Diane’s POV
The moment the Moon Goddess assistant announced that Jake and Reyna were mates, my heart stopped. No. This couldn’t be happening. All my careful planning, my meticulous scheming-it was unraveling in front of me. I felt the blood drain from my face, replaced by a surge of hot, uncontrollable anger.
Before I knew it, I was marching toward the DJ booth.
“Stop the music!” I snapped, my voice slicing through the chatter and laughter like a blade.
The music stopped abruptly, and the hall fell into a tense, awkward silence. Every pair of eyes turned to me, but I didn’t care. Let them stare. Let them gasp. I wasn’t going to let this stand.
I turned my attention to the so-called assistant of the Moon Goddess, standing at the center of all this chaos. My voice was sharp, unwavering.
“Why would you say such a thing?” I demanded, narrowing my eyes. “That’s a lie! I paid you to say something else!”
A collective gasp rippled through the crowd, but I ignored it. I was too far gone to care about decorum or keeping up appearances. My fury propelled me forward, and my heels clicked purposefully on the marble floor as I strode toward Reyna.
My gaze locked onto hers, full of disdain. She had no right to be here, no right to claim a place among us, and certainly no right to steal what was supposed to be mine.
“You will never become Jake’s mate,” I spat, each word laced with venom. “You will never be John’s mate. And you will never, ever, become a Luna. You don’t belong here.”
The room buzzed with murmurs, but they barely registered in my ears. My focus was solely on Reyna, who had the audacity to stand there, looking stunned yet resolute. Did she think she could challenge me? Did she think she could take what I’ve worked so hard for?
“She’s right,” one of the elders said, their voice cutting through the murmurs. “We barely know this woman. How can we accept her as a mate to one of our own?”
“Exactly,” I said, a slow, triumphant smile spreading across my face as I turned to face the crowd. “Reyna is an outsider. She doesn’t belong here, and she never will.”
But just as I was basking in the moment, savoring the tide turning in my favor, the Moon Goddess assistant moved. Slowly, deliberately, she lifted her hands to her hood, pulling it back to reveal her face.
My breath caught in my throat.
This wasn’t the woman I had paid. This was someone else entirely.
“Who… who are you?” I stammered, my confidence faltering for the first time.
The assistant looked at me with a calm yet piercing gaze, shaking her head as if she found my reaction pitiful.
“I am the true assistant of the Moon Goddess,” she said, her voice steady and commanding. “And I do not take bribes, Diane.”
I felt my stomach drop. The whispers around the room grew louder, turning into an ominous hum. My mind raced, trying to make sense of this betrayal, trying to figure out where my plan had gone wrong.
“You’re lying!” I shouted, desperate now. “You’re trying to ruin everything-”
“I have already spoken the truth,” she interrupted, her voice ringing with authority. “The bond between Jake and Reyna is ordained by the Moon Goddess herself, and it cannot be undone.”
“No!” I cried, my voice rising. “You don’t understand-she-she’s not worthy! She’s-”
“I suggest you hold your tongue,” the assistant said, cutting me off once again. “You are only embarrassing yourself further.”
I clenched my fists, trembling with rage and humiliation. How could this be happening? How could this woman, this imposter, take control of my perfectly laid plans?
“And as for John’s mate,” the assistant continued, addressing the crowd now, “the Moon Goddess has already chosen. I will return in four days to reveal her identity. But know this-” Her gaze swept across the room, landing on John for a moment before shifting back to me. “-his mate is here, in this room.”
The tension in the hall was palpable. John’s expression was a mixture of confusion and curiosity, while Jake’s unreadable gaze rested on Reyna.
Before I could muster another word, the assistant turned and walked out, leaving me standing there, seething. My vision blurred with fury as the room erupted into hushed whispers and judgmental stares.
This wasn’t over. Not by a long shot. If Reyna thought she could take what was mine, she had another thing coming. And if the Moon Goddess assistant thought she could thwart me, she would soon learn just how far I was willing to go to destroy anyone who stood in my way.
I took a deep breath, forcing a calm smile to my lips as I turned to face the crowd. They weren’t going to see me crumble. Not tonight.
___
John’s POV
I turned to Diane, my jaw clenched so tightly it ached. Her brazen admission still echoed in my mind. She’d paid a Moon Goddess assistant to lie. To manipulate fate itself. My voice was low but firm as I asked, “Why, Diane? Why would you do something so… disgraceful?”
She squared her shoulders, attempting to mask her panic with a look of defiance. “It was for the betterment of the clan,” she said, as though that excuse could absolve her. “Reyna doesn’t belong here, John. She’s not one of us. You know this as well as I do.”
I scoffed, the sound bitter and biting. “For the betterment of the clan?” I repeated, my tone dripping with sarcasm. “You mean for the betterment of your own selfish agenda.”
Her face flushed with anger and embarrassment. Before she could utter another excuse, I turned to the guards standing by the entrance. “Take her to the dungeon.”
“What?!” Diane shrieked, her voice shrill and panicked. “You can’t do this, John! This isn’t right! I’m trying to protect the clan-”
I didn’t respond. I simply stood there, watching as the guards grabbed her arms. She struggled, screaming incoherently, but it didn’t faze me. She’d crossed a line, and there was no undoing it.
The hall remained eerily silent, save for Diane’s protests as the guards dragged her away. Once she was gone, I exhaled deeply, the tension in my chest loosening slightly. But when I turned back, my gaze landed on Jake and Reyna. The sight of them together made my blood simmer.
Reyna stood motionless, her face pale, her expression unreadable. She hadn’t said a single word since the assistant had made her announcement. Jake, on the other hand, was watching me, his jaw tight, his posture rigid. I could feel his anger radiating across the room, but I didn’t care.
I walked up to him slowly, my eyes narrowing as I leaned in close, my voice low enough for only him to hear. “I’m not letting her go, Jake. She’s mine. She’s always been mine.”
Jake’s expression didn’t change, but his eyes burned with fury. I could see the barely restrained rage in the way his fists clenched at his sides.
Without waiting for a response, I turned to Reyna and reached for her hand. “Let’s go,” I said, keeping my voice steady despite the chaos swirling inside me.
But before I could take a step, Jake’s hand shot out, grabbing Reyna’s other arm and pulling her back toward him.
“She’s not going anywhere with you,” he said, his voice cold and firm.
The tension in the room was suffocating. No one dared to speak or move. The air crackled with unspoken emotions, the weight of the moment pressing down on everyone.
Reyna looked between us, her eyes wide with something I couldn’t quite decipher. Fear? Anger? Confusion? Perhaps all three. Then, to my utter shock, she pulled her hands away from both of us.
“I can’t do this,” she said, her voice trembling slightly. “I need to be alone.”
And before either of us could respond, she turned and ran out of the hall, her heels clicking against the marble floor. The sound echoed in the silence, like the closing of a door.
“Reyna, wait!” Stephanie called, her voice breaking the spell that had fallen over the room. She hurried after her sister, leaving Jake and me standing there, facing each other like two predators circling their prey.
I took a step closer to him, lowering my voice so only he could hear. “This isn’t over, Jake.”
His eyes narrowed, and he leaned in slightly. “You’re damn right it isn’t.”
For a moment, I thought he might swing at me. And honestly, part of me wanted him to. But instead, he turned and walked away, leaving me standing alone in the middle of the silent hall.
I looked around at the faces of the guests, their expressions a mixture of shock, curiosity, and unease. I forced a polite smile, trying to mask the turmoil churning inside me.
“Please, everyone, enjoy the rest of the evening,” I said, my voice calm and measured. “The Moon Goddess has spoken, and we must respect her judgment.”
It was a lie, of course. Respect wasn’t on my mind. I wasn’t about to let fate or prophecy dictate my future. Reyna was mine. She always had been, and she always would be.
As the murmurs of conversation slowly resumed, I walked out of the hall, my mind racing. Diane might be locked away, but she wasn’t my priority right now. Reyna was. And I wasn’t going to let Jake or anyone else take her from me.
Not now. Not ever.