Estelle’s POV

I stared at the message on my phone screen. Or at least, I assumed it was from Asher based on the demanding tone. I remembered blocking his number, so he must have gotten a new phone to contact me.

My finger hovered over the delete button when another message came through.

[You’re being incredibly selfish, Estelle. Do you have any idea what you’ve done to this pack?]

I let out a harsh laugh. Selfish? That was rich coming from him. It was the exact same accusation Hazel had thrown at me in the hotel lobby. They were probably feeding each other the same self-righteous nonsense.

I could picture them perfectly. Asher would be pacing around his office while Hazel sat in the chair that should have been mine, both of them wracking their brains trying to figure out how to clean up the mess they’d created. Moonveil was hemorrhaging resources and allies, and now they were scrambling to find someone to blame.

But their problems weren’t mine anymore. Asher had dug this hole with his own hands. Every lie, every betrayal, every moment he chose Hazel over the pack’s well-being had led to this point. Now he could lie in the bed he’d made.

I blocked the new number without bothering to reply. I had no intention of returning to Moonveil, no matter what sob story he tried to sell me.

The irony wasn’t lost on me. After everything that had happened today, Hazel would probably run straight back to Asher with some twisted version of events. She’d paint herself as the victim and me as the villain, weaving whatever narrative would make her look best.

And Asher would believe every word. Hazel had him completely wrapped around her finger now. With his father gone and Asher officially the Alpha, there was no one left who could challenge her position or throw her out of the pack house.

They deserved each other.

I slipped my phone back into my purse and started walking toward the taxi stand. The evening air felt good against my skin after the stuffy hotel atmosphere. I was looking forward to getting back to Blackmoon and sharing the good news about our partnership with Tidal Valley.

But as I reached the sidewalk, a sudden pain shot through my abdomen. I stopped walking, pressing a hand to my stomach. It felt like someone had driven a knife into my gut and was slowly twisting it.

Maybe it was just period cramps? But the pain quickly spread beyond my stomach, radiating up into my chest and down through my limbs. It felt like my bones were being set on fire from the inside out.

I doubled over, a groan escaping my lips before I could stop it. The world started spinning around me, the streetlights blurring into streaks of yellow light. My legs gave out, and I found myself crouching on the sidewalk, clutching my torso as wave after wave of agony crashed over me.

“Miss? Miss, are you alright?”

The voice seemed to come from very far away, even though it sounded close. I tried to look up, but my vision was swimming. Someone touched my shoulder gently.

“Hey, can you hear me?”

I recognized that voice. It was Alpha Jude from earlier, though he sounded much more serious now than he had in the hotel lobby. The playful, carefree tone was completely gone, replaced by genuine concern.

“Estelle?” he asked, sounding surprised. “What’s wrong?”

Through the haze of pain, I remembered what Logan mentioned earlier in the meeting room. Tidal Valley only extended their alliance because of what they had observed from the lycans. For Tidal Valley to offer Blackmoon a partnership so readily, Jude and Zayne had to be more than just business associates. They were probably close friends.

“Zayne,” I managed to whisper through gritted teeth. It was the only word I could force out.

“Zayne?” Jude’s voice sharpened with understanding. “You need me to call Zayne?”

I tried to nod, but another wave of pain hit me, stronger than before. It felt like something was trying to claw its way out of my chest from the inside. My entire body was trembling now.

“Okay, hang on. Just hang on for me, alright? I’m calling him right now.”

I heard the sound of his phone dialing, then his urgent voice speaking rapidly into the device. The words blurred together in my ears as the pain intensified. Dark spots started dancing at the edges of my vision.

The last thing I remembered was the feeling of falling sideways onto the cold concrete.

***

Third POV

Jude was still trying to gently shake Estelle awake when Zayne appeared at his side, moving faster than humanly possible.

“What happened?” Zayne demanded, his electric blue eyes taking in Estelle’s unconscious form sprawled on the sidewalk.

“I just left the hotel to grab something from my car,” Jude explained quickly. “Then I found her crouched here in obvious pain. She was calling your name, so I called you immediately.”

Zayne didn’t waste time with more questions. He bent down and carefully gathered Estelle into his arms, lifting her as if she weighed nothing. Her head lolled against his shoulder, dark hair spilling over his arm.

“She might need a healer,” Jude suggested, studying Estelle’s pale face with worried eyes.

Just then, Estelle’s eyelids fluttered open. Her light blue eyes were unfocused and glassy with pain, but she was conscious.

“Estelle?” Zayne called out softly.

However, Estelle didn’t meet Zayne’s eyes. Her eyes were barely even open at that.

“No,” she whispered weakly, her voice barely audible as she slightly shook her head from side to side. “No healer...”