The Fake Luna: Marked By The Alpha King

Ethan’s POV

My Audi came to a stop in the underground parking garage of Belmont Square, one of the city’s most exclusive shopping districts.

The engine’s hum faded, leaving only the sound of Clara’s quiet sniffling from the passenger seat.

She’d been crying on and off for the past two days, and honestly, I couldn’t blame her.

First, my father had humiliated her in front of the entire board—calling her incompetent, a liability, everything short of physically throwing her out of Silver Creek Pack’s headquarters.

Then Sophie had twisted the knife deeper yesterday, making snide comments about how Clara "wasn’t fit to stand in Aria’s shadow."

I’d avoided seeing Clara for two full days after that disaster. Partly because I’d been scrambling to contain the fallout, but mostly because I knew I’d failed her. Again.

"Come on, sweetheart," I said softly, reaching over to brush away the tears streaking down her cheeks.

"Don’t cry anymore. I told you I’d make it up to you, didn’t I? Today, you can pick out anything you want. Whatever catches your eye. We just need to get through this rough patch, and then everything will go back to normal. I promise."

It was a hollow promise, and we both knew it. But what else could I say?

Shopping was the only way I knew how to soothe Clara’s wounded pride. Money could fix a lot of things. Or at least, it could distract from them.

Clara turned her head away from me, staring out the tinted window with her arms crossed tightly over her chest.

She hadn’t wanted to come out today. I’d practically dragged her here, insisting she needed fresh air, a change of scenery.

"Then promise me something," Clara said finally, her voice trembling but sharp. "Promise me you won’t let Aria come back to the company. Promise me you won’t give her half the shares."

Her amber eyes locked onto mine, fierce and desperate.

I forced myself to hold her gaze. "Okay. I promise."

The lie tasted bitter on my tongue.

Because the truth was, Aria coming back wasn’t just likely—it was inevitable. My father had made that crystal clear.

After the Blackstone deal fell through, he’d given me an ultimatum: get Aria back, or lose everything. The company, my position as Alpha, all of it.

To meet the fifty percent shareholding requirement, I’d already transferred my mother’s shares and Sophie’s shares to Aria’s name. Behind their backs. Without their permission.

I’d forged their signatures on the documents two days ago, and today was the deadline. After I finished here with Clara, I was supposed to meet Aria and finalize the transfer.

But Clara didn’t need to know that. Not yet.

Right now, this was our time. I could deal with the fallout later.

I squeezed Clara’s hand and managed a smile. "Come on. Let’s go make you feel better."

---

We spent the next hour moving through the luxury boutiques like a whirlwind. Clara’s mood brightened with every shopping bag we accumulated.

Handbags, shoes, a cashmere coat, silk scarves—she picked through the racks with the precision of someone who knew exactly what she wanted.

By the time we reached the jewelry section, we’d already spent over a hundred thousand dollars.

I didn’t care. Watching Clara’s face light up as she tried on a diamond bracelet made it worth it.

"Ethan, look at this one," she breathed, holding up her wrist so the stones caught the light. The bracelet was delicate, glittering, exactly the kind of thing Clara loved. "It’s beautiful."

"It’s perfect on you," I said, and I meant it. I wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her close. "You deserve it."

Clara leaned into me, resting her head against my shoulder. "Thank you. I know this has been hard on you too. I just... I hate feeling like I’m not enough."

"You are enough," I murmured into her hair. "You’re more than enough."

The words came automatically, but even as I said them, my mind wandered.

I thought about the last time I’d taken Aria shopping. Years ago, back when we were still pretending to be a normal couple.

I’d told her to pick out whatever she wanted, anything at all, and she’d walked out with a single pair of earrings that cost less than two hundred dollars.

"We should save the money for the company," she’d said, smiling that small, selfless smile that used to make me feel like a king.

"You’re building something important, Ethan. I don’t need expensive things."

Aria never asked for anything. Never spent my money. Everything she owned, she’d bought herself—with the salary she earned working herself half to death for Silver Creek Pack.

God, why was I thinking about her now?

I shook my head, forcing myself to focus on Clara. Clara, who actually appreciated the things I gave her. Clara, who looked at me like I was her whole world.

"Oh! Ethan, look!" Clara’s voice pulled me back to the present. She was pointing excitedly toward a store across the hall.

The sign above the entrance read **Beaumont & Co.**, a name that made my wolf go still.

Beaumont & Co. was one of the most exclusive jewelry brands in the world. European royalty shopped there. The cheapest item in their catalog was probably worth six figures.

"Let’s go look," Clara said, already tugging me toward the entrance.

I hesitated for half a second, mentally tallying up how much we’d already spent today. But Clara’s eyes were shining, her earlier tears forgotten, and I didn’t have the heart to say no.

"Alright," I said. "Let’s go."

The moment we stepped through the doors of Beaumont & Co., I saw her.

Aria.

She was standing at the counter near the back of the store, her profile illuminated by the soft overhead lights.

She wore a tailored black dress that hugged her figure in a way I didn’t remember her clothes ever doing before. Her hair was pulled back in a sleek ponytail, and she was holding a small branded shopping bag in one hand.

She looked... different. Polished. Expensive. Like she belonged here.

For a moment, I couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe.

Then her head turned, and our eyes met.

Time stopped.

Clara’s hand was still linked with mine. I could feel her pulse through her palm, steady and warm.

But all I could see was Aria, standing there with that unreadable expression on her face, and I did the only thing my panicked brain could think of.

I dropped Clara’s hand like it had burned me.

"Aria," I said, my voice coming out rougher than I intended. I took a step toward her, my heart hammering. "What are you doing here?"