Alpha's Regret: Marked By The Lycan King

Estelle’s POV

I set the jewelry display case back down and turned to face them fully. Asher looked uncomfortable, shifting the weight of multiple shopping bags between his arms. Hazel remained slightly behind him, but I could feel her eyes on me even through those ridiculous sunglasses.

Asher quickly shook Hazel’s hand off, clearing his throat before stepping away from her. Behind him, the look of hurt flashed across Hazel’s face, but she corrected her expression fairly quickly.

“What are you doing here?” Asher asked, walking toward me quickly.

I raised an eyebrow at his tone. “The same reason you are, I assume. Shopping.”

My gaze moved deliberately to Hazel, then back to him. “I’m sure you can understand, considering you’re both here as well. In a shopping mall in neutral territory, so far from Moonveil.”

Asher’s jaw tightened slightly.

I continued, letting my eyes drift to the numerous shopping bags he carried. “Did all the malls in Moonveil close down while I was gone? Or are the neutral territories closer to home not good enough for your shopping needs anymore?”

The bags were from expensive stores throughout the mall. Whatever they had been buying, it wasn’t cheap.

Asher subconsciously tried to shift the bags behind him, but there were too many to hide effectively.

“There’s only one mall in Moonveil anyway. You should know that they barely have anything good for formal events.” Hazel stepped forward, removing her sunglasses with a flourish. Her smile was sharp and fake. “Speaking of which, I’m so happy to see that your new lover has been treating you well. Especially to give you enough money to shop in places like this.”

I studied her carefully. Hazel seemed very smug, as though she already knew I was romantically linked to someone else. However, given her confidence and audacity, it didn’t seem like she knew the person was none other than the Lycan King himself.

If Hazel knew about Zayne, she would’ve also known that I would be the next Lycan Queen. In that case, she wouldn’t be standing here making snide comments. Any woman in her position would be running in the opposite direction, especially given everything she had done to me.

So who exactly did she think my supposed lover was?

“Hazel,” Asher said quickly, shooting her a warning look.

Hazel, on the other hand, recoiled slightly in surprise. She probably didn’t think that Asher would shush her. Nevertheless, she recovered quickly.

I smiled calmly. “I don’t recall ever saying that I am shopping with someone else’s money.”

“Come on, Estelle, you don’t need to lie to save face,” Asher retorted, smiling awkwardly as though he was embarrassed for me. “There’s no way you could afford shopping in a store like this on your own. You barely have any money of your own.”

It’s true. Even if I did have money, in Asher’s eyes, it wouldn’t be enough to shop in this store. The smallest accessory here costs over a thousand dollars. Even a simple handkerchief carried a premium price tag.

The irony wasn’t lost on me. Asher, who was currently drowning in shopping bags from equally expensive stores, was questioning my ability to afford anything here.

I let out a short laugh. “You have no right to comment on my personal finances, Asher.”

I looked again at their shopping bags, noting the brands and store names. This wasn’t their first stop today, and based on the quantity, they had been spending freely. The amount of money they had spent on their shopping today was definitely well over the small purchase I had just made.

“Moonveil must be doing very well these days,” I said casually. “For you both to shop in such a carefree manner.”

Asher’s grip on the shopping bags tightened. “The pack’s finances are none of your concern anymore.”

“Of course not,” I agreed. “Just like my finances are none of yours.”

Hazel stepped closer, her fake smile growing wider. “Come now, Estelle. We’re all adults here. There’s no shame in finding someone to take care of you. Many women do it.”

“Like you?” I shot back, raising an eyebrow.

I turned to Asher, purposely keeping quiet. He had declared so boldly that I was the only woman that he would ever love and want just a few days ago, and now, he was out shopping hand-in-hand with another woman.

“That’s not what it is,” Asher quickly said. “Hazel has contributed a lot to Moonveil recently. These are just rewards for her hard work.”

Hazel smiled and nodded proudly.

“You, on the other hand, have no reason to buy such expensive things,” Hazel said. “And in the men’s section as well. Unless... you have someone to buy it for?”

She was fishing for information and trying to get me to reveal details about my supposed relationship. The problem was, she seemed to think she already knew something.

I decided to let her keep guessing.

“You seem very interested in my personal life,” I observed.

“Just concerned for an old pack mate,” Hazel replied sweetly.

“How thoughtful of you,” I said. “Although I personally don’t see a need to buy down the entire shopping mall’s worth of supplies for a small job well done.”

Smiling, I turned to look at Asher.

“After all, if that were the case, wouldn’t that mean that you owe me several shopping malls’ worth of goods by now?”

Asher’s face turned red. “When did you become so materialistic?!”

“I’m just kidding,” I said, waving it off like a joking matter. “No need to take it so seriously.”

If I really wanted Asher to pay me back for all my years of hard work, it certainly wouldn’t be in the form of shoes and bags.

“You know, seeing you both here, spending so freely, really puts my mind at ease,” I said with a slight smile.

“What do you mean?” Asher asked warily.

I gestured toward their shopping bags again. “Moonveil seems to be doing so well financially. You can shop without any worry about the cost or the pack’s needs.”

Asher’s face went pale.

“It’s good to know you don’t need me to come back after all.”