Reba’s POV


    I stared at the card, then slipped it into my pocket withoutment, feeling the weight of it against my thigh like a silent promise–or a threat.


    As we walked to Sofia’s car, I turned to her. “Your face got hurt because of me.” My stomach knotted with guilt as I examined the bruising around her eye.


    Sofia nudged me with her shoulder. “And you would do the same for me.” She winked with her good eye. “Besides, battle scars are sexy, right?”


    In the car, I adjusted the seat and mirrors before pulling out of the clinic’s parking lot. My hands trembled slightly on the wheel, reying the intensity in Dominic’s eyes when he’d handed me his card. Sofia fiddled with the radio, settling on a pop station that filled the silence between us<b>. </b>1


    After a few minutes, she turned the volume down. “So, Sterling was… intense.”


    I gripped the steering wheel tighter, my knuckles whitening. “He’s arrogant and full of himself. Typical CEO syndrome.” My heart betrayed me, beating faster at just the mention of his name.


    “But he’s hot,” Sofia said matter–of–factly. “Like, scorching.”


    I rolled my eyes, but couldn’t stop the heat rising from my chest to my neck, spreading across my cheeks. “He’s… eptable looking.” The lie felt obvious even to me.


    “eptable?” Sofiaughed. “Girl, the man looks like he stepped out of a romance novel cover. Those eyes! That jaw! Those shoulders!”


    “Fine!” I conceded, stopping at a red light. “He’s good–looking.” My palms grew damp against the steering wheel as unwanted memories of his bare chest pressed against mine shed through my mind. “But he’s also arrogant and presumptuous and-”


    “And?” Sofia prompted, a knowing smile ying on her lips.


    I sighed, staring straight ahead at the traffic. My heartbeat thundered in my ears. “Okay, I admit it. Dominic is the one I spent the night with after discovering William and Olivia.”


    Sofia choked on her own saliva, coughing violently. “What? You slept with Dominic Sterling?” Her voice rose to a near–screech. “The future Alpha of the Silver Moon Pack?”


    7:55 <b>Sat</b><b>, </b><b>Sep </b><b>20 </b>


    “Would you keep your voice down?” I hissed, even though we were alone in the car. My face burned hot enough to light a match. “It was a mistake. A massive, humiliating mistake that I regret with every fiber of my being.” Another lie. I remembered every touch, every whisper<b>, </b>every moment of that night with crystal rity.


    “How did that even happen?” Sofia demanded, her eyes wide with shock and a hint of admiration.


    <b>90 </b>


    I sighed, recounting the encounter at the Moonlight Bar. As I spoke, my voice grew softer, my fingers nervously tapping against the steering wheel. I carefully omitted how my skin had tingled everywhere he touched, how his scent had overwhelmed me, how I’d never felt so wanted.


    “He thinks I targeted him deliberately,” I concluded as we pulled into Sofia’s apartmentplex. “Like I was trying to climb the pack socialdder or something.”


    Sofia was quiet for a moment as I parked the car. “Well,” she said finally, “you have to admit, it does look suspicious from his perspective.”


    “Whose side are you on?” I demanded, shutting off the engine, my voice sharper than intended.


    “Yours, always,” Sofia assured me. “But werewolves are paranoid by nature, especially Alphas. They’ve been targeted by ambitious she–wolves and humans alike for centuries.”


    Dominic’s POV


    “William!” I shouted, striding into the training center. Therge, warehouse–like space fell silent immediately, the dozen or so pack members pausing mid–action. “Come here. Now.” My voice carried the unmistakablemand of an Alpha.


    William Moretti stood frozen for a moment, halfway through abat drill with another Delta candidate. His face paled visibly as he set down his training staff and approached me, head slightly bowed in deference.


    “Future Alpha,” he greeted, stopping at a respectful distance. “How may I serve you?”


    (