Chapter 71 – Outed

Jane

I’ve only just dropped the pups off at pre school and am on my way to the office when my phone rings. Glancing at the touchscreen display in the car’s center console, I see Linda’s name appear, and promptly accept the call over bluetooth.” Hello?”

“Hey,” She greets me, sounding a bit tense. “Have you seen the news?”

“No.” I sigh, already fearing the worst,“ What is it now?”

“You just got outed.” She explains gently, “In a very public way.”

“What do you mean?” I ask nervously, thinking that it’s beyond depressing my life has reached a point where she could

be talking about half a dozen secrets or lies.

“It’s on the front page of the Gazette.” She replied simply, “Elise Carrington exposed – NightFang’s Luna returns from the grave.” Linda pauses,” apparently someone let it slip that your identity is fake and exposed the truth – including the fact that you faked your death.”

I curse under my breath. This is the last thing I needed. “I was worried standing by Ethan’s side at the funeral might draw too much attention to me.” I groan. “I should have known better.”

“I don’t think it was the funeral.” Linda corrects me, “The way this is written, well, let’s just say it’s not a flattering article. There’s a lot of details here that they couldn’t have gotten from the last few days, or even just looking into your

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life in the Dark Moon pack.”

“Great.” I mutter grumpily, “As if this week wasn’t going badly enough already.”

“Sorry babe. Call me if you need anything.” Linda offers.

“Thanks.”

the chronicle spread out in front of me. My photo is plastered across the front page, right alongside a

years ago Jane Blackwell divorced the Alpha, just over a year after a

been marked by a heart condition and multiple surgeries. However last month La Louve CEO Elise Carrington swept into

– and citizens couldn’t help notice the striking resemblance the entrepreneur bore to our late Luna. Today we can confirm that the two women

and noting my sudden disappearance from public life. It then provides a laundry list of the probable crimes I committed

this, but given all the details of the current investigation included, I suspect the police leaked the

how he’ll respond. He’ll promise to take care of it and tell me not

another layer of complexity to our situation, so I resist the urge to reach

as long as the morning, for when I

At first I stop in the doorway looking like a deer in the headlights as the

correspondents

regain my senses, I fight my way through the crowd, keeping my sunglasses lowered over my eyes, and

in the face.

not until an unfamiliar woman steps up and blocks my path, that I finally stop. “Jane, what do you have to say

means it has the wealthiest citizens and comprises the largest income revenue for my business. If they boycott me, I could lose an inordinate amount of money and risk the

fragrances because they support our politics or enterprises, they wear La louve because it is the height of elegance and prestige. Our competitors cannot come close to matching our exclusive scents,

camera, I continue. “I dare the woman of the NightFang pack to find a fragrance as enigmatic, luxurious and scintillating as our signature, or as nuanced as some of our other lines. Every woman is unique and complex,

which we

you’re saying that CEOs like yourself should have no accountability if

corporations

with my business. They are of a personal nature.” I amend, knowing that while the reporter might have a point and our customers would be well within their rights to boycott, high fashion has a long history of trumping morality.

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agenda.” I

don’t know if my pandering to our wealthy clients’egos or cravings for exclusivity was sufficient to undo the damage this article has done. I can’t stand the thought of losing everything

straight into Ethan’s office, bypassing his assistant even as she races after me, insisting I can’t go in. When I open the doors, I find Ethan seated behind his desk and his Beta, Matthew, sitting across from him. One of the

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