One Night

Chapter 140

Edwin & Audrey

Edwin’s POV

“How does your heart feel now, Edwing”

I started at the sound of that serpentine voice, my body tensing instinctively. I had been watching Audrey leave, her little red cloak swaying in the wind, but apparently I hadn’t been the only one watching.

“What the hell are you doing here, Fiona?”

I turned toward her, where she had apparently been hiding herself in the shadows on the opposite side of the bridge. Fional had always been good at that-lurking. Watching. Like a viper waiting to strike.

She pushed away from the nearby railing, sauntering out of the shadows in a sleek black cat costume, all shiny black latex and winged eyeliner. The realization that she had been watching the whole exchange with Audrey made my skin crawl, but I

hands. maintained my cold expression, my fingers tightening around the mask in my

Fiona approached me, and there was a predatory gleam in her eyes that I knew all too well. She stroked my chest with one finger as she circled me, hips swaying, and I resisted the urge to hit her.

I had never hit a woman, but at that moment, I wanted to make an exception. Just once.

“What’s wrong, dear?” Fiona purred, her voice dripping with false sweetness. “Cat got your tongue?”

I finally let loose a snarl. “How dare you lie about being my fated mate? To her?”

Fiona simply shrugged, utterly unfazed by my anger. “It worked, didn’t it? Drove a little stake into her heart. If she’s smart- and I hazard a guess that she is then she’ll stay true to her word and leave you before it’s too late.”

“*ch,” I growled, turning to storm away.

But Fiona was quick like a cat, and that slender hand of hers pressed into my chest. Too strong for such a slender woman.

“You’re not even going to thank me? When I was kind enough to give you one last chance to end things with the human girl?” She tutted as she examined her nails, which were razor-sharp and all black tonight. “Next time, if there is a next time, 1 won’t be nearly so kind. You should be grateful.”

My blood ran cold at her words. “What are you talking about?”

Her eyes flicked up to mine, a cruel smile playing on her lips. “I told you once that I would ruin her, and yet you continued to see her. Clearly, it’s not her reputation that you’re worried about; so what about her life?”

I felt the color drain from my face. “You wouldn’t dare.”

“Wouldn’t I?” Fiona laughed, the sound like those sharp nails of bers running down a chalkboard. “It would be such a shame. Audrey is such a sweet girl, and so many people love her. She will be missed.” Her voice took on a mocking tone. “Even I’ll admit I’ve developed a sort of soft spot for the girl.”

a step toward her, my voice low and dangerous. “If you touch her-

I took a step

“And let’s not forget how much my dear mother likes her,” Fiona interrupted, clicking her tongue. “She will be utterly heartbroken… Unless, of course, you do one simple thing: end things with Audrey. And then only two hearts will be broken

09:30 Thu, Sep 19

Chapter 140

instead of dozens.

“I’ll kill you before you can-

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“I’d like to see you try, Edwin, darling,” Fiona merely cooed, utterly unfazed-unbothered even as I lunged for her, my fangs dropping. She sidestepped out of the way, clicking her tongue the entire time. I careened past her and fell to one knee, my bones protesting from the impact.

“You’ve grown sl***y,” she said. “You might want to consider picking up some of your training exercises again if you’re going to become my husband”

And with that, she sauntered off, her heels clicking on the wood,

I watched as Fiona disappeared, my teeth clenched so tightly my jaw ached. Only once she was out of sight did I finally rise. knees creaking, with what was left of my dignity.

“She’s right, you know. You haven’t been training.”

“Shut up,” I growled in response to my wolf’s jibe, even though I knew he was right.

If I was going to stop Fiona, if I was going to protect Audrey… If I was going to find the Silver Star and put all of this nonsense to an end… I needed to be stronger.

Audrey’s POV

A week passed after Halloween, the days a blur of classes and assignments, but my mind remained… elsewhere.

No matter how many days passed, I still couldn’t work up the courage to tell Edwin that I planned to refuse his proposal. I didn’t want to, but I knew I had to..

I had meant what I said that night on the bridge-that he would find his fated mate someday, and it couldn’t be me. I couldn’t bear it if we got even closer and then had to break up because he found his mate.

So, I would tell him that I had decided to refuse his proposal. It was a protective measure… for both of us. I loved him, but we couldn’t be together.

I just needed to work up the courage to finally do it.

Friday afternoon finally came, and with it the ache of knowing that I wouldn’t be seeing Edwin tonight. For all I knew, he would be waiting in our secret room, just in case. It would be a good opportunity to talk, to tell him what I had decided.

But I couldn’t meet him there. That place was too… intimate. Too full of the memories and sensations of his skin and lips and teeth against mine. I feared that if I met him there and not in a neutral place, I would crumble and give in and lose my resolve.

I must have been zoning out, because the sudden sound of my phone buzzing on the desk startled me out of my reverie. Shaking my head to clear the fog, I remembered where I was: in the dimly lit library, studying for the upcoming exam next week.

Picking up my phone, I swiped to check the message, and cursed softly. It was from Claudia.

“I hope you’re coming to my party this weekend! I’ll be sad if I can’t see you. Let me know and I can send a car to pick you up!”

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Chapter 140

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My heart clenched. I had almost forgotten about that party, which was tomorrow. I wanted to go, truly-I cared deeply for Claudia, and had even begun to see her as more than an idol and a mentor but also a friend-but the thought terrified me.

Edwin would be there. So would Fiona.

I wasn’t sure if I could bear to see both of them in one place. Especially so soon.

My fingers hovered over the keyboard, a thousand different excuses floating through my mind: I could say I was sick, or that I had a project, or that I had to visit family.

But minutes passed, and I couldn’t bring myself to type out any of those excuses.

“D***mit,” I finally muttered as I typed out a quick response: “I’ll be there. Looking forward to i

I cursed again as I hit send and tossed my phone aside, holding my head in my hands. This was bound to be a disaster. But… maybe the party would give me a chance to tell Edwin about my decision, at least. It would be painful, but it needed to be done. For both our sakes. And it would be in a neutral place, surrounded by other people, where we couldn’t fall victim to our urges.

Yes, that was it

The day of the party arrived all too quickly. I stood in front of my mirror, smoothing down the fabric of the co**ktail dress I had spent all night making myself. It was a deep emerald green silk with an off-the-shoulder neckline. The bodice was fitted, with intricate beadwork I had painstakingly sewn by hand, while the bias-cut skirt flared out slightly, ending just above my ankles.

I had spent hours on my hair and makeup, wanting to look my best even as anxiety churned in my stomach. My long. straight, jet-black hair fell like a curtain down my back, and I had given myself a smokey eye and deep red lips. I had taken extra care to dye my silver streak last night, because my roots were beginning to show.

The sound of a car horn outside made me jump. I grabbed my clutch and hurried outside, telling myself that I was only taking one last look in the mirror to ensure I looked nice for Claudia’s birthday, and not because. Because

Because I wanted to look good for him.

As the car Claudia had sent pulled up to the venue a little while later, I felt my anxiety s**e. The restaurant overlooked the river far below, its large windows glowing with golden light. Men and women in designer clothes were making their way inside, their expensive cars lining the street.

I suddenly felt like a pauper in my homemade dress, despite the hours of work I had put into it. I would be the only human attendee here, I was certain.

For a moment, I almost considered feigning a stomach ache and asking the driver to take me home. I told myself that I felt this way because I was too out of place, too underdressed.

Not because I could see his car parked alongside the building.

“Miss?” the driver asked, meeting my gaze in the rearview mirror “Everything alright?”

I swallowed hard. “Y-Yes. Everything’s fine.”

Do it, Audrey. Do it

Taking a deep breath, I opened the car door and stepped out.