[IRIS POV]
My mouth fell open, and I pointed to myself in confusion. Caius had never addressed me by name since he understood who I was. It was always a rude 'you' or 'idiot girl' or 'this bitch'. He seemed as surprised as I was to hear my name emerge from his lips.
"Yes, you," he said with gritted teeth. The crowd began muttering to themselves.
"Come on, Caius can't possibly think she's his mate."
"Maybe he's making fun of her."
I didn't want to approach him, but the longer I stayed plastered to the wall, the more people's eyes turned towards me. I had no way to escape.
'Let's get this over with,' I thought with dismay, my heart thumping like a jackrabbit. I walked towards him, my feet feeling like lead. He leaned in close enough to whisper in my ear.
"Don't misunderstand. I'm not doing this for you. I'm doing this for Atlas."
Atlas? Was that his wolf?
Did Atlas know I was his fated mate all along? In that case, wouldn't Caius also know― no, if he had, there was no way he would have remained this calm.
Caius reached out a hand to my neck and dragged me closer. I held my breath, forcing my eyes to stare down at his shoes. I didn't want to remember the last time we were in such close proximity, the happiness and desire that threatened to drown me. He leaned down and sniffed my neck. I prayed that my scent would remain concealed.
"Are you done?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper. Caius tightened his grip around my neck, and I let out a little gasp, grabbing his hand. "Let go of me!"
"Stay still!"
Just as I thought I was done for, I caught the whiff of a familiar scent floating through the doors.
It was my own scent.
But it wasn't coming from me.
I turned around to see someone walking towards us. She was wearing my tattered dress and my cheap mask. Even my shoes were on her feet, but she had broken off the other heel to make them match.
It was her. This was the woman who burgled my room!
"It's you," Caius's voice emerged with a reverent whisper. He turned to look at me, an expression of vehement disgust and disdainful satisfaction in his eyes. "I knew it wasn't you. Atlas was wrong."
With one strong push, he shoved me to the side as though I was nothing more than a sandbag. I fell to the ground in a crumpled heap, wincing at the impact. No one bothered to help me up, but I caught a few pitying glances shot in my way.
Everyone else's attention was on the mysterious woman. The crowd of women parted instinctively, giving Caius and me a perfect, unobscured view of her as she strolled towards him.
In Caius's eyes, she was the girl who got away. He won't let her escape a second time. He reached out and grasped her hand tightly, affection overflowing from his face.
The tenderness I saw in his eyes was almost unbearable for me to stomach, especially when contrasted with his earlier disdain.
"Who are you?" Caius asked eagerly. The room held its breath as it waited for her answer.
"Silly, don't you recognize me?" The woman made a grand show of undoing her mask, letting it fall away from her face in one graceful motion. She shook out her dark hair, and it shone under the sunlight.
Caius and I both sucked in a deep breath, but it was for vastly different reasons.
It was Yvette, the beta's daughter, who had stolen my identity. She was Caius's fiancée, and I knew the pack elders had been hoping for their union.
My blood ran cold when I noticed she even dyed her hair to match my own. She had her customary gentle smile pasted on her face, but I knew her gentleness was a lie.
Yvette, with her sweet, ladylike demeanor, had successfully rendered me a social outcast among the girls, spreading all sorts of rumours about me that destroyed my reputation further. The pack of girls who ruined my dress for the masquerade ball probably did it at her behest.
But of course, Caius wouldn't care about that. He only saw Yvette's enchanting smile, and when she leaned forward to flick at Caius's hair, I could have sworn he fell in love all over again.
"Who else could it be?"
"Yvette! It is you!" Caius exclaimed, pulling her into his arms. He buried his nose in her hair to breathe in the captivating scent of his fated mate. Yvette wrapped her arms around him tightly, a demure, yet blissful smile on her face.
"But why did you reject me?" Caius asked, whining plaintively. "We are very well-suited to each other!"
Yes. Why would Yvette reject Caius? I watched Yvette carefully, and her eyes widened as she stammered. Even though she stole my clothes, she didn't know what truly went on between us.
"Reject… Oh, Caius, I would never do such a thing to you! Not truly… " Yvette's eyes instinctively darted to me before she tucked her hair behind her ear. "I was… just overwhelmed. Being a Luna is a lot of responsibility, and I panicked. I'm sorry, Caius," she said meekly. "Forgive me?"
"Of course," Caius beamed. "All is forgiven." He leaned down and pulled her into a kiss.
The pack let out hoots and hollers, clapping for their new future Luna. Beta Basil, Yvette's father, was also present. He was beaming with delight, eagerly shaking Alpha Rufus's hand. My father, whom I had never seen smile in my direction, was ecstatic beyond belief.
Suddenly, I felt a sharp, biting pain in my chest, and I found it hard to breathe. My breath came up in short, sharp gasps, and it seemed like no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get enough air into my lungs.
I wheezed, trying to get help, but no one paid me any attention. Their focus was on the celebrating couple who couldn't keep their hands or mouths off each other, and with every tender caress, made me feel as though I'd been struck in the chest with a silver baton.
The last thing I saw was a blurry vision of their embrace. Then my world went black.