Delilah POV
The morning sun bled through the heavy velvet curtains of the guest room, but it brought no warmth, only a cold, harsh illumination of my reality. I had spent the night staring at the ceiling, my left hand throbbing with a phantom weight.
The ring was gone.
Every time I heard a footstep in the hallway, my heart hammered against my ribs like a trapped bird. If Jaden saw my bare finger, the fragile peace I had maintained through submission would shatter. He would know I had lost it. Or worse, he would suspect I had sold it to escape him.
I was just reaching for my concealer, intending to mask the pale band of skin on my finger, when a voice sliced through my mind. It wasn't the warm, chaotic chatter of the general Pack link. It was a direct, icy transmission that tasted like steel.
"Mrs. Mcclain."
I froze, the tube of makeup slipping from my fingers and clattering onto the vanity. I recognized the mental signature immediately. Scott. The Alpha King's Gamma.
"Scott?"I projected back, my mental voice trembling. "What is this? Why are you linking me?"
"The Alpha King is in possession of an item belonging to you. A sapphire ring."
My breath hitched. Carter. He was playing games.
"Send it back,"I demanded, trying to summon a scrap of authority. "Have a courier bring it to the estate immediately. Before Jaden wakes up."
There was a pause, heavy with silent judgment. "Negative. The Alpha King's possessions are not to be handled by subordinates. It is a matter of Pack security and honor. You will retrieve it in person."
"In person? I can't—"
"Mcclain Enterprises. Top floor. You have one hour before Alpha Jaden is notified of a security breach regarding his family heirlooms."
The link severed abruptly, leaving a ringing silence in my head. It wasn't an invitation; it was a summons. And the threat was clear: come to the lion's den, or be thrown to the wolves at home.
Mcclain Enterprises was a monolith of black glass and steel that pierced the city skyline, a physical manifestation of the power Carter held over the human and werewolf worlds alike. Standing in the lobby, I felt small. The air conditioning was set to a temperature that chilled the sweat on my skin, and the receptionist didn't even ask for my name. She just pointed to the private elevator.
The ride to the top floor was smooth and silent, but my stomach churned with every floor we passed. When the doors slid open, I stepped into a space that felt less like an office and more like a throne room.
Three walls were floor-to-ceiling glass, offering a god-like view of the sprawling city below. In the center of the room sat a desk carved from a single slab of black shipwreck wood. And behind it sat the Alpha King.
Carter didn't look up as I entered. He was reading a document, his dark suit impeccable, his presence filling the massive room with the scent of sandalwood and ozone—the smell of a storm about to break.
I'm here, I said, my voice echoing in the vast space. "Give me the ring, Carter."
He slowly lifted his head. His silver eyes locked onto mine, and for a second, the air grew heavy, making my ears pop. He didn't reach into his pocket. He didn't produce the sapphire. Instead, he slid a thick manila folder across the polished surface of his desk.
Sit, he ordered. It wasn't an Alpha Command, but the weight of his authority made my knees weak. I remained standing, clutching my purse like a shield.
I don't want to sit. I want my property, and then I want to leave.
Your property? Carter let out a dark, dry chuckle. "You have no property, Delilah. Under Pack law, everything you own belongs to your mate. Which brings us to this." He tapped the folder. "I don't tolerate weakness in my bloodline. And I certainly don't tolerate theft."
I didn't steal anything!
No, he said softly, his gaze turning predatory. "But your husband did."
My frown deepened. Hesitantly, I stepped forward and opened the folder.
The first page was a bank statement. A transfer of two million dollars from the Pack's infrastructure fund to a private offshore account. My eyes widened. Jaden was the Pack Treasurer. This was treason.
Keep reading, Carter murmured.
I flipped the page. A deed to a luxury apartment in the city center. Not in Jaden's name, but in the name of Brielle Sims.
The name was a punch to the gut. Brielle was a Warrior in our pack. I had seen her just last week, smiling at me at the grocery store.
My hands shook as I turned to the final document. It was a medical bill from a human fertility clinic.
Patient: Brielle Sims. Procedure: In Vitro Fertilization. Donor: Jaden Mcclain.
The room spun. I gripped the edge of the desk to keep from collapsing. Jaden had told me for three years that we couldn't afford a pup yet. He had told me the Pack needed us to focus on duty. He had made me take suppressants that made me sick.
And all the while, he was building a family with someone else. Using stolen Pack money.
He is a bad investment, Carter's voice cut through the ringing in my ears, cold and clinical. "And a traitor to this Pack."
I stared at the papers, the black ink blurring through the tears I refused to shed. The humiliation was a physical pain, a burning acid in my chest. I had been protecting a man who had already replaced me.
Why are you showing me this? I whispered, my voice cracking. "To hurt me? To mock me?"
Carter stood up. He moved around the desk with the silent grace of a predator, stopping inches from me. He didn't touch me, but his heat radiated against my shivering body.
To free you, he growled.
He leaned down, his lips brushing the shell of my ear, sending a shiver down my spine that had nothing to do with fear.
Last night, I gave you a command, he whispered, the vibration of his voice settling deep in my bones. "Now, I'm giving you a reason."
