The Luna They Tried To Erase

Aliana POV:

The next morning, I told Ivan I was going to the spa.

"Good," he said, not looking up from his tablet. "Fix yourself up. You look... pale."

I drove straight to the warehouse district. Debi met me at the back door of the Reese Gallery.

*Debi wasn't a miracle worker, but she was resourceful.*

*"I got the maintenance uniforms," she said, tossing me a bundle of gray fabric. "And I bribed the regular cleaning crew to take a long lunch. We have twenty minutes."*

*"What about the scent?" I asked.*

*"Old fashioned way," she said, handing me a jar of industrial grease and ammonia. "Smear this on your neck and wrists. It'll burn, but it'll cover the lily scent."*

I applied the foul mixture. It stung my eyes, but I smelled like a garage floor. Perfect.

I pulled on the gray jumpsuit and tucked my hair under a cap.

I slipped inside through the service entrance.

The gallery was preparing for a private viewing. Kiera's office door was ajar.

I pushed my mop bucket inside. The room was opulent. And familiar.

The rug was Persian-my mother's. The vase was Ming-my father's.

They were stripping my inheritance to furnish his mistress's life.

*I pulled a tiny listening device from my pocket-something Debi had procured from a PI contact. I stuck it under the heavy oak desk.*

"The cleaner is here, Miss Reese," a voice said.

I froze.

Kiera walked in, followed closely by Ivan.

I turned my back, scrubbing a spot on the wall furiously.

"It smells disgusting in here," Kiera wrinkled her nose. "Like cheap chemicals."

"It's just the cleaning supplies, babe," Ivan said. His voice was thick with lust.

I glanced at the reflection in a painting. Ivan had Kiera pressed against the desk.

"I hate waiting," Kiera moaned. "When will she be gone? Truly gone?"

"Soon," Ivan growled. "*I upped the dose in her morning tea. Her heart will give out during the Gathering. It will look like a tragedy. The weak Luna, overwhelmed by the excitement.*"

My heart hammered. *They were executing me today.*

"And then?"

"Then I reject her corpse to break the bond formally. And I mark you. Leo becomes the heir."

"I love it when you talk power," Kiera giggled.

Ivan paused. He lifted his head, sniffing the air.

"Wait."

I stopped scrubbing.

"What is it?"

"That smell..." Ivan stepped away from the desk. "Under the bleach. It smells... familiar."

He took a step toward me.

The Alpha Command radiated off him.

"You," he barked at my back. "Turn around."

I couldn't move. If I turned, he would see my eyes.

"I said, turn around!"

His voice was a physical weight. *My wolf snarled, wanting to rip his throat out.*

*Do not bow.*

Just as Ivan reached for my shoulder, *a loud crash echoed from the hallway. Debi. She must have knocked something over to create a distraction.*

Ivan spun around. "What the hell?"

"My sculpture!" Kiera shrieked, running out.

In the chaos, I grabbed my bucket and slipped out the side door.

I ran to the car, stripping off the jumpsuit.

Debi was waiting, engine running.

*"I tipped over a display stand," she grinned nervously. "Did you get it?"*

*I tapped the receiver in my ear. "Every word. They're planning to kill me tonight."*

I looked at my hands. They were steady.

"Drive, Debi," I said. "We have a show to prepare for."