Estelle’s POV

The wine hit my face like ice water, shocking me into stillness. Red liquid dripped from my hair onto my white blouse, staining it crimson.

Everyone gasped. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

The restaurant fell silent around us. I could feel every pair of eyes in the place turning toward our table. My chest burned with fury, but I forced myself to remain calm.

I slowly wiped wine from my eyes with the back of my hand. When I looked up, Hannah was smirking at me with sick satisfaction.

“Oops,” she said, her voice dripping with fake innocence. “My hand slipped.”

That did it.

I reached over and grabbed Bethany’s full wine glass before anyone could stop me. Without hesitation, I hurled the contents straight at Hannah’s shocked face.

Everyone gasped again, louder this time.

Hannah screamed as wine soaked through her perfectly styled hair and expensive dress. “Are you crazy?”

I set the empty glass down with deliberate calm. “You started it first.”

“What are you, twelve?” Hannah shrieked, desperately trying to wipe wine from her face.

“Do you think I’m some soft person who will just stand by and be bullied without standing up for herself?” I asked coldly.

Hannah’s face contorted with rage. She lunged forward, her hands reaching for my throat like claws.

“Hannah, no!” Connor jumped up, grabbing her arms.

Sarah quickly moved to help him, and together they pulled Hannah back from the table. She struggled against their grip, snarling like a wild animal.

“Let me go!” Hannah yelled. “I’m going to teach this wolfless bitch a lesson!”

The word hit like a physical blow, but I didn’t flinch.

“You’re just a wolfless nobody leeching off Asher and Moonveil!” Hannah continued, spittle flying from her lips. “If Asher knows what’s good for him, he’ll reject you and find someone else!”

I stood up slowly, my voice cutting through her tantrum. “What? Someone like you?”

Hannah’s struggles slowed as my words sank in.

“Even if Asher and I were separated, he would never go for someone like you,” I said with deadly quiet.

The color drained from Hannah’s face, leaving her wine-stained and pale.

Janice rushed over to me, her face full of concern. “Estelle, she’s not worth it. Come on, let’s get you cleaned up.”

Sarah appeared at my other side, leaning close to whisper urgently in my ear. “Hannah isn’t someone you can offend now.”

“What do you mean?” I frowned. Sarah almost seemed afraid of Hannah. “Different how?”

Almost everyone here was from a small to medium-sized pack. However, Hannah was from the Silvercreek Pack, a fairly powerful pack among us small fry. As such, many people were afraid of offending her back during our exchange program.

However, as the years went by, some of the smaller packs became more powerful. The Silvercreek Pack was no longer that much more powerful than the other packs in the surrounding area anymore.

Before Sarah could answer, voices from the crowd began rising around us.

“Estelle should apologize!”

“Hannah has every right to be upset!”

“This is completely inappropriate!”

Connor stepped forward, still wine-splattered from trying to restrain Hannah. “Hannah threw wine first. If anyone should apologize—”

“Hannah has the right to do so. Considering her connections, you’re a fool to go against her,” someone interrupted. “Estelle needs to know her place.”

I watched in disgust as several of our former classmates rushed to comfort Hannah, offering napkins and sympathy. They crowded around her like she was the victim, not the aggressor.

“Hannah, are you okay?”

“Don’t let her get to you.”

“We all saw what really happened here.”

The blatant ass-kissing made my stomach turn.

Sarah leaned closer to me. “Hannah found friends in high places.”

Hannah heard Sarah’s whisper and laughed, the sound sharp and triumphant. Wine still dripped from her hair, but her confidence had returned.

“That’s right,” Hannah said, her voice carrying across the restaurant. “Estelle better apologize if she wants Moonveil to survive in werewolf society.”

Janice stepped forward, her face flushed with anger. “You started this fight, Hannah. You should be the one apologizing.”

Several people immediately turned on Janice.

“Don’t get involved in this, Janice.”

“Your new mate is the Alpha of a small pack, right? You’re about to become the Luna. Think about your mate’s pack.”

“Hannah’s the one with connections now. Are you sure you want to offend her?”

“You don’t want to make enemies.”

I watched my former classmates reveal their true colors. They spoke about pack politics and power as if friendships meant nothing.

In werewolf society, the harsh reality was that an Alpha and Luna of a small pack couldn’t even compare to the Betas or Gammas of bigger, more powerful packs. Status meant everything. Survival depended on knowing who to please and who to avoid.

Hannah seemed to sense my confusion because her smirk widened.

“Poor Estelle,” she purred. “You look so lost. Don’t you know?”

One of Hannah’s new supporters, a girl I barely remembered from school, stepped forward eagerly. “Hannah found her fated mate.”

My eyes widened with slight surprise.

“She’s not just some Gamma’s daughter anymore.”

“That’s right,” Hannah said. “I don’t need Asher, not even if you served him up to me on a silver platter.”

Hannah threw back her head and laughed, wine-stained but victorious.

“In fact,” she said, “Not only did I find my fated mate, but he’s not just any regular pack member.”

Hannah’s gray eyes locked onto mine, savoring every the hoots and cheers that the crowd around us gave her. She seemed ecstatic about the attention she was receiving, basking in the limelight.

“Oh?” I asked, crossing my arms over my chest. “Who is your mate, then?”

“My mate,” Hannah said, pausing for dramatic effect. She smiled, “is the Beta of the Blackmoon Pack.”