just think it’s important for you to experience your first shift before making such a big commitment. You’re turning eighteen soon, and I want you to be ready.” Alpha Darwin explained gently, unaware of her inner turmoil.
“Sure, Dad. I get it,” Mona forced a smile, but her thoughts were a million miles away.
Her father noticed something was off. “Are you okay, Mona? You seem distracted.”
“I’m fine, Dad. I just have to go now,” she blurted out, standing up quickly.
“Mona, wait-”
But she was already heading out the door, not bothering to listen to him anymore. Alpha Darwin watched her leave, concerned but unsure of what was really going on.
As Mona rushed out of the house, she muttered under her breath, “I need to fix this before it’s too late.”