Chapter 55

Estelle’s POV

I kept my expression perfectly calm despite the murmurs spreading through the crowd. Hannah’s triumphant smile widened with each passing second.

“See? Even your fake Beta won’t answer,” she said, crossing her arms. “At least my mate picked up the call p>

Janice stepped forward, her cheeks flushed with indignation. “Maybe Caleb is actually busy. He has real Beta duties to take care of, unlike Hannah’s mate, who’s obviously a fake p>

Hannah rolled her eyes dramatically. “Oh, please, Janice. You’re so naive p>

The crowd began to close in around us, their voices rising with each comment.

“Janice is too sweet for her own good,” someone said with a shake of their head.

“Estelle’s been taking advantage of her innocence this whole time,” another person added.

“Poor Janice, always getting fooled by people like that p>

I watched as more heads nodded in agreement. The narrative was shifting exactly where Hannah wanted it to go.

“Look,” a woman in the back called out, “why don’t we just settle this? Estelle should admit she was lying so we can move on with dinner p>

“Yeah, just apologize, and we can forget this whole mess,” someone else agreed.

The pressure in the room was building. Every face turned toward me with expectant looks. They had already made up their minds. In their eyes, I was the liar trying to save face.

Hannah’s smile grew even more satisfied. She had them exactly where she wanted them.

“Come on, Estelle,” she said in a sickeningly sweet tone. “Just admit you made it up. We’re all adults here p>

Before I could respond, Connor suddenly pulled out his phone.

“Wait,” he said loudly, drawing everyone’s attention. “I actually have proof p>

He held up his phone screen, showing his chat conversation with Janice.

“Janice sent me a photo earlier today when she messaged me to tell me Estelle was joining. Look p>

The crowd pressed closer to see the image on his screen. It showed me sitting at a cafe table, clearly visible in the frame. Across from me sat a man with distinctive red hair, though his face was turned away from the camera.

“This is from this afternoon,” Connor continued.

Janice’s eyes lit up. “Oh, I remember this! I took it right before I left the cafe. Connor said he didn’t believe I bumped into Estelle p>

Several people in the crowd began to whisper excitedly.

“That’s definitely Estelle p>

“And look at that red hair p>

“The timing matches what she said p>

Hannah’s confident expression faltered for just a moment before she recovered.

“So what?” she said with a dismissive wave. “You can see Estelle’s face clearly, but the man’s face isn’t visible at all. It could be anyone with red hair pretending to be Caleb Jackson p>

She pointed at the phone screen. “Red hair means nothing. A third of the werewolves in this city probably have red hair p>

Connor’s face reddened with frustration. “This is a legitimate photo! Janice wouldn’t lie about something like this p>

“Wouldn’t she?” Hannah shot back. “She’s been defending Estelle all night. Maybe she’s in on the whole charade p>

The crowd began murmuring again, doubt creeping back into their expressions.

“Hannah has a point p>

“We still can’t see the guy’s face p>

“Could be anyone, really p>

I felt my phone buzzing in my hand. The caller ID made me smirk.

Perfect timing.

I accepted the call immediately and put it on speaker without hesitation.

“Sorry I missed your call, Lu—” Caleb’s familiar voice filled the room.

“Switch on your video,” I interrupted, cutting him off before he could say anything that might identify me as Luna.

“What?” Caleb’s confusion was evident in his voice. “Why do you need video? What’s this about p>

“Just do it,” I said firmly.

The video call connected, and suddenly Caleb’s face appeared on my phone screen. His red hair was gelled neatly, and his blue eyes looked concerned.

I held the phone up so everyone in the room could see him clearly.

The reaction was immediate. Gasps rippled through the crowd as they compared the face on my screen to the photo Connor had shown earlier.

“It’s the same person p>

“That’s definitely the same red hair from the cafe photo p>

“Oh my god, she actually knows him p>

Hannah’s face went completely white. She stared at my phone screen like she’d seen a ghost.

“Estelle,” Caleb’s voice came through the speaker, still sounding puzzled. “What’s going on? Why is everyone staring at me p>

I kept my expression neutral, though internally I was enjoying every second of Hannah’s shock.

“I didn’t realize you found your fated mate, Caleb,” I said clearly, making sure everyone could hear.

The effect was instantaneous. Caleb nearly choked on whatever he’d been drinking. I could hear him coughing and sputtering through the phone.

“What?” he managed between coughs. “Don’t joke with me like that, Lu—” he started to say, then caught himself quickly. “Estelle. You of all people should know I don’t have a fated mate yet p>

The room fell completely silent. Everyone stared at my phone screen, hanging on every word.

“Really?” I asked, smiling. “I have a friend here who claims that she found her fated mate p>

“Uh Caleb trailed off. “Good for her p>

Janice had to slap her hand over her lips to prevent herself from laughing out loud.

My lips twitched in amusement. “She says it’s you p>

Hannah’s mouth opened and closed soundlessly. She looked like she might faint.

“You’ve got to be joking,” Caleb continued, his voice gaining strength. “Come on, Estelle, you of all people should know whether or not I’ve found my fated mate p>