Riley Vale took <b>a </b>deep <b>breath</b>, her expression like stone carved by ice.
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She had no desire to waste
e more words with <b>Ronan </b>Duskcliff or that two–faced <b>snake</b>, Scarlett. Her tone was low, steady, and cold <b>as </b>the northern wind.
“Andi,” she said sharply, “call Prince Lucien. Tell <b>him </b>toe. Now.”
Andi nodded with grim resolve, already reaching for hismunicator when Ronan moved faster than lightning, snatching it from his hand.
“No,” Ronan barked, his Alpha aura crackling in the air.
Lucien Duskgrave could not find out–not yet. Not before Ronan figured out a way to clean this up. If the Alpha Prince of the Stormridge Pack learned what had happened here, not only would Ronan lose ess to the East Hollow Project, <b>but </b>the Duskcliff name might never recover.
Andi tried to snatch it back, furious, but before the two could struggle further, the sharp clicking of heels echoed across the corridor.
A woman’s voice rang out with practiced elegance,ced with ice. “Scarlett, <b>darling</b>, the banquet is about to start. Why on earth are <b>you </b>still out here? We’ve been looking everywhere.”
Scarlett straightened. Her eyes darted toward the end of the <b>corridor</b>.
Lady <b>Seraphina </b>Duskgrave walked toward them, nked by half a dozen high–ranking she–wolves–Lunas and noblewomen from the inner circles of the Council Packs. Seraphina’s gown shimmered in moon–silver threads, her posture proud <b>and </b><bmanding</b>, her every step echoing polished dominance.
But when her gazended on Riley, her expression turned <b>dark</b>, venomous.
“There you are, you filthy little tramp.”
Riley blinked, startled by the venom in the woman’s voice.
Before she could <b>ask </b>whether she was being mistaken for someone <b>else</b>, Seraphina snapped toward her entourage, “That’s the one. The Omega slut who’s been <b>seducing </b>my mate Ford.”
Gasps fluttered among the women behind her like startled birds.
Seraphina <b>stormed </b>forward, high heels cking like thunder across marble. Without warning, she raised her hand, aiming p directly at Riley’s face.
Riley stepped <b>back </b>instinctively, dodging the <b>blow </b>with ease.
“This must be a mistake,” she said, voice tight but controlled. “I don’t <b>know </b>you, and I’ve never-
“Don’t y innocent, you little whore, Scraphina snarled. “You <b>think </b>you’re special because you’ve been in <b>Alpha’s </b>bed
you know how many like you I’ve seen?”
Do
The women bnd her didn’t need further prompting One by one, they joined in, their voices rising like a <b>pack </b>circling a wounded ders
“Look at her–clearly a heat–addled stray,” scoffed a woman in a gold gown “Probably climbed her <b>way </b>into the Stormindge Pack’s teritory on her back”
“Shreeks of desperation <b>You </b>can smell a from here spat another, her lips curling in disdain
Te seen cleaner bitches in the Silverfang Den, a third chimed, and a wave of cruelughter followed.
They shoved her Hard
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Riley, thin from years in captivity, staggered back. Someone elbowed her ribs. Another grabbed her arm and shoved. She nearly lost her bnce-
Andi caught her.
“Enough!” Andi snapped, eyes zing. “Touch her again and I swear, your whole damn estate will be begging for scraps. within a moon cycle.”
The women didn’t even flinch.
What are you gonna do, little pet?” one sneered. “Run back to your Beta boyfriend?”
“A trash Omega slut and her sissy little <b>sidekick</b>. How <b>quaint</b><b>.” </b>
Andi trembled with fury<b>. </b>
And Ronan?
Ronan Duskcliff stood back. Watching. Silent.
He knew Riley wasn’t lying. She had just been released from Wolf <b>Prison</b>. Since her release, she’d either been under house arrest at the Eborw estate or recovering at Mooncrest Hospital. There was no way she could’ve seduced anyone.
And especially not Ford, Lucien’s father,
And yet he said nothing.
Riley’s ws itched beneath her <b>skin</b>. Her wolf snarled inside her, thrashing against her ribs.
She <b>could </b>shift.
She could let her wolf out.
They’d see what a real threat looked like when the white wolf–the cursed wolf–unleashed her fury.
But not today.
Not <b>on </b>Matriarch Duskgrave’s 80th birthday.
<b>And </b><b>not </b>after <b>Andi </b>had spent <b>hours </b>helping her prepare, carefully crafting her look, her dress, her hair–so she could <b>enter </b>that ballroom with dignity.
She clenched her fists <b>and </b>forced the shift down.
Her bones ached. Her magic buzzed under her skin like <b>static</b>.
But she would not shift,
She stepped forward instead, <b>brushing </b>past Lady Seraphina with barely contained <b>rage </b><b>in </b>her voice.
“You <b>thank </b>I’m scared of you?” she said, voice low <b>and </b>deadly calm. “You think you can break me with <b>words </b><b>and </b>whispers I’ve already survived worse than any of you could ever imagine”
<b>she </b>paused, her re sweeping across the wolves surrounding her.
“<b>You </b>call me a tramp A whore A stray But all I see are bored wives in expensive gowns, clinging to men who don’t <b>even </b>love
you
You want to tear <b>the </b>down to feel powerful Fine But don’t <b>mistake </b>your status for strength”
idis jaw dropped. Even Scarlen went <b>pale </b>
But Holey wasn’t finished
may
of have wealth<b>, </b>or a <b>bloodline </b>you recognize. But I have something none of <b>you </b>do–truth. And that <b>truth </b>is ens
to burn your paper crowns to <b>ash</b>”
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She turned to Seraphina, eyes zing like stormfire. “If your mate prefers me over you, maybe the problem isn’t me. Maybe it’s the fact <b>that </b>even Alphas get tired of sleeping next to poison.”
The corridor went silent.
The women stared, stunned.
And Riley?
She walked <b>away</b>.
Head <b>high</b><b>. </b>
Eyes forward.
Unbroken.
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