Blind No More

Sebastian’s POV

I turned around and froze at the sight before me. Thea stood next to Kane, looking absolutely stunning. Her honey-brown hair fell softly over her shoulders, her silver dress sparkling as it hugged her curves perfectly. I had never seen her look so radiant, so alive.

“Look at her!” my wolf practically cheered, suddenly bursting with energy. “That’s our Luna!”

“Go to her! Now!”

He was nearly clawing beneath my skin, fighting for control of my body. I struggled to subdue his urge while finding myself unable to tear my gaze away from her. She walked forward with Kane beside her, his hand resting lightly on her bare lower back.

As they passed our table, she completely ignored everyone except Iris, whom she smiled at and gave a small wave. Kane guided her to a table not far from ours, pulling out her chair. She gave him a dazzling smile that lit up her entire face, and although it wasn’t directed at me, something in my chest tightened painfully. Then he leaned down and kissed her cheek.

I felt a surge of something possessive rush through me.

“Rip his throat out!” my wolf snarled, clawing at my insides. “Don’t let him touch our Luna!”

I tamped down the feeling, confused by my own reaction. She wasn’t mine anymore. No, she was never really mine. Where were these feelings coming from?

“You’re such a fucking idiot,” my wolf hissed.

“That cop probably only invited her because he wants to climb the ranks through Sterling blood,” Callista’s mocking tone interrupted my thoughts. “Kane’s background check shows he’s from some insignificant northern Pack. As for Thea, a wolfless person normally wouldn’t even be allowed near high-ranking Pack gatherings like this.”

I turned to see Callista and Aurora snickering together. Had I always been blind to the malice in their words? How had I never noticed this before?

“Please,” Iris scoffed with disgust, “we all know you wouldn’t be allowed through those doors if it weren’t for your connection to Sebastian. Same goes for you, Aurora. Despite being from the Sterling family, without Sebastian’s Alpha status, you wouldn’t have received an invitation. So cut the high-and-mighty bullshit and put your fangs away.”

“Iris…” Roman warned quietly.

“No!” Iris’s eyes flashed gold. “Callista’s sitting here trashing Thea because she’s jealous, just like Aurora. Tell me, Callista, what are you besides a liaison? Without Sebastian, you’re less than a third-rank warrior in the Pack. And before Sebastian hired you, you were just an Omega who fucked her way up the ranks.”

She turned to Aurora, “And you! When are you going to grow the fuck up? It’s been seven years, and you’re still bitter and petty as hell. Thea made a mistake, but you all acted like she betrayed the entire Pack. The world doesn’t revolve around you. Instead of focusing all your energy on tearing down your wolfless sister, maybe fix whatever the hell is wrong between you and Sebastian, because from where I’m sitting, your wolves aren’t compatible at all.”

Aurora and Callista gaped at Iris, shocked and furious. Clearly, no one had ever dared challenge them like this before. Aurora’s wolf even hissed a dangerous warning.

“That’s enough, Iris,” Roman cut in, “I won’t allow you to speak to my sister this way. If you can’t respect her, you can leave this table.”

Iris shot Aurora a contemptuous look before turning to Roman, “In case you’ve forgotten, Thea is your blood too, and she deserves the same respect. But I guess in your eyes, a wolfless person isn’t even worth basic Pack protection, is she? Some Alpha you are.” She stood up. “The stench of your self-righteousness makes me sick.”

“Iris…” Roman’s tone dropped dangerously, but she was already turning to leave.

She’d only taken a few steps when a security guard wearing a black earpiece intercepted her. To our surprise, instead of escorting her out, he guided her back into the ballroom, directly to Thea’s table. Thea immediately stood and embraced Iris warmly. They sat down and began chatting, clearly comfortable with each other, like longtime friends.

“See that,” my wolf murmured, a hint of approval in its voice, “our Luna has loyal friends, not fake bitches like the ones surrounding you.”

Seconds later, the same security guard appeared at our table.

“Miss Callista, I need to ask you to leave,” he told Callista, his tone professional.

“What?!” she nearly screeched.

“Please cooperate and exit the premises. I’d rather not enforce this in front of everyone.”

His stance was firm.

“What did I do? I came with Alpha Ashworth!” Fear began to seep into her scent.

“This isn’t my decision, I’m just following orders. Please don’t make a scene.”

Callista was about to argue further when I gave her a sharp look. As Alpha, I couldn’t let her embarrass herself in front of so many Packs. She bit her lip and stood, walking away with every eye in the room following her.

This was a roomful of representatives from every Pack in the state, and seeing a Pack member ejected from a gathering like this was a massive humiliation.

“Interesting,” my wolf suddenly became focused, “there’s something happening here we don’t know about.”

“What the hell just happened?” Damien asked under his breath, glancing around. “We’re clearly missing something.”

We all looked at each other, equally confused about why Callista had been asked to leave while Iris was invited to Thea’s table. I had a feeling tonight was going to be far more complicated than I’d anticipated.

“Good afternoon, everyone,” a voice from the podium interrupted our confusion. A dark-haired woman stood at the microphone, smiling at the audience.

“I’m Fiona, and I’d like to thank you all for coming today. This gala is to honor all the donors who have supported the Dawnhaven Foundation. Before we begin our celebration proper, I’m honored to introduce the founder of the Dawnhaven Foundation…” Her words were cut off by excited murmurs throughout the room.

The identity of the Dawnhaven founder had always been a mystery, even to Roman and me. The foundation had helped countless members of weaker Packs and omegas over the years, funding numerous Pack medical and educational initiatives, but its founder had remained anonymous.

She waited for the buzz to die down before continuing: “I know you’ve all been waiting for this moment, so without further delay, please welcome the founder of the Dawnhaven Foundation…”

She paused dramatically, building the suspense.

“Ms. Thea Sterling.”