Ivy POV:
The Silver Lake Pack didn't have a territory in the city anymore; they had sold their estate years ago to cover debts. Now, they operated out of a rented conference suite in the Grand Oakhaven Hotel. It was a pathetic attempt to look important.
Dexter led me into the private meeting room.
The air was thick with tension and the smell of old wolves.
Donnell Dillard, my father and the Alpha of Silver Lake, sat at the head of a long mahogany table. He looked just as I remembered—arrogant, stiff, and obsessed with appearances.
Aunt Carol sat to his right. She was the pack's matriarch, a bitter woman who upheld the "old ways" only when it suited her cruelty.
When I walked in, silence fell.
Then, Carol stood up.
"You!" she screeched, pointing a bony finger at me. "You ungrateful little wretch! How dare you show your face?"
"Hello, Aunt Carol," I said, ignoring the warriors closing the door behind me. I walked to the table, pulled out a chair directly opposite Donnell, and sat down. I crossed my legs. "You're looking... shriveled."
"You possess no manners!" Carol shouted. "You are a Rogue! A whore who ran off to sleep with strays!"
Donnell slammed his hand on the table. "Enough!"
He glared at me. He tried to project his Alpha aura, to crush me into submission. It was like a gentle breeze against a stone wall. I didn't even blink.
"Where have you been, Ivy?" Donnell demanded. "And why have you returned to shame this family again?"
"I came for what is mine," I said calmly. "My mother's land. The deed to the North Woods. It was left to me in her will. You've been squatting on it."
"That land belongs to the Pack!" Donnell roared.
"It belongs to her bloodline," I corrected. "And I am the only blood left. Since you declared me dead, I assume you forged the transfer papers? That's fraud, Donnell."
Carol let out a sound of pure rage. She marched around the table.
"You insolent brat!"
She raised her hand, swinging for my face.
I didn't flinch. I didn't let it hit me. I am the Luna of Blood Moon; no one touches me.
My hand shot up, catching her wrist inches from my cheek. I squeezed, just enough to make her gasp.
"Careful, Auntie," I warned, my voice dropping to a growl. "I'm not the punching bag you remember."
I shoved her hand away. She stumbled back, shocked.
"She attacked an Elder!" Dexter yelled, seizing the opportunity. "Seize her!"
The two warriors moved toward me.
BOOM.
The double doors of the conference room didn't just open; they were blasted off their hinges.
Wood splinters flew everywhere.
A presence filled the room. It wasn't just an aura; it was a gravity well. It was heavy, dark, and suffocating. It smelled of ozone, burning wood, and absolute death.
Every wolf in the room, except me, fell to their knees. They couldn't help it. Their biology betrayed them.
Collin walked in.
He was wearing a charcoal suit that cost more than this entire hotel. His eyes were glowing a violent, bloody gold. Behind him stood two Enforcers from Blood Moon, giants of men who looked ready to slaughter everyone.
Collin didn't look at Donnell. He didn't look at the warriors.
He looked at Carol, who was trembling on the floor.
The air temperature dropped ten degrees.
"Who?" Collin's voice was a low growl that shook the window panes.
He scanned the room, his gaze landing on everyone like a physical blow.
"WHO DARED TO RAISE A HAND AGAINST MY LUNA?!"
Donnell Dillard fell out of his chair, scrambling backward on the floor. He stared at Collin with wide, terrified eyes.
"Blood Moon..." Donnell whispered, his voice cracking. "Supreme Alpha..."
Collin stepped into the room, walking over the broken glass. He came to my side, his hand cupping my face, checking me for injuries I didn't have.
"Are you okay?" he asked softly, though his eyes were still murderous.
"I handled it," I whispered.
Collin turned to face them. He didn't yell. He didn't need to.
"Pray to your Goddess," Collin said to my father. "Because you just declared war on the Richardson family."
