Aria's POV
I woke to the smell of pancakes and coffee.
For a moment, still half-asleep, it felt almost normal. Then I heard Clara's laugh drifting up from the kitchen, and reality came crashing back.
I took my time getting dressed. Let them have their little domestic fantasy. I could afford to be patient. After all, I was a billionaire now. And their client.
By the time I came downstairs, a plate of eggs, toast, and bacon sat waiting on the counter-the kind of gesture meant to look like an apology. I reached for it.
Marcus lunged forward and yanked it away, the plate clattering against the marble. "No! This is for Clara! Daddy made it special for her!"
Clara hurried over, hands fluttering. "Marcus, sweetie, that's not how we treat people. Apologize to Aria." Her words were honey. Her eyes, locked on mine, were pure triumph.
Ethan appeared in the doorway. "Marcus. Apologize. Now."
The boy shuffled toward me, not meeting my eyes. "Sorry," he muttered.
I didn't accept it.
I stood, crossed the room, grabbed him, and pressed him against the wall. I took a thin branch from the nearby vase and brought it down hard on his backside.
He burst into tears.
"Aria, that's too much." Clara stepped forward. "He already apologized-"
"Funny," I said, landing another strike. "By what right do you interfere with a mother disciplining her child?"
Clara's face went white. "He's still young... he didn't do anything that wrong..."
"Small mistakes uncorrected become big ones. If I don't discipline him now, I'll have a harder time later."
That shut her up.
Ethan stepped forward and caught my wrist. "That's enough."
He was right. The anger had cooled. I tossed the branch to the floor. Marcus scrambled behind Clara, sobbing too hard to even glare at me.
"Marcus." I fixed my gaze on him. "As long as I'm your mother, you will show me respect. If you can't learn that, I'll adopt a better child to be the pack's rightful heir."
The room went quiet. Even Marcus stopped crying. I was smiling when I said it.
"Aria, don't-" Ethan's voice tightened.
"Don't what?" I turned to him, sweetly. "Since I accepted adopting one child with no blood relation to me, I can certainly adopt a second. As long as you want me to stay with this pack, don't try to provoke me."
Looking at their three faces, all dark as thunder, I cheerfully picked up my purse. "Enjoy your breakfast. All of you."
---
I was halfway to my car when footsteps followed.
"Aria, wait." Ethan caught up, slightly breathless. "I'll drive you to the office. We can go over the Riverside contract on the way."
"I'm not going to the office."
"What? We have the meeting with-"
"Reschedule it." I pulled open the car door. "I have other plans."
"What other plans?"
"I'm going to look at a house."
I closed the door and started the engine. In the rearview mirror, he stood in the driveway, fists clenched at his sides.
---
The Meridian Tower was everything the listing had promised. Floor-to-ceiling windows, soaring ceilings, and most importantly, it was mine.
Now I just needed furniture.
The furniture district catered to Pack elite-somewhere I'd never shopped before, too expensive for someone like me. Now, walking through the gleaming showrooms, I felt like a kid in a candy store.
That was when I saw it. A sofa in deep charcoal leather sat center stage. The tag read "Russo Collection - Limited Edition. 1 of 3."
Perfect.
I was reaching for my phone when a voice cut through the air.
"Excuse me, but I'm taking this one."
A woman about my age stood there, arms crossed, looking at me like I was something unpleasant she'd found on the bottom of her shoe. Dressed head to toe in designer labels, blonde hair in perfect waves, makeup flawless.
"I'm sorry?" I said.
"The sofa." She gestured impatiently. "I saw it first. So you'll have to find something else."
"I don't think that's how shopping works."
Her lips thinned. "Do you have any idea who I am?"
"Should I?"
A flush crept up her neck. "I'm Vanessa Crane. My father is Alpha Richard Crane of the Riverside Pack. And when I say I want something, I get it."
"That's nice," I said, turning back to the sofa. "I'm still buying it."
Vanessa's face flushed scarlet. She snapped her fingers. Two large men in black suits materialized from behind the displays. "This woman is harassing me. Escort her out."
They moved toward me. I tensed.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you."
A deep, cultured voice from the entrance-carrying the kind of authority that made everyone freeze. A silver-haired man in a perfectly tailored three-piece suit strode in, flanked by six men in dark suits. He moved like someone who had wielded power for decades and never once had to raise his voice.
Vanessa's guards stepped back instantly. Her face drained of color.
"Beta Harrison," she stammered. "I didn't know you were-"
"Clearly." He didn't look at her. His attention was fixed entirely on me. He inclined his head in something close to a bow. "Miss Smith. It's an honor to finally meet you."
The showroom went silent.
"I'm Harrison Reid, Beta of Crescent Moon Pack. Your uncle Victor sent me to find you."
"Wait." Vanessa's voice came out strangled. "Smith? As in-Vincent Smith?"
Harrison finally turned to her. "Miss Crane. I believe you were just threatening my boss's daughter and sole heir. Would you like to rephrase your earlier comments?"
Vanessa went from pale to gray. "I didn't-she didn't say-I had no idea-"
"Ignorance is not an excuse for disrespect. Particularly when you were having her physically removed from the premises."
She turned to me, all earlier arrogance dissolved. "I'm so sorry. If I had known-"
"You would have been polite?" I said. "How nice. Unfortunately, basic decency shouldn't require a family pedigree."
"Please-if there's anything I can do to make this right-"
"An apology is enough. You can go."
She practically fled, her guards scrambling after her.
I turned to the sales associate. "I'll take the sofa. Have it delivered to the Meridian Tower, penthouse floor." I paused. "And the matching armchair."
Then I faced Harrison. "Quite an entrance."
"Word will spread quickly. But it was necessary. Aria Smith is not to be trifled with. It will save you considerable trouble down the line."
He gestured toward the exit. "The car is waiting, Miss Smith. Shall we?"
"Where are we going?"
"Crescent Moon Pack house." A slight smile. "Your home."
I was silent for a moment. My father-Vincent Smith. A billion-dollar inheritance had landed in my lap. Going to Crescent Moon was inevitable.
"Alright," I said. "If it's my home, I should at least see it for myself."
What was meant to come would come eventually.
