4

Flora's POV

For a second, I stared at my phone. I so rarely received videos, and the image on the screen was nothing but a blur—until I clicked on it. The video started, and all I could see was Zack’s face amid a sea of nakedness. My hands trembled as my eyes widened. My Zack… with another woman? How could it be? Tears welled and then streamed, and I felt like screaming.

I so badly wanted to see who the woman was, but her face was turned away. Zack’s was unmistakable, though. The man I loved more than anything had cheated on me.

A sob broke from my chest, and then another. I cried for a while—who knew how long—and then called my best friend, Kayla, as soon as I felt I could get some words out.

She picked up on the third ring, her voice sharp with irritation. “So you finally have time to call me, huh?”

I winced. I’d been so busy over the past few weeks that I hadn’t spoken to her.

“K-Kayla...” I managed through a sob.

Her tone shifted immediately. “Flora? What’s wrong?”

“H-he”—I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself—“he cheated on me, Kayla. Zack cheated on me.” I covered my mouth, suppressing another wave of tears.

“With who?”

For a moment, Alora’s face flashed in my mind. I shook my head quickly, dismissing the thought. It couldn’t be her. She was my sister.

But Kayla's mind went to the same woman as mine. “What about Alora?” she suggested.

“I-I don’t know,” I said weakly.

Kayla sighed. “I just don’t trust her. She seems too good to be true.”

“She is good...” I really didn't want to be accused of jealousy and selfish or something like that. 

“Either way, don’t cry over him, babe. He’s a scumbag. Just get him out of your life. He doesn’t deserve you.”

Her words were comforting, but they didn’t ease the ache in my chest. I inhaled deeply, trying to calm my racing mind. At the same time, I made a decision. “You’re right,” I said. “And after the werewolf ball, I’m breaking up with him and making everything clear.”

“Good. Just be careful, Flora.”

“I will be.”

#

The next day, Zack didn’t come home, and I didn’t bother calling him. The maids noticed my mood and asked if I was feeling unwell, but I brushed them off. However, I couldn’t abandon my responsibilities, so I focused on the task my father had assigned me: hosting the ball. Decorations, guest arrangements, food—I oversaw everything, ensuring the preparations were perfect.

In the afternoon, my phone buzzed with a call from an unknown number.

When I answered, Alora’s voice greeted me. “Sister, are you free?”

In no mood to talk to her, I replied curtly, “I don’t have time right now.” Zack was all I can think about right now. Just the thought of breaking up with him made me want to cry.

But her next words stopped me cold. “I know Zack is cheating. I’m at the Holy Nights Club. Come here if you want the truth.”

My breath caught, and I froze. I opened my mouth to ask how she knew, but the line went dead.

Clenching my fists, I fought back the fury rising inside me. After a moment of hesitation, I made my decision, then grabbed my things and left to go to the Holy Nights Club.

It took me an hour to get there. When I walked in, the pounding music and flashing lights made me feel out of place. The place was loud, chaotic, and far from anything I’d consider welcoming. As I looked around, men stared at me with predatory eyes. Their gazes made my skin crawl, and I considered turning around and leaving.

But before I could, the bartender waved me over. “You’re Flora, right?” he asked once I’d gotten close enough.

“Yeah. How do you know me?” I asked, my eyebrows drawn together.

"Of course, you're the Alpha's princess, so I would recognize you," he said with a smile. I couldn't help but feel there was something off about him.

“She left this for you,” he continued, reaching under the counter, then handing me a room key. “VIP Room 409,” he added.

I clutched the card tightly, staring at it for a moment before heading toward the stairs. Before long, I stood outside Room 409 with my heart racing. With a deep breath, I slid the card through the reader. The door clicked open, and I stepped inside, expecting to see Alora. Instead, I saw a man—tall, dressed in a dark suit, holding a phone to his ear as if engaged in an important call. His back was to me, but even from behind, power radiated from him, an aura so strong it made my knees weak.

The door clicked closed loudly behind me, the noise echoing in the room. I flinched at the sound just as the man turned. My breath caught in my throat at the devastatingly handsome sight of him.

But his thick brows furrowed in anger as he looked at me. “You must have a lot of guts to break into my room,” he said in a low, furious tone.

His expression made my knees tremble. My lips quivered as I tried to explain that I hadn’t meant to come here, but no words came out. Fear gripped me, so palpable that I took a step back, wanting to run.