Estelle’s POV

The cool night air hit my face as I stepped outside the reunion venue. I took a deep breath, letting the tension from the evening slowly drain from my shoulders.

“Estelle!” Janice’s voice called behind me. Her heels clicked against the pavement as she hurried to catch up. “Wait for me!”

I turned around and waited for her to reach me. Her face was flushed from the excitement inside, but her eyes sparkled with something that looked like admiration.

“Thank you,” I said simply.

Janice tilted her head. “For what?”

“For standing up for me tonight.” I gave her a small smile. “You didn’t have to do that. Most people in there were ready to throw me under the bus to avoid confrontation.”

She waved her hand dismissively. “Please. Hannah was being ridiculous. Someone had to call her out on her nonsense.”

We started walking slowly down the sidewalk. The street was quiet except for the distant hum of traffic.

“Besides,” Janice continued, “I could tell you were handling it perfectly fine on your own. That phone call with Caleb was brilliant timing.”

I chuckled. “Sometimes luck works in your favor.”

We walked in comfortable silence for a moment before I spoke again.

“So tell me about your mate,” I said, glancing at her sideways. “What pack is he from?”

Janice’s entire face lit up. “Xavier? He’s amazing. He’s the Alpha of the Goldstone Pack.”

“Goldstone Pack,” I repeated thoughtfully. “I’m not familiar with that one.”

“It’s fairly small,” she admitted. “They’re located on the other side of lycan territory. Very far from here, actually. But Xavier is wonderful. He’s kind and genuine, and he treats me like I’m the most precious thing in the world.”

I could hear the love in her voice. It made something twist in my chest, a feeling I couldn’t quite identify.

“That sounds perfect,” I said softly.

“It is,” she agreed, then gave me a curious look. “Why do you ask? Any particular reason?”

I shrugged. “No particular reason. Just curious about how you met someone so far away.”

But Janice was too smart to let it go that easily. I could see the wheels turning in her head as we continued walking.

“Estelle,” she said slowly, “can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“Are you really the new Luna of the Blackmoon Pack?”

I smiled but didn’t answer immediately. Instead, I pulled out my phone and typed a quick message. My fingers moved rapidly across the screen.

Janice watched me curiously. “What are you doing?”

“Just sending a quick note to someone,” I said, hitting send.

Right on cue, a sleek black car pulled up to the curb beside us. The window rolled down to reveal my driver.

“Perfect timing,” I said, opening the car door.

“Estelle,” Janice started, but I was already sliding into the backseat.

“It was good seeing you tonight, Janice,” I said through the open window. “Take care of yourself.”

As the car pulled away from the curb, I watched Janice standing on the sidewalk in my side mirror. She looked stunned, staring after the car with wide eyes.

***

Third POV

Janice stood frozen on the sidewalk for several moments after Estelle’s car disappeared around the corner. The pieces were clicking together in her mind, one by one.

The way Caleb had spoken to Estelle was with such familiarity and respect. It didn’t look like they were just friends, as Estelle had introduced earlier on at the cafe. Not only that, Killian Jackson had wanted to personally invite her to a Blackmoon charity event.

Her phone rang, startling her out of her thoughts. Xavier’s name flashed on the screen.

She answered quickly. “Hey, babe.”

“Janice!” Xavier’s voice was filled with excitement. “You can’t believe what just happened! The Blackmoon Pack just reached out, stating a possible alliance!”

Janice’s eyes widened. She turned to look in the direction where Estelle’s car had driven off, her heart racing.

“What?” she whispered.

“I know, right? It’s incredible! They want to discuss trade agreements and potential partnerships. This could change everything for our pack!”

But Janice was barely listening to Xavier’s excited rambling. Her mind was reeling with the implications.

The timing was too perfect. Estelle had just asked about Xavier’s pack location, and now suddenly the Blackmoon Pack was reaching out to them?

“Xavier,” she interrupted, “when exactly did they contact you?”

“Just now! Literally two minutes ago! Their representative said they’d heard good things about our pack and wanted to explore opportunities for collaboration.”

Janice felt her breath catch in her throat. That was exactly when Estelle had been typing that message on her phone.

“Oh my god,” she whispered, staring down the empty street where Estelle’s car had vanished.

“What’s wrong?” Xavier asked, concerned by her sudden change in tone.

“Nothing,” she said quickly, though her voice was shaky. “That’s... That’s amazing news, honey. Really amazing.”

As Xavier continued talking about the potential alliance, Janice’s mind was spinning with one overwhelming realization.

Estelle really was the new Luna of the Blackmoon Pack.

***

Third POV

Asher stepped out of the bathroom, toweling his hair dry. The hot shower had felt good after a long day of pack business.

“What’s up?” he asked, noticing Hazel staring at his phone with a frown.

She held it up to show him the screen. “Your phone’s been buzzing non-stop. Apparently, there’s a class reunion tonight. Several of your old friends have been messaging you.”

Asher shrugged, walking over to grab a clean shirt from the dresser. “I know about it. I wasn’t free, so I declined going.”

“You didn’t want to go?” she asked, still scrolling through the notifications.

“It was just a short exchange program anyway. It’s not like we were best friends,” Asher said, pulling the shirt over his head. “The people there are all from small packs. It won’t do anything to help improve Moonveil’s status by socializing with them.”

Hazel nodded, understanding his reasoning. Building alliances with powerful packs was much more important than reminiscing with old classmates from minor territories, especially considering their current situation.

“Makes sense,” she said, then paused. “But Asher, did you know that Estelle attended the event?”

He turned to look at her, surprised. “What?”

Hazel’s expression was serious now. She rushed over and handed him his phone. “Look.”

He grabbed the device and saw dozens of missed notifications. The group chat that he had muted years ago was suddenly alive with activity. But more concerning were the direct messages from some of his closer friends from the program.

He started opening them one by one, his frown deepening with each message he read.

[Asher, dude, what’s going on with Estelle?]

[Bro, your wife just caused the biggest scene at the reunion]

[Is Estelle really connected to the Blackmoon Pack?]

[Hannah totally lost it tonight]

[You need to call me ASAP!!]

His hands tightened around the phone as he continued scrolling. More messages kept coming in. This time, he tapped into the group chat.

[What happened to Estelle? Did she really just leave?]

[Poor Hannah!]