Eden grace
Eden felt it before she heard it, the quiet sense of someone trailing her steps. Her pace quickened, breath tightening as she slipped into her room and shut the door behind her.
It flew open the next second.
Freya walked in without pause, her eyes already locked on Eden.
Freya Heyes!?
Startled, Eden stepped back until her hip hit the drawer. Her hand moved instantly, fingers closing around something inside it, gripping tight as she faced Freya.
"Long time no see, Eden Grace." Freya sneered, walking inside.
Eden let out a sharp, humorless breath, "No knock, no shame… you really don't believe in boundaries, do you?"
Freya's lips curved, slow and unapologetic, "Boundaries? Why should I bother with those when it comes to you? You've never really had anything worth respecting… and whatever you do have…" she paused, smile sharpening, "it never stays yours for long, does it?"
Eden laughed out, "You say things like that as if you've ever actually been chosen first. Walking into spaces that aren't yours and taking things that were never meant for you in the first place. Tell me, Freya… is that instinct, or did you have to work really hard to get this comfortable being a second choice everywhere?"
Freya's smirk faltered, anger boiling inside her. "You…How dare you! A mere wolfless girl like you, you think you can speak to me like that!"
Her gaze turned sharp, almost vicious.
"Also I was the first one who loved Jake, who should have been mine first! You are just lucky someone even looked at you, so don't get bold now. At the end of the day… you're still that same orphan girl with nothing to her name!"
Eden just watched her expression flat, almost distant. "Are you done?"
"You…" Freya snapped, breath sharp with fury. "Stay away from Jake. If you think he is going to come running back to you after whatever little scene you just tried to pull…then you're delusional!"
Her lips curved, cruel and confident. "He chose me, in front of everyone, remember that. You're just the mistake he learned from. So don't embarrass yourself trying to reclaim something that isn't yours anymore. You lost him once. You'll lose him again. And he'll keep choosing me again!"
Eden gaze lifted, steady and unbothered. "You keep saying he chose you. It's funny how hard you have to repeat that… like you're trying to convince yourself. What are you afraid of Miss Freya?"
"If you are that insecure instead of barking at me, maybe you should put a leash on your fiancé… make sure he doesn't wander, don't you think?"
"You…! How dare you! You're asking for death!" Freya sneered, her breath turning uneven as something wild flickered in her eyes, her wolf rising too close to the surface.
"Try to shift and see what happens." Eden warned her. "Don't forget… I'm Cassian's wife. The future Alpha heir of Blackthorn pack. You won't walk away untouched."
Freya's jaw tightened. "You…do you really think you're something? Go, run somewhere far away and settle while I'm being nice or else I'll make hell for you."
Eden smirked, unbothered. "Why should I? I'm having a perfectly good time right here. You should worry more about your own shitty life than mine."
"Why you…!" Freya lunged forward trying to shove Eden off balance but Eden was quick in reflex.
Freya stumbled forward and a sharp crack cut through the room.
Both froze.
"Hey, you broke something!" Eden's eyes widened.
Freya panicled, her claws trembling slightly. "It wasn't me… it was you!"
"What's that sound!? What happened? I heard a glass shattering sound!" Aunt Linda and Clarisse walked in. Even Grandma too.
Freya panicked and rushed forward. "Aunt Linda… I was here just to talk, but Eden got angry, started cursing and she… threw the glass!"
Eden's eyes widened in disbelief. "Why are you lying? It was you who attacked and broke the glass."
Clarisse bent down, examining the shards. "Wait… isn't that the precious Lunar Tear Amulet that is worth millions… what is this doing here?"
Aunt Linda gasped. "Lunar Tear Amulet? Isn't that Cassian's… his late mother gave it to him?"
Freya and Eden's faces went ashen, the weight of the revelation hitting them both at once.
What..!?
To add the timing, Cassian just stepped in, eyes widening as they landed on the shattered amulet.
His jaw tightened, shock flashing across his face.
Behind him, Laura, Cassian's blood sister followed, her steps faltering as she took in the scene.
"No… this can't be. Not the amulet!" She sank to her knees, hands trembling over the shattered pieces.
Her tears fell freely, dripping onto the fragments on the floor. "It was mother's precious memories!"
Freya blurted out, "It's her! She is the one. I just wanted to talk but in anger she threw the glass in anger."
Eden's eyes widened. "It wasn't me… it was—"
"Shut up!" Clarisse cut her off sharply, voice cold and accusing. "Don't even try to lie, Eden! Everyone knows you don't like Freya because Jake chose her. You just wanted to throw your frustrations on her!"
All eyes turned to Eden, suspicion and disbelief hanging heavy in the room.
Cassian's gaze stayed locked on the shattered amulet, his sister Laura sobbing over the pieces.
Eden's eyes darted to Clarisse. "Aunt… you really think I broke it? Why aren't you doubting Freya?"
Freya's voice trembled with faux hurt. "Because you're the one lying. You still love Jake, and you couldn't tolerate when we fought, so you threw something at me…only to realise it was something precious."
"What…! She's still infatuated with her ex?"
Low whispers spread through the room, sharp and full of judgment.
Cassian's jaw tightened as Jake's name hit like a blade.
Cassian's eyes snapped to Eden. "Was it really you who broke it?"
The question hung in the air, sharp and heavy, as every gaze bore down on her.
Eden opened her mouth to speak but Freya interrupted her, "Yes, she's the one! We had a verbal argument and she… she lost control! She tried to grab everything she could and shattered the amulet."
Clarisse's lips curled with triumph. "Do you hear that, everyone? She destroyed what none of us could ever forgive. She didn't just break glass. She shattered history, legacy… a piece of Cassian's family itself."
Aunt Linda sneered, "Only someone reckless or cruel would touch it. Only an outsider like you."
Freya smirked internally. Now what will you do Eden? Can you still hide under Cassian's name?
Wait until he throws you out of the house!
Eden's eyes met Cassian, wide with nervousness. "Cassian… listen to me."
He stared back, dark and lethal, the room trembling with the weight of his presence.
His gaze darkened, sharp and dangerous. "Everyone out…I want to be alone with Eden."
A hush fell. Whispers died in their throats, and even the air seemed to hold its breath.
Grandma sensing the atmosphere stepped forward, voice shaking. "Cassian dear… please, think—"
He turned to her, gaze sharp enough to cut steel, every inch of him lethal. "Now. Everyone out."
The room fell deathly silent at the authority of the Alpha.
Clarisse swallowed hard. "Let's go," she said, her voice barely above a whisper, steering the others toward the door. But a smile tugged at her lips. She was secretly happy.
The door clicked shut behind the last of the onlookers.
The room held its breath. As Eden was alone with Cassian now.