Estelle’s POV

The whole store was staring at us now. My voice had carried further than I’d intended, but I couldn’t bring myself to care. Whispers rippled through the crowd of shoppers like wildfire.

“Did she just say mistress?”

“Isn’t that the Alpha from Moonveil?”

“Who’s the woman with the sunglasses?”

Hazel tugged her scarf higher and adjusted her sunglasses nervously. She was trying to hide her face, but it was too late. Several people were already pulling out their phones.

I couldn’t help but laugh at the sight.

“You know,” I said casually, loud enough for nearby shoppers to hear, “I was rather surprised when your mother messaged me to say that Hazel has been thrown out of Moonveil. She seemed quite sure that you and Hazel would never see each other again, though I can’t imagine where she would’ve gotten that idea.”

Asher’s eyes widened in shock. “My mother contacted you?”

“She did,” I confirmed with a sweet smile. “Though I think she has mistaken something. After all, if Hazel has been banished, how is she still helping you with pack duties right now?”

The color drained from Asher’s face. He looked like he’d seen a ghost.

I gestured to the two of them. “And you two are clearly out together right now,” I added.

“Wait, my mother messaged you?” he asked, his face pale. “You’re still keeping contact with her?”

I tilted my head, studying his panicked expression. The lying really did run in the family, didn’t it?

Jessie had probably told him she was trying to convince me to return to take over Hazel’s responsibilities. To be fair, that was her intention when she dropped me a message. She had merely used Hazel’s banishment as her argument as to why I needed to return to Moonveil.

Other than that, we hadn’t spoken a word.

Unfortunately for her, her son was quick to prove her statement null. Here he was, still parading around with his banned mistress like nothing had happened.

“She only reached out to inform me about Hazel’s situation,” I said smoothly. “But now I’m confused. If Hazel never left, then there’s nothing for me to take over, is there?”

Hazel shifted uncomfortably beside him. Her hands were shaking as she clutched her purse.

I already knew from Juliet that the Moonveil council had voted for Hazel’s banishment. Even though Juliet and the others had moved to Blackmoon, they still had old friends and family who hadn’t left Moonveil for all sorts of reasons.

Asher’s behavior disgusted me. If anyone from Moonveil’s council spotted them here, or if anyone here decided to post their photos and videos online and the council saw it, Hazel would be dragged back to face punishment. Asher, on the other hand, would probably get nothing more than a slap on the wrist.

He was the Alpha, after all. Even if the council wished to replace him, they wouldn’t be able to do so on such short notice.

Hazel was stupid enough to believe that Asher would actually make her his Luna after everything he’d done. After all his lies and manipulations, she still thought he cared about anyone other than himself. I suppose I had her to thank, or else I would’ve been in her position right now.

“I should probably let Jessie know that Hazel is still around,” I mused aloud. “After all, she was asking me to come back and handle Hazel’s duties. There’s nothing to handle if Hazel hasn’t left.”

I pulled out my phone and made a show of scrolling through my contacts.

“Wait!” Asher lunged forward, grabbing my wrist. “What do you want, Estelle?” 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

His grip was tight and desperate. Several shoppers gasped at his sudden movement.

“I’ve already agreed to your conditions,” he continued frantically. He glanced around shiftily before lowering his voice. “I’ll name you Luna of Moonveil. I know I screwed up, and I sincerely want to ask for your forgiveness.”

I looked down at his hand on my wrist, then back up at his face. The audacity of this man never ceased to amaze me.

I scoffed. “I’ll contact you again to arrange for a meeting next week. I have something important right now and don’t have time to go over such things with you.”

Edmund and the others were still waiting for me at the restaurant. This was supposed to be a quick purchase.

“No!” Asher’s voice cracked. “We need to discuss this now. You’ve been so busy these days that it’s impossible to reach you.”

His fingers tightened around my wrist. The desperation in his eyes would have moved me once upon a time. Now it just made me feel cold.

Asher was worried that I would disappear and leave him the cold shoulder again. I had to admit that the thought did cross my mind. After all the years spent begging for Asher’s forgiveness whenever he got angry at me, it was finally time for him to have a taste of his own medicine.

I was starting to see why he enjoyed doing this so much. It was fun to watch him grovel.

I laughed, the sound sharp and cutting. With one swift motion, I removed his hand from my wrist. His eyes widened in surprise at how easily I’d broken free from his grip.

“In that case, shouldn’t you be glad?” I said coolly. “That means you can look for other people to take over my role as your mate.”

His face went completely pale. The blood drained from his cheeks so fast I thought he might faint.

“What are you talking about?” he whispered. “Do you know something?”

I didn’t reply. I merely maintained our gaze so that he would stew in his own paranoia and guilt.

Asher opened his mouth to say something else, but before any words could come out, a woman’s scream pierced the air.

“Someone’s fainted! Call for help!”

We all turned toward the commotion. There, crumpled on the polished marble floor like a broken doll, was Hazel.