Estelle’s POV

My phone buzzed again. Then again. And again.

I stared at the screen as notification after notification flooded in. Each one showed the same thing—a bank transfer from Asher. One hundred thousand dollars. Another hundred thousand. Then another.

Twenty transfers in total. Asher had just sent me two million dollars across smaller transactions, back to back.

I couldn’t help but scoff. Was this what Asher thought would work? Money?

He had sent the money without a single word.

I sneered and let out a quiet laugh.

Asher had not reached out ever since our call that day, probably thinking that I would come crawling back after he had ignored me for long enough. After all, that was indeed what I would’ve done last time, and I couldn’t blame him for believing this technique would work.

Every time he ignored me, he was “giving me time to reflect on my mistakes”. And every single time, his silence would work in his favor. I would always beg him for attention, trying my best to make it up to him so that he would be appeased. Even if I felt truly upset, I had to quietly digest this anger myself.

This was just an extension of the same tactic. Asher had probably realized that I wasn’t going to contact him first this time after so many days had passed.

Truthfully, it had been a peaceful few days, and I had completely forgotten about him.

Instead of giving me the title of Luna, he had decided to throw money at me in hopes I would back down. If I had taken it, our roles would quickly return to the way it was before. If I said anything in disagreement, he would simply point out that I had accepted the money and thus his apology.

I had long grown to see past his pathetic tricks.

“Everything alright?” Caleb glanced at me through the rearview mirror, his brow furrowed with concern.

“Just spam,” I muttered, about to lock my phone when another notification popped up.

This one made my heart skip.

It was from Zayne.

My fingers hovered over the screen for a moment before I opened the message. The text was simple and direct. Honestly, I didn’t expect anything else from him, seeing how his personality really was.

[Have you arrived in Lycan territory yet?]

My pulse quickened. I didn’t understand why a simple message from him would affect me this way. I had to remind myself that it was just business, and the whole arrangement was purely strategic.

[Just crossed the borders with my Beta. Should arrive at the palace soon.]

I hit send and immediately regretted how formal it sounded.

I stared at the screen and waited for his reply. The seconds ticked by.

Why was I even waiting? This was ridiculous. However, I couldn’t seem to look away from my phone.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, his response came through.

[I’ll see you tonight.]

A smile tugged at my lips before I could stop it.

“Someone’s looking happy,” Caleb teased from the front seat. “I thought you said it was spam.”

“It was spam,” I said as casually as I could. “Now it’s just business correspondence.”

“Business correspondence that makes you smile like that?”

I locked my phone and tucked it into my purse. “The Lycan King and I need to maintain a professional relationship. It’s better if we’re on friendly terms.”

“Uh-huh,” Caleb said, clearly not buying it. “Professional. Sure.”

I rolled my eyes but didn’t respond. In truth, I was relieved. This arrangement with Zayne wouldn’t be as difficult as I initially feared. We seemed to get along well enough.

At least, I hope we would.

The car slowed as we approached massive iron gates. Towering stone walls stretched in both directions, disappearing into dense forest. Guards in crisp uniforms stepped forward to check our credentials.

“Luna Estelle Harper of the Blackmoon Pack and Beta Caleb Jackson,” Caleb announced through the window.

The guard nodded respectfully and waved us through.

As we drove up the winding path, I couldn’t help but gasp in awe. This place was even more magnificent than I remembered from my first visit.

“Impressive,” Caleb whistled lowly. “This place makes the Blackmoon Pack house look like a cottage.”

The Blackmoon Pack house was already impressive enough. But this place was extraordinary.

The car pulled to a stop in front of wide marble steps. Several servants in crisp uniforms came out to greet us.

As soon as Caleb and I stepped out, I noticed something odd. The servants’ faces lit up when they saw Caleb, but their expressions remained neutral when they looked at me.

“Beta Jackson!” A middle-aged man with graying hair, whom I assumed was the head servant, stepped forward with a warm smile. “It is an honor to have you here.”

“Thank you,” Caleb replied politely. “May I introduce Luna Estelle Harper of the Blackmoon Pack.”

The man barely glanced at me. His smile didn’t waver, but didn’t extend to me either.

“Of course,” he said dismissively before turning back to Caleb. “Your rooms have been prepared. I trust the journey wasn’t too difficult?”

A flash of irritation shot through me.

“Actually,” Caleb said, his voice taking on a slightly sharper edge, “Luna Estelle is the one you should be addressing. She’s the leader here.”

The head servant finally looked at me properly, though his expression remained unimpressed. “Ah. Yes. Welcome to the royal palace, Luna Harper.”

The words were cordial enough, but his tone suggested he’d rather be anywhere else.

“When should we expect Alpha Benedict and Luna Helena to arrive?” he asked, turning back to Caleb as if I hadn’t spoken. “We need to prepare their accommodations as well.”

I raised an eyebrow.

Beside me, Caleb looked pissed. He tried hard to maintain a civil tone, but his hands were shaking, and his eyelids twitched in irritation. “I’m sorry, what did you say?”

“Alpha Benedict Harper and Luna Helena Harper,” the man repeated patiently. “The real leaders of the Blackmoon Pack. When will they be joining us?”