Chapter 3

Elena’s pov

Later that evening, Miranda and Tiffany came looking for me again.

Not surprised, I invited them into my room and asked, "What’s up?"

Until Hector and I were officially done, Miranda was still my elder.

Miranda looked embarrassed but finally cleared her throat and said, "Elena, Dark Moon Pack won the battle. We need to hold a celebration banquet for the warriors."

"So?" I asked, "What’s that got to do with me?"

"You’re the Pack’s Luna. This should be your responsibility," Miranda said.

Maybe she was used to me being a good Luna, so she didn’t take me seriously.

I had to remind her, "But I’m not going to be Luna anymore, and I’m not dealing with Pack affairs. You shouldn’t come to me."

Seeing I wasn’t budging, Miranda’s face darkened.

She sighed, "Alright, Elena, if you agree to prepare the banquet, I’ll convince Hector to spend the night with you."

I almost laughed out loud and rolled my eyes.

"No thanks."

"No thanks?" Miranda was shocked. "Isn’t this all to get Hector’s attention? Now I’m willing to help you, and you’re still playing hard to get?"

I couldn’t believe they thought I was giving up the Pack’s management just to get Hector’s attention.

I chuckled, shrugged, and said, "Think what you want, but now, I need to rest."

I rubbed my temples, trying to stay calm.

Seeing I wasn’t moved, Miranda looked a bit panicked.

After a moment, she said, "Alright, you don’t have to handle the banquet, but you must cover all the expenses."

I couldn’t believe my ears.

Was she serious?

"So, you want me to pay?" I asked.

"Yes," Miranda said confidently. "You know the Pack’s account is almost empty. If you don’t pay, who will?"

"What does that have to do with me?"

"Haven’t you always covered these expenses before?"

I sneered, "Well, you better get used to me not paying anymore. I was never obligated to spend my money on you, right?"

Miranda’s lips moved, but she couldn’t say anything.

Tiffany whispered, "What should we do? If we can’t hold the banquet because we have no money, our warriors and other Packs will mock us."

Seeing they were at a loss, I suggested, "How about this: let Hector come and borrow money from me himself. Maybe I’ll lend some to the Pack."

"What did you say? How dare you ask Dark Moon Pack’s most esteemed Alpha to borrow money from you?" Tiffany screamed.

I calmly looked at Miranda, "Mrs. Bennett, what do you think?"

I didn’t call her "Mom" anymore. It wasn’t necessary.

Unlike Tiffany, Miranda understood the situation better.

"Go get the Alpha," she said to Tiffany.

"Mom?"

"Go!"

Tiffany glared at me resentfully and reluctantly left.

With just me and Miranda, she said coldly, "Elena, you’re foolish. Doing this will push Hector further away."

I didn’t bother explaining and smiled.

About ten minutes later, heavy footsteps echoed down the hallway, and Hector kicked open my bedroom door.

He stormed in, glaring at me, "Elena, I can’t believe you made up this lie about Dark Moon Pack having no money just to see me! Do you think I’ll believe you?"

I looked at him calmly, saying nothing.

But Miranda and Tiffany’s faces turned bright red with embarrassment.

Miranda got up, tugged Hector’s sleeve, and whispered, "Our account really is empty."

Hector was shocked, "How is that possible? Didn’t we always have business?"

"We did, but years of war have drained it, and many businesses have collapsed."

Hector still didn’t believe it.

"No way, I absolutely don’t believe there’s no money. Not long ago, my warriors received generous bonuses and allowances! You must all be fooled by that deceitful woman, Elena! She must be trying to use this to meet me and force me to change my mind!"

I sneered, stood up, and pulled out a thick notebook from the drawer, handing it to Hector.

"What’s this?" Hector asked.

"Account book," I replied, "It records all the Pack’s expenses over the past year. Take a look yourself and see if I’m lying."

Hector gripped the ledger tightly, his brows knitting together as he flipped through the pages.

His face grew darker with every passing moment, and soon, he was trembling, sweat beading on his forehead.

The weight of the documents in his hands seemed unbearable, like they were crushing him.

In a sudden burst of frustration, Hector hurled the ledger to the ground, exclaiming, "This can't be!"

His voice quivered with anxiety and confusion as he turned to glare at me, suspicion burning in his eyes.

"I knew it! You've been falsifying the accounts, haven't you?" he accused, his tone sharp with betrayal. "You sly woman! Making you Luna was a mistake. You've let me down."

I calmly picked up the ledger, brushing it off as I replied, "Whether I falsified accounts can be easily checked. Just contact the responsible people for your industries and ask about their revenues from the past year."

"You think I won't?" Hector shot back with a sneer.

I smirked slightly, and his glare intensified.

"I will expose your deceit, Elena," Hector declared sternly. "You'll pay for your lies."