Fated: The Alpha's Unwanted Luna

Chapter 284: The bullies

What are they doing here? Viola thought, watching as Ember and Leni walked into the design space with a few she-wolves trailing behind them, Sofia included, moving into an area where shoppers had no business being.

"Call her out for me." Ember said to the workers who tried to tell her she shouldn’t be on this side of the building.

"You can’t meet Miss Zoe without an appointment and—" one of the workers was explaining when Leni stepped forward and slapped her hard across the face that she fell away from their front.

"The audacity of an omega to stop the future Luna. Call out Miss Zoe right now." Leni ordered, trying to act on Ember’s behalf. One would think that everything she had gone through and experienced in the dungeon would have humbled the she-wolf, but she was back to being the arrogant person she had always been, wanting to be on the favorable side of whoever held power.

Viola didn’t have to wonder who had released her before her sentence was over. Ember and Javier were already messing up Sebastian’s rules and orders even before they were officially crowned.

Viola watched without moving from where she stood, as none of the she-wolves had noticed her yet.

As if hearing the commotion, Zoe walked out of the adjoining sewing hall.

"What is going on here?" Zoe asked, looking at the two she-wolves in her working space. "You are not supposed to be in here."

"Says who?" Leni scoffed with a glare. "Don’t you know who she is?"

Ember raised her hand for Leni to let her speak and stepped forward with a smiling face to meet Zoe.

"Good morning, Miss Zoe. I saw the signs outside that said workers only, but I don’t believe that applies to me, does it?" Ember said, her lips curling into a smile, because as far as she was concerned the future Luna had the right to go wherever she pleased.

"Why would you think it doesn’t apply to you, Miss Ember? It applies to everyone, unless you are here looking for employment as a designer." Zoe said, rolling her eyes at the entitlement radiating off the she-wolf.

Ember’s smile faltered. "I know you are bitter because it’s unfortunate that you and I didn’t get to be sisters-in-law, Zoe. But don’t let that affect us, we are still somehow relatives now."

Zoe stared at her with the flattest expression she could manage. Just how delusional was this woman? She hadn’t even wanted Laila as a sister-in-law, why on earth would she want another entitled she-wolf she had never personally met before?

"What do you want?" Zoe asked, because she didn’t have all day to stand here and let them waste her time.

"I wanted to honor you with my presence." Ember said smoothly. "I came personally to have you design my wedding dress. I have always wanted to wear one of your limited edition pieces. Something like the one you made for the other Luna..." Ember’s voice trailed off as her eyes landed on Viola standing behind Zoe. Her brows arched and her gaze moved slowly over the former Luna’s casual outfit before a smirk settled on her face.

"Well, well. What is she doing here?" Ember asked. "Did you take her on to work for you now that her husband is dead? How generous of you, looking after a widow." She said, placing her hand on Zoe’s shoulder, but Zoe stepped back and brushed it away.

"I want you two to leave my space. There are no available ceremony dresses and I am not currently making." Zoe said calmly, not wanting to tolerate any disrespect towards her friend and her supposed dead brother.

Ember’s smile slowly fell away completely. "What do you mean you are not making? I have three days to my ceremony, that should be enough for you to design one for me."

Zoe sighed. "I don’t want to spell it out to you, but it seems you want it spelled out. I don’t want to design your dress, find another designer, Miss Ember, my hands are full."

That made Ember’s expression turn sour. What was this weak she-wolf talking about? Ember thought. She was trying to be nice to her and pull her closer, since she planned to make every member of the Kade family like and support her as much as possible, but instead, Zoe seemed determined to oppose her and get under her skin, even though she no longer held the power she once had when her brother was alive.

"You really are what I heard you are, the spoiled sister, but are you forgetting that your brother is no more and I have the power to shut you down alongside your business?"

Viola, who had wanted to stay out of these people’s business and let Zoe handle and send them away if possible, couldn’t stand and let them bully her girl. She put the fabric down and stepped forward to the scene. "Zoe has given her words, you should respect her decision, she’s not making dresses."

Ember and Leni’s faces turned to Viola at the same time.

Leni, who had spent many days in a dungeon getting whipped and tortured, was the first to react to Viola’s interference. Every bit of the anger and bitterness of being locked away for what she considered such a small thing; trying to save her pack and her mate by seducing the Alpha the way this woman had, came rushing to the surface at once.

Leni’s lips pressed together in displeasure. Because of this woman and the supreme Alpha, Evan no longer trusted her the way he once had. He looked at her now with a disgust she was working every day to undo, sticking close to the new Luna and doing whatever it took to gain benefits for Moonwillow pack.

Leni stepped forward with a furrowed brow. "Oh, I didn’t even notice you were here, your presence is that insignificant now, Viola. What a shame, you get the power to rule the biggest pack in the world and then come plummeting back down to where you belong." Leni mocked, deeply satisfied to find herself above this nobody again. "And if you know what is best for you, don’t interfere in matters above your station and get back to your work right now."

Viola’s expression remained blank as her eyes stayed on Leni. "I should be saying the same to you. I advise you both to leave this place, or—" before she could finish, Leni raised her hand intending to slap her, but Zoe caught it before Viola even had the chance to react and stop the offending hand.

"You don’t have that right in here. I want both of you out of my building right now before I call my guards!" Zoe, who was rarely angered, gritted out, her fingers tightening around Leni’s wrist.

Leni’s brows rose, and she let out a slow chuckle at Zoe’s audacity to threaten them with guards when Ember practically controlled things now with Javier backing her. The guards had tried to stop them from coming in earlier, but Ember had simply called Javier, and within moments, orders had been given to let them in.

It seemed the past Alpha’s bratty little sister needed a harsh lesson and a little strengthening up before she would agree to design their dresses.

Leni glanced back at Ember, who made no move to stop her and instead gave a small nod that silently told her to go ahead and do whatever was necessary to make the she-wolf design their dresses.

"Just don’t break her hands so she can still use them to work for me," Ember said slowly to Leni, her voice low enough for only her to hear.

"What a pity, Zoe." Leni smiled coldly. "You’re the Alpha’s sister, and yet your wolf is so weak I can barely feel it, and you think you can hold my hand? Let me teach you a little lesson then."

She jerked her hand free from Zoe’s grip and used her wolf strength to shove her backward hard enough to send Zoe stumbling across the room with enough force to leave injuries if she landed badly.