Charlotte POV:
The morning after the cellar incident, Bryant tried to buy my forgiveness.
He slid a check across the breakfast table. It was for ten thousand dollars.
"For the inconvenience," he muttered, sipping his coffee. "Buy yourself a new dress. Or fix your teeth. Whatever."
I looked at the check. It was drawn from the joint account-money that was mostly my inheritance from the Glover estate. He was paying me off with my own money.
I picked up the check. Slowly, deliberately, I tore it down the middle. Then again. And again. I let the confetti pieces fall into his perfectly poached eggs.
"I don't want your money, Bryant."
He slammed his mug down. "Then what do you want? An apology? Alphas don't apologize."
"I want you to attend my birthday gala next week. As my fiancé."
He scoffed. "Obviously. It's a pack requirement."
"And," I continued, leaning in, "I want you to wear the suit I designed. The prototype."
Bryant raised an eyebrow. "That stretchy garbage you make? Fine. If it shuts you up."
I smiled. It didn't reach my eyes.
For the next three days, I buried myself in work. I stayed at the AURA headquarters, sleeping on the couch in my office. My staff-mostly humans and a few lower-tier wolves who didn't know my identity-worked tirelessly.
We were launching the "Eclipse" line. Smart-fabric that shifted molecular structure when exposed to rapid expansion. No more naked walks home after a shift. No more shredded designer suits.
The launch was a digital runway show, streamed directly to the werewolf elite.
It was a massive success. Orders flooded in from packs in Europe, Asia, and the West Coast. The "Omega's Miracle," the blogs called it.
I felt a flicker of pride. This was mine.
Then, the notification pinged.
Breaking News: Kalia Baron exposes massive fraud at AURA.
My blood ran cold.
I opened the link. It was a livestream. Kalia was sitting in a studio, looking tearful. She held up a sketchbook. My sketchbook. The one that had gone missing weeks ago.
"These are my designs," she sobbed. "Charlotte stole them. She used her access to the house to steal my art. She can't even shift... how could she understand the mechanics of a transformation suit?"
It was a compelling argument to the ignorant masses.
Then, the screen split. Bryant appeared via video link.
"I confirm this," Bryant said, looking solemn. "Kalia has been working on these sketches for months. Charlotte Glover is a troubled woman with a history of jealousy. We are saddened that she would stoop this low."
The comments section exploded.
Thief!
Wolfless scum stealing from a future Luna!
Boycott AURA!
Within an hour, the cancellations started. Distributors pulled out. My email inbox filled with hate mail and death threats.
I sat in my office, the glow of the monitors illuminating my pale face.
They didn't just want to hurt me. They wanted to erase me. They wanted to take the one thing I had built with my own hands and give it to the woman who tortured me.
My phone rang. It was the building security.
"Miss Glover, there's a mob outside. They're throwing stones. You need to leave."
I stood up. I grabbed my cane.
I didn't go out the back. I went down to the garage. I got into my car.
I drove straight to the Barnes Tower.
I stormed past the receptionist. I took the elevator to the top floor.
When I kicked open the doors to Bryant's office, the scene was almost comical. Kalia was sitting on his desk, popping a bottle of champagne. Bryant was laughing.
They stopped when they saw me.
"You," I said, pointing my cane at Kalia. "You held the pencil wrong in the video."
Kalia blinked. "What?"
"In your fake interview. You held the charcoal stick like a pen. No designer does that. You smudge the lines."
Kalia jumped off the desk. "Who cares? The world believes me. The Alpha confirmed it."
I looked at Bryant. "You know she can't draw a stick figure. You know I spent nights working on those formulas."
Bryant sighed, looking bored. "It's better for the Pack's image, Charlotte. A Luna who is a genius inventor? That sells. A wolfless cripple running a company? That's embarrassing. We're rebranding AURA under Kalia's name tomorrow."
He said it so casually. As if he was discussing the weather.
"You're stealing my company," I said.
"We're acquiring it," he corrected. "As your Alpha, I own your assets. Since you are unfit to manage them."
He pressed a button on his desk. "Security, escort Miss Glover out. And ban her from the building."
Two burly guards entered. They grabbed my arms.
"Get your hands off me!" I shouted.
Bryant stood up. He walked over to me, leaning down so his face was inches from mine.
"Go home, Charlotte. Wait for the wedding. Be the silent, obedient wife I need. Or..."
"Or what?" I challenged.
"Or I will declare you a Rogue. I will strip you of the Glover name, kick you out of the territory, and let the wild wolves hunt you down."
It was a death sentence. A Rogue without a wolf form wouldn't survive a night.
I looked at him. Really looked at him. The handsome face I once adored now looked like a mask of rotting meat.
"I'll see you at the Gala, Bryant," I whispered.
He smirked. "Wear something nice."
I let the guards drag me out.
As the elevator doors closed, I didn't cry. I pulled out my phone.
I dialed Jaden.
"Buy it," I said.
"What?" Jaden asked.
"The Barnes debt. The mortgages. The loans. Everything. Buy it all."
"Consider it done, my Queen."
I hung up.
They wanted a show? I would give them a show. And when the curtain fell, there would be nothing left of the Barnes Pack but ash.
