Chapter 5: The Dinner Party.

SOPHIE'S POV.

I slipped into the dress Ethan had left for me and studied my reflection in the mirror.

It fit perfectly. Of course it did. Ethan had always known my measurements, the colors that suited me, and the little details that made me feel beautiful. Back when things between us were good, he used to pick out dresses for me before special occasions, sometimes leaving them on my bed with a note.

Those memories used to make me smile but tonight, they only made my chest ache.

I finished my makeup, blending dark eyeshadow around my eyes and adding red lipstick to match the dress. Silver heels completed the look, along with a matching clutch. For a moment, I almost didn't recognize the woman staring back at me.

I looked elegant. Confident, even.

For years, dressing up for Ethan's rare dinners and cocktail parties had been my escape. In those moments, I could almost forget I was an orphan. Forget I was the wolfless omega everyone in Crescent looked down on. I could pretend I was someone who belonged in a room full of important people.

I had been looking forward to tonight for that very reason.

Then Ethan came rushing down the stairs, pulling his grey suit over his shoulders. One look at his face told me something had changed.

"Sophie, I'm sorry." He stopped in front of me, breathing hard. "There's been a change of plans."

I glanced toward the driveway as a car pulled up outside.

"What happened?"

"Vanessa is coming with us." He rubbed a hand over his hair. "She found out about the dinner, and I couldn't exactly tell her I was attending with you." I stared at him.

There was a time when his excuses would've hurt enough to ruin my entire evening. I'd have asked why he couldn't tell her the truth, why I always had to be the secret, why being with me was something he needed to hide.

But I was tired of asking questions I already knew the answers to.

"Fine," I said.

He looked surprised by my lack of protest.

"I know this isn't ideal," He continued. "I was looking forward to spending the evening with you, too."

I almost laughed.

Ethan had a remarkable talent for disappointing me and then expecting a few kind words to make everything right again. Tonight, however, I had another reason to go.

Lucian Storm would be there.

After the accident, he had been the one to come to my rescue. He'd visited me in the hospital, made sure I received proper treatment, and offered me a choice instead of treating me like an inconvenience. I still didn't understand why a man like him would want to marry me, but I couldn't deny that I wanted to see him again.

The doorbell rang.

Ethan's expression changed immediately. He stepped closer and lowered his voice.

"Please, Sophie. Be on your best behavior tonight. Vanessa doesn't know about us and she can't suspect anything." He said.

There it was. Not a concern for my feelings. Not an apology for asking me to play along with his lies.

Just another reminder that I had to keep quiet.

"I'm sorry," He added, pressing a quick kiss to my cheek.

I turned my face slightly, but he was already moving toward the door.

For one brief moment, I considered taking off the dress and staying home. I could tell him to go without me. Let him spend the entire evening pretending he had nothing to hide.

Instead, I straightened my shoulders and followed him.

If I was going to start a new life, I needed to stop letting Ethan decide how I spent the last days of the old one.

Vanessa swept into the house wearing an emerald green gown that hugged her figure. Diamonds glittered at her ears, and a strand of pearls rested against her collarbone. She had the kind of beauty that made people turn their heads when she entered a room.

She'd always known it, too.

"Sophie!" She exclaimed, her smile wide enough to look convincing. "It's so lovely to see you again."

Before I could respond, she pulled me into a hug. Her fingers pressed against the back of my head, and I fought the urge to step away.

Had she forgotten how she and Chloe used to humiliate me at school? How Adrian would join in whenever they decided to make my life miserable?

Or was this performance just for Ethan?

She released me and immediately turned to Ethan, slipping her arms around his waist.

"We should get going, darling. I don't want us to be late."

Then she held out her car keys to me.

"I told my driver he could take the night off since Sophie is here. She's your assistant, after all."

My stomach tightened.

I glanced at Ethan, waiting for him to remind Vanessa that I was injured. That I had just recently left the hospital. That, perhaps, I deserved to attend a dinner as a guest rather than spend the evening driving them around.

I thought for one second that he might actually defend me but instead he nodded.

"You're right," He said. "Sophie will drive us."

Vanessa handed me the keys and her coat and I pushed a hard lump down her throat before reaching for it.

Something inside me quietly gave way. Not because I didn't expect this from Ethan, but because some foolish part of me still hoped he might surprise me.

I followed them outside.

The drive to the hotel was short, but it felt considerably longer with Vanessa chatting happily in the passenger seat while Ethan occasionally reached over to hold her hand. They behaved as though I weren't there, which was probably easier for them than acknowledging the woman sitting behind the wheel.

By the time we arrived, my jaw ached from clenching it.

The hotel was enormous, its glass exterior glowing beneath the evening lights. The moment we stepped inside, I recognized the name displayed in polished silver letters across the lobby wall.

STORM HOTELS.

Lucian's business empire extended far beyond his royal status. Everyone knew he had more money than most Alphas could dream of, and his influence reached across pack territories.

Crescent and Shadowridge might occupy opposite sides of the forest, but the road connecting them meant our lives often crossed. We attended some of the same schools, worked in the same establishments, and did business with one another.

That was how Ethan and Lucian became friends in the first place.

Best friends, once.

I wondered what had happened between them. The tension I'd noticed during their recent encounters suggested their friendship had fractured long before I knew it.

If things were so strained, why did Ethan accept the invitation?

I didn't have time to dwell on it. An attendant led us to the elevator, which carried us to the rooftop where the dinner was being held.

The doors opened onto a breathtaking space filled with soft music, glittering lights, and elegantly dressed guests. Waiters moved between small groups with trays of drinks, while the city stretched beyond the glass railings.

And then I saw him.

Lucian stood near the far end of the room, dressed in a black suit that made his broad shoulders look even more imposing. He was speaking to a man beside him, but the moment the elevator doors opened, his gaze shifted toward us.

Toward me.

I was standing slightly behind Ethan and Vanessa, almost hidden between them. Yet Lucian found me immediately.

His expression didn't change much, but something in his eyes made my pulse quicken.

Ethan strode forward and extended his hand.

"Lucian. It's been a while, brother."

Lucian shook it.

"That it has."

Their smiles were polite, but there was an unmistakable stiffness between them. Whatever history they shared, neither seemed particularly interested in pretending everything was fine.

"Good to see you again." Lucien turned to Vanessa.

"Likewise," She replied brightly. "Congratulations on another successful venture. This hotel is absolutely gorgeous."

"Thank you."

He might have said more, but his attention had already shifted to me. He approached, and I suddenly became acutely aware of my dress, my makeup, and the fact that I'd spent the entire evening pretending I wasn't looking forward to seeing him.

"Sophie Bennett," He said.

Hearing my name in his deep voice sent a strange warmth through me and before I could answer, he took my hand. His fingers were warm as he lifted it and pressed a kiss against my knuckles.

Right there in front of Ethan.

"Glad to see you're recovering."

"Thank you," I whispered. "I'm feeling much better."

His gaze lingered on my face, and for a moment, the noise of the party seemed to fade around us.

"You look beautiful tonight."

Heat crept into my cheeks.

"Thank you, Lucian." He held my hand a second longer before releasing it. "I'll see you around, Sophie."

It sounded less like a casual remark and more like a promise.

I watched him walk away, trying to convince myself that the flutter in my chest meant nothing.

Then I glanced at Ethan.

His jaw was clenched so tightly that a muscle twitched near his cheek. One hand had curled into a fist at his side.

Jealousy.

I recognized it because I'd seen it before, whenever another man paid me too much attention or made me laugh in Ethan's presence.

But this time, I couldn't understand it.

He had rejected me now and he had chosen Vanessa. He'd made it perfectly clear that I wasn't someone he wanted to claim, so why did he look as though Lucian had just taken something from him?

Ethan's gaze followed Lucian across the room before he abruptly turned away.

"I'm getting a drink," He muttered.

Vanessa watched him go, her smile slowly fading. Then her eyes shifted to me.

I knew that look.

She had noticed something and judging by the way she studied my face, she wasn't going to let it go.

I tightened my grip around my clutch and forced myself to breathe.

Something told me this dinner was about to become a lot more complicated than I expected.