Chapter 223 Everything She Ever Wanted

For several seconds, no one spoke.

Ken had known Skylar for winters. He had seen him angry. He had seen him drunk. He had seen him in trouble. But he had never seen that look on his face before.

His brows drew together as he searched Skylar’s eyes for an answer.

“What happened in Chamber 608?” Ken asked again.

Skylar looked away.

“Nothing that should concern you.”

“Then why does David Grant sound terrified every time it’s mentioned?”

Skylar’s jaw tightened.

“Trust me,” he said quietly. “That’s one thing you don’t want to know.”

Ken’s brows drew together. He clicked his tongue and shook his head, the tension in his shoulders easing just a little.

“Dude,” he said, voice lower now, “whatever it is… keep it to yourself, please. David’s a good man.”

Skylar lifted a brow.

Ken exhaled, glancing away for a moment before looking back.

“I’m not saying that to praise him. Nobody’s perfect. Not even Ashley, no matter how saintly people act like he is.”

Skylar let out a quiet scoff, shaking his head.

“Don’t even go there,” he said. “As far as my father, King Eldric, David, and half the nobles in our kingdom are concerned, Ashley’s still a saint among them.”

Ken gave a small shrug, unbothered.

“I’m not arguing that,” he said. “I’m just saying nobody’s spotless. That’s all.” His gaze sharpened again. “And whatever you’ve got on David… drop it. For my sake.”

Skylar looked at him for a beat, then let out a slow breath through his nose.

“Yeah,” he said at last, pushing off the wall. “For your sake.”

He paused, eyes hardening slightly.

“But if I see Arianna around here again… don’t expect me to play nice.”

Ken didn’t hesitate. He stepped forward, lifting his fist.

Skylar met it halfway.

Their knuckles tapped once—solid, familiar.

“Deal,” Ken said.

Skylar’s mouth curved into a grin as he pulled back.

“Deal, dude.”

Brooklyn lingered in the corner, half in shadow, eyes moving between them without a word.

The tension in her shoulders eased as Ken and Skylar spoke, their voices low but no longer sharp. When the fist bump landed, a quiet breath slipped out of her lips before she even realized she was holding it.

A small smile formed as she looked between them.

At least they’d sorted it out.

And just like that, Arianna’s thorn in her side finally felt like it had been pulled out.

She exhaled slowly, brushing a hand over her face before glancing toward the others.

“It’s 7:30 a.m., guys,” she said, pushing back her chair. “You need to head in and tidy up. Breakfast is already served.”

The chamber stirred.

Her gaze landed on Skylar for a moment longer. She hesitated, then stepped closer.

“Em… Skylar,” she said, voice softening. “Thank you for everything you did last moonfall. You made dinner… memorable.”

The moment lingered

Then she leaned in just a little, her tone lowering.

“But please… I know you never stop talking.” A small, tired smile touched her lips. “Just don’t say anything that’ll push my mate out of the feeding chamber. He’s all I’ve got. When he’s hungry, I feel it. When he’s at peace, I’m at peace.”

Skylar’s grin came easy.

“Trust me,” he said, lifting a hand slightly, “I won’t.”

Breakfast followed like that—easy noise, scattered laughter, Skylar doing most of the talking as usual while plates clinked and chairs scraped softly against the floor. Somehow, he held back just enough, not pushing Ken past his patience.

When it was over, the rhythm of the house shifted again.

Skylar left first.

Ken and Lyn followed soon after, changing and stepping out together for work.

By the time the doors closed behind them, the mansion felt different—quieter, steadier.

Arianna was gone. Just like that, the tension she left behind faded into something easier to breathe in. No questions had come from Ashley. Nothing from Arianna’s father either. It was almost as if no one wanted to admit how she had been sent out in the first place.

Lyn figured they already knew… and chose silence over shame.

Ken, as usual, didn’t dwell on it.

Instead, he pushed her toward something new—Aurelia Model and Talent Agency. She had hesitated at first, standing near the idea like it might move on its own.

But Emma and Elara kept nudging her forward, and Ken didn’t let her step back.

So she went.

Just to see.

The CEO met her in a glass-walled office that overlooked the city, speaking in a calm, practiced tone as he walked her through what the agency offered. The words “live model” sounded simple at first, until he started listing what came with it—campaigns, runway shows, brand deals.

Her attention sharpened when he mentioned the weekly magazine.

“The cover face,” he said, tapping a sample spread on the table. “That spot changes everything.”

She didn’t answer right away. Her eyes stayed on the pages a moment longer than she meant to.

An instructor was assigned to her before she left the building. Warm smile, quick hands, already flipping through schedules and notes as if they had been working together for months. She talked while walking, already treating Lyn like something that was being shaped, not just introduced.

“You’ll come with me tomorrow,” she said, glancing up from her tablet. “We’ll build your portfolio properly. Then we see where the agency places you.”

From that day, everything started moving faster than she expected.

Ken didn’t step away from it. If anything, he stayed close to every detail—helping her pick outfits, checking photos with a quiet nod, adjusting small things she didn’t even notice until he pointed them out. He didn’t say much, but when he did, it usually made her redo something twice just to get it right.

Within a week, her portfolio was up online.

The instructor didn’t stop there. A social media account went live under her name, and the first photos appeared almost immediately—clean shots, natural light, simple poses that somehow made her look like she belonged there already.

Two weeks later, the contract was signed.

Aurelia Model and Fashion Agency now had her name on its list.

Not long after, another door opened.

Enamel Fashion Label reached out through the agency for a live runway selection. The casting wasn’t loud or dramatic—just a chamber, a lineup, and quiet observation from people who barely looked up from their notes.

Lyn stood among the others, hands relaxed at her sides, eyes forward.

When the list was called, her name was on it.

Backstage buzzed with excitement as the models prepared for the show.

Racks of clothes lined the chamber, each outfit carefully arranged by the stylists. Assistants moved from one model to another, making last-minute adjustments while makeup artists and hairstylists put the finishing touches on their work.

Lyn stood before a mirror as a stylist smoothed the fabric over her shoulders.

“You look perfect,” the lady said with a satisfied smile.

Lyn smiled back, though her stomach fluttered with nerves.

This was her first major live show.

She wished Emma could be there.

Emma and Brandon were still in New York enjoying their honeymoon. What was supposed to be a three-week trip had somehow turned into six weeks. The only familiar faces in the audience that day belonged to Ashley, Emily , Nina, Elara and Bernard.

Just before stepping onto the runway, Lyn spotted them in the crowd.

Ashley didn’t wave. He simply smiled, and that was enough to show how proud he was of her.

Elara immediately waved both hands.

Bernard laughed and nudged her.

Emily grinned and blew her a kiss. Beside her, Nina smiled and waved.

The sight eased some of the tension knotting inside her chest.

Then the lights dimmed.

Music thundered through the venue.

A burst of light swept across the runway, followed by a series of dazzling visual effects that drew cheers from the audience.

One after another, the models stepped onto the stage according to the designer’s plan, each showcasing a different piece from the collection.

When Lyn’s turn came, she took a slow breath and stepped forward.

The bright lights hit her immediately.

For a second, she could barely make out the faces beyond them.

Then instinct took over.

She walked.

At the end of the runway, cameras flashed nonstop.

She turned smoothly and made her way back, hearing the applause swell around her.

By the time the show ended, several representatives from different fashion houses had already requested meetings with her agency.

But one offer stood above the rest.

Velour Fashion Label wanted her exclusively.

The company requested her look book before the moonfall was over. Meetings followed, documents were reviewed, and before she fully processed what was happening, she had signed an exclusive contract with a payment package far beyond anything she had imagined when she first walked into Aurelia Fashion Agency.

The surprises didn’t end there.

After the event, Valour Fashion posted one of her runway photographs on its official social media page.

The response was immediate.

Shares climbed into the millions within the first hour.

Comments poured in from around the world.

By the next day, her own social media account had exploded with followers. Her photographs were everywhere. Fashion blogs discussed her runway debut. Entertainment pages reposted her images. Her name began appearing on trending lists alongside Emma’s story, whose remarkable journey continued to captivate people across the globe.

Life had changed so quickly that sometimes Lyn still struggled to believe it.

Yet the moments she treasured most had nothing to do with contracts, followers, or magazine covers.

They were quiet moments at home.

Ken waited for her after a long day.

His hand finding hers without thinking.

The way he looked at her as though she was still the same mate she had always been.

Whenever she paused to look at the life they had built together, gratitude filled her heart.

She thought of where she had started.

She thought of everything she had survived.

Then she looked at the future waiting ahead of her and smiled.

For a she-wolf who once believed happiness belonged to the nobles, she had been given more than she ever dared dream of.

And that was how Brooklyn Ashford got her happily ever after.