Revenge served in a black dress (Nora and Jace) novel Chapter 83

Jace

He’d turned to find Nora right there behind him, when John told him she was there, interrupting his

mind–link conversation about Gloria being on the move to the packhouse, she was all dressed up,

and he’d been about to have her stopped from arriving because Nora wasn’t here yet, and he didn’t

want Gloria ruining the event.

When he turned and saw her standing there wearing that black dress, he frowned instantly at the

sight of it. That was not the dress that she was supposed to be wearing, and there was no Luna Jewelry on her either. Just a black lace choker and a pair of white gold chandelier earrings, he

didn’t understand why she was dressed like that.

It was also going to see the speech he’d written and revised a dozen times be redundant, because he had been going to equate her to that necklace, to a phoenix, and now without the jewelry he couldn’t connect the two things for his pack and allied to see that. He was confused right at that

very minute as to what was going on.

He knew the minute he’d said the words ‘what’s going on, why are you here?‘ he was in the wrong,

but he’d not called her down and had told her he would do that, and they’d had kind of just came out of him before he could stop them, and now he couldn’t take them back.

Those murmurs out there in the crowd told him, they now all believed this was going to be a Luna Ceremony for Gloria and not Nora, because that was what this pack was still expecting to happen, it seemed, regardless of him trying to right his wrongs.

Even asking her to talk privately, so they could discuss what exactly was going on, without everyone here making assumptions didn’t go down well. She rolled that right into that he didn’t want her there at the Luna Ceremony, as if everything here was for Gloria and not herself. She looked pained and everyone here could see that she actually believed he’d done all of this; not for

her but for Gloria.

But then to hear her voice, he’d never given her anything. That shocked him completely, and now the room was quiet waiting for his response, he supposed, and when he stood there and didn’t say anything, because he didn’t know what to say, she turned and walked away from him as though she was just going to go back to her room and that was it.

He heard more whispers in the room. “How embarrassing for her.”

“It must be horrible to be so humiliated like this by her own Mate.”

He had to stop her from leaving so that they all knew this was about her. But those very words annoyed him at the same time. He’d never given her anything? She wouldn’t bloody accept anything from him more like it. He’d also bought her a beautiful dress and jewelry worth near on a

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million dollars to show her how much he would cherish and love her. That he wanted to give her everything she desired. And before he knew it, he was chastising her about what she was wearing.

It was a full insult and even Matt shot down the mind–link ‘Don’t treat her like that.‘ but his temper was already on the surface, and he wanted everyone to know he had bought her things, and told the room that and turned those words of hers back on her, called her petty for wanting everyone in

here to see him be humiliated by her.

He tried to counter her words even though he knew that he was screwing everything up right now, because he wanted everyone to know that he was giving her things, when he should have just

smiled at her and told her she looked lovely, which she actually did, beautiful in that black dress. It

was gorgeous on her and suited her.

He should have been happy she was standing right there next to him, but no, he just had to go and try and save face in front of all his allies, starting an argument with her on the day that should have been to celebrate her being gifted to him. Everything was falling apart before his eyes.

The pack whispered about her not having a car, like he’d said he’d given her one. He heard one kind

of snicker “Gloria’s got a beautiful Luna’s car, and she drives a bomb.”

Her former Alpha, Clayton, added his two cents, adding more fuel, calling him disrespectful and then stated he was the one still paying for Nora’s education, that Jace had never taken it over and a part of Jace wanted to just punch that Alpha, when he demanded to know what was going on. He could only snarl at him to stay out of it.

This was between him and Nora and everyone else needed to keep their mouths shut. He reiterated exactly what he’d bought for her, telling everyone he’d purchased her a champagne and lace dress and jewelry from Tiffany’s, only to have her turn and look at the orchestra, and they struck to life a dark sound that sent warning bells at him. The second sound whipped his head around to them as it sent a chill through him. Everything suddenly felt ominous to him.

Then she spoke words that confused him. “I guess Jace, your Luna is wearing that Luna Gown that you purchased, along with any jewelry you bought. It’s all likely tailored to the woman you love.

The music became soft yet dramatic and was making its way to a crescendo. He was about to stop it because he didn’t like the feeling he was getting, that she was going to do something he wasn’t going to like and this was the build up to it, he realized. She stopped him from stopping the orchestra with words that had him stilling himself, because if he demanded it stopped.

She would be seen as right, that he didn’t want her to have the music she wanted at her own Luna Ceremony and Luna Ceremonies were to be tailored to all the things the Luna liked. It was the Alpha’s way of showing he truly knew them and wanted to give them everything they desired.

She challenged him again about who the Luna was going to be, claimed for all to hear she was just

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his mate, then asked where the Luna was, as the music rose and hit the height of another more. poignant crescendo and, as if on cue, the ballroom doors opened with a whoosh and there was Gloria standing atop the stairs for all to see wearing Nora’s Luna dress and the phoenix jewelry set he’d purchased; just for Nora.

The music was still playing in the background and as he stood there looking at what should never have happened, he felt Matt connect to him, ‘This is not good, Jace. Everything feels off to me. I

think Nora set this up.‘

‘Why?‘ he asked his Gamma.

‘To hurt you back, I dare say‘

He saw Gloria’s smile falter as she even realized something was off in this room as her eyes

moved from the crowd to him and then to Nora herself.

“I see Jace, as always. Gloria gets the Luna dress and the Luna jewelry you purchased for the Luna

Ceremony,” Nora stated, and he turned to look at her.

“That is not true.” He told her, he had given them to her, told her they were hers, and he had not

given them to Gloria, but it was the way she always stated ‘The Luna‘ not ‘My Luna‘ that made him

think about his own words. He’d stated that himself right here in front of everyone, not used Your

Luna, but The Luna. Which had been his mistake because that now made it look like she wasn’t the

Luna yet again.

It angered him, that she would ask him if he’d given them to Gloria. She knew bloody well he’d not.

He’d even mind–linked to her about them not being in his room. She’d told him her Luna dress was

in her room.

Matt was right. She’d set this up to either humiliate him or Gloria in front of all his allies and the pack. He was still trying to figure it out. Could it be both of them she was targeting? He hoped not.

She was his Mate and shouldn’t ever want to see him humiliated.

He’d told her the shift of power would come with the Luna Ceremony and that she could punish

Gloria as well. The music changed from ominous to what appeared to be a happier note, only to

have him realize as he stood listening to her speak, that it was not at all what it was. That music

that was played by his orchestra symbolized someone’s downfall, Matt was right. She’d set all of this up, gone to the musicians and told them to play this, told them to look for her cue as to when

to start. She’d likely even had Gloria step into this room wearing her things at the perfect moment.

She told the room her Luna Dress was the one that she was wearing, that she’d bought it herself as

a back–up dress in case he’d lied to her and tailored everything to Gloria, and all just to humiliate

him. Everything he’d done over the past month she was seeing as it was still all for Gloria.

He could only challenge her back, because he was damned certain she’d set it all up, given that dress and jewelry to Gloria to call him out for not getting rid of the she–wolf the minute Nora had

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been claimed by him. She was not just trying to humiliate Gloria. He realized she was out to humiliate him, and on purpose, to have everyone here look down on him. But he could tell them she’d set this up herself.

Only to have her turn it on him and mutter, “Oh…, so you blame me, for Gloria taking something that was supposed to be mine.” That roll of her eyes he’d seen that before, but the next words “What a shocker, yet again Jace, you take her side.” He knew he’d fallen right into her trap; she’d warned him, told him if he so much as defended Gloria even once or tried to stop her from punishing her,

she’d rejected him and leave.

‘She’s testing you and your loyalty.‘ Mark shot down the mind–link at him.

You just defended Gloria.‘ Matt huffed and cut the link.

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