Rejected the Alpha, Now I'm the Most Beloved Luna

Perry's POV

After getting up, I chilled in the hotel room for a while. Honestly, I just didn't want to run into Richard on the way down. Even the slightest chance of that happening made me feel all tense. Last night in the elevator? My legs were literally jelly.

That guy's build-solid like a wall-and that calm confidence he carries, it's hard not to stare. I had to look away, or I probably would've just kept ogling like an idiot. I don't even know why I'm so drawn to him. Guess it's just something primal. He's powerful, no doubt about it.

I kept replaying the image of his face in my head-handsome, cold, collected. Just thinking about standing there next to him, face-to-face, made me blush like crazy. I groaned under my breath. "Ugh, what is wrong with me?"

I'd told myself I wasn't interested. Obviously, I was lying.

Right then, my phone rang. It was Francis. I picked up, doing my best to keep my voice even. "Something wrong?"

"Perry, come have dinner with us tonight. Irene's already got a table booked." He sounded kind of desperate, like he expected me to say no. "I'll come get you, okay? Please, Perry, don't say no."

Honestly? I wanted to tell him to forget it. But the way he acted made me wonder what he was up to, so I agreed.

I stayed holed up in the hotel until evening. When I went downstairs dressed and ready, Francis was already waiting at the door in his car. Sarah was sitting inside, and just seeing her made me frown. I walked up, not bothering to hide it.

"Let's go," Sarah said through the open window, that smug look on her face putting me instantly on edge. She gave my outfit a once-over with a raised brow, like I should be flattered to even be included.

I didn't move. Her whole attitude was off-putting. I wasn't in the mood to play along.

She must've caught on, 'cause her expression shifted. She opened the door, got out, grabbed my hand, and basically dragged me toward the car. "Perry, I know you don't like me, but we're sisters. The Bloodmoon Pack agreed to send some deltas, and that's all thanks to you. So we just wanted to say thank you and take you out for dinner."

Wait-Bloodmoon actually said yes? That shocked me. I didn't think Richard would go for it.

She shoved me into the back seat and climbed back into the front. As Francis started driving, Sarah turned around, her tone sharp and a little mocking. "Alpha Richard seems to like you. He sent a bunch of deltas to merge with the Ashen Pack. Freaked those rogue scum out pretty fast."

Even though she didn't spell it out, I could piece it together. Those rogues were scared of the Bloodmoon Pack, too afraid to mess with the deltas and risk retaliation. In the end, Francis never got any real help.

I gave myself a mental fist bump. That little fact cheered me up fast, and I didn't even bother reacting to Sarah's snide tone.

Clearly, Francis had something else up his sleeve. I wanted to see what new scheme he'd cooked up this time.

He soon pulled the car up to the spot he picked for dinner. It was a fancy French place, real exclusive. No one really knew which pack, if any, ran it-but it catered strictly to the upper-class wolves.

I'd only heard about it from Gina. She said the food was amazing and the service super attentive. Whatever frustration I had started to fade-I was actually kind of excited to try it out.

Francis stepped out first, then led Sarah and me inside. We headed over to our reserved table, where Irene was already seated with her usual grace. Next to her sat Belen Morgan, along with an unfamiliar wolf I didn't recognize.

He immediately started eyeing me up, his gaze sliding from my chest down to my hips, unapologetically. The guy made my skin crawl, so I sat down quickly. He looked away, though not for long-he kept sneaking glances when he thought I wasn't noticing.

I had no idea who this creep was or why he was here. Sarah claimed dinner was a thank-you for me, but then they brought along this sleazy guy who clearly thought he was entitled to something. I frowned, staring down at the utensils, not in the mood to talk.

Irene seemed to catch on that my mood had tanked. She quickly jumped in and introduced the stranger. "This is Alpha Tom Pierce, leader of the Stonepeak Pack. He's offered to support the Ashen Pack, so we invited him along tonight. Alpha Tom, this is my daughter, Perry Lake."

She pointed at me, giving Tom this overly sweet smile that made me want to roll my eyes. It was pathetic.

Tom sat up a bit straighter and gave me a nod. "Nice to meet you, Miss Lake."

He toned down the creepy eyes after that and turned to Francis to chat about their supposed alliance. Sarah took that moment to stand and fetch some red wine for the table. She set a glass in front of me with practiced grace.

She lifted her own glass with a prim little smile. "To Alpha Tom, and to my sister Perry."

I didn't respond. I picked up my glass, swirling it slightly out of habit-and that's when I saw it. Tiny grains of powder clinging to the bottom.

I felt a flame of rage burn in my gut.

They drugged it. They freaking drugged my wine.

I forced myself to stay calm, acting like I hadn't noticed. Then I remembered the way Tom had looked at me when I walked in, and it clicked. Sarah and the others planned to get me to sleep with him-to seal some kind of deal for Ashen support.Nausea hit me hard, and I gripped the fabric of my dress, fingers tense, trying to stop the shaking.

I needed to switch the drinks-and fast. Scanning the table, a plan clicked into place. I dropped my head, schooling my face into something that looked freaked out, then reached up to touch my ear.

"Oh no, my earring's gone!"

"It must've fallen under the table," I said, biting my lip and pulling up the tablecloth like I was in full panic mode. My over-the-top reaction made everyone glance down, just as I'd hoped. That gave me the perfect window to swap my glass with Sarah's.

Of course, there was no earring. I'd made it up, and now that the switch was done, it didn't matter.

Sarah straightened up, frowning hard. She hadn't seen a thing. Her voice was sharp as she stared at me and asked, "Did you even wear earrings tonight?"

"I just found one by my foot. Sorry about the scene-let's keep going," I said, flashing an embarrassed grin.

She narrowed her eyes like she wanted to mock me, but instead gave a cold snort and stayed quiet.

Irene didn't seem upset, though. She let out a soft breath, her eyes flicking to my glass with a kind of eager satisfaction. "Good, you found it. Come on, Perry, let's have a drink. I've been waiting."

I raised the glass and took a small sip, acting like everything was fine. Sarah drained her glass like she was proving a point and shot me a look.

"Perry, we're finishing this. It's a toast to Tom-it's basic manners."

Her tone dripped with fake sincerity. I didn't care much, but I still finished my drink. It was clean, after all.

Sarah clearly wasn't happy. Her gaze lingered on my flushed cheeks, probably wondering why I wasn't passed out yet. She refilled my glass in a heartbeat.

"This one's for you. My sister. Perry, come on."

I narrowed my eyes, stayed silent. To keep the act going, to keep Sarah confident she'd fooled me, I emptied the second glass too.

The dizziness crept in, just barely. I glanced across the table and saw Tom looking at me again, eyes full of sleaze. He didn't even try to hide it, like he thought he already owned me. I turned away, swallowing the bile rising in my throat.

"As long as you need support, Stonepeak Pack's got your back," Tom said confidently to Francis. My father turned his eyes to me; I met his gaze, quiet but steady.

For a second, doubt flickered across his face. A moment of silence passed, drawn-out and heavy-

Then he smiled, all cheerful, and said, "Alright then, it's a deal."

I looked away, heart sinking. What a fool I'd been to think he might not go through with it.

He hesitated, sure. But in the end, he still said yes.