Rebecca’s POV
The drive ho was a blur of rage.
My hands gripped the steering wheel so tight my knuckles went white. Every red light was a personal insult. Every slow car in front of was an obstacle designed specifically to prolong my humiliation.
That bitch.
That absolute, insufferable BITCH.
"Mommy?" My daughter’s voice ca from the backseat. Whiny. Annoying. "Why did you make say sorry? I didn’t do anything wrong."
"Shut up, Vivian."
"But she’s just a human-sllerâ€""
"I SAID SHUT UP!"
The car swerved slightly. Vivian went quiet. Good. I didn’t have the patience for her right now. Didn’t have the patience for anything except the fury burning through my veins like acid.
Aria Shadow Moon.
Alive.
Here.
After everything I’d done to get rid of her, she was BACK. Standing in front of with that calm expression. That steady voice. That infuriating confidence that had no business being on the face of Shadow Moon trash.
She’d recorded . RECORDED . Like I was so common criminal. Like she had any right to threaten .
. Rebecca Silver Fang. The future Luna of Blood Crown pack.
Except...
Except I wasn’t the future Luna, was I?
The thought made my stomach twist. Made the rage burn hotter.
Three years. Three years since Aria disappeared. Three years since everything was supposed to get better.
And what had changed?
Nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
Kael still wouldn’t see . Still wouldn’t talk to . Still treated like I didn’t exist after that night outside Aria’s apartnt.
I’d tried everything. Showing up at his events. Sending ssages through mutual contacts. Bribing his staff for information about his schedule.
Nothing worked.
It was like he’d built a wall around himself. A wall specifically designed to keep out.
All because of HER.
I pulled into my driveway. Slamd the car into park. Sat there breathing hard.
The house lood in front of . Big. Expensive. Everything I’d worked for my entire life.
But it wasn’t the Alpha mansion. It wasn’t the Luna suite. It wasn’t the life I was supposed to have.
"Mommy?" Vivian again. "Can I go inside?"
"Yes. Go. Leave alone."
She scrambled out of the car. The door slamd behind her.
Good riddance.
I sat there for another minute. Trying to calm down. Trying to think clearly.
Aria was back.
That was bad. Very bad.
But it was also... an opportunity.
I pulled out my phone. Scrolled through my contacts. Found the number I was looking for.
My finger hovered over the call button.
Did I really want to do this? Did I really want to involve HIM again?
The mory of Aria’s face flashed through my mind. That calm smile. That steady voice. The way she’d looked at like I was nothing.
I pressed call.
It rang three tis.
"Rebecca." His voice was low. Surprised. "I didn’t expect to hear from you."
"We need to talk."
A pause. "About what?"
"About Aria Shadow Moon." I spat the na like poison. "You told she was taken care of. You PROMISED she would never be a problem again."
Silence on the other end.
"Rebecca, you need to calm downâ€""
"DON’T tell to calm down!" My voice rose. Echoed in the empty car. "You said the drug would kill her. Or at least leave her so damaged she’d never recover. That was the DEAL."
"The dosage was calculated based on her weightâ€""
"Then why is she standing in front of looking perfectly healthy?!" I was screaming now. Didn’t care. "Why is she walking around like nothing happened?! Why is she ALIVE?!"
He sighed. Long and tired.
"I don’t know, Rebecca. Maybe her body processed it differently than expected. Maybe she found treatnt in ti. These things aren’t an exact science."
"An exact science?!" I laughed. The sound was ugly. Hysterical. "You told you knew what you were doing! You told the wolfsbane compound was foolproof!"
"No drug is foolproof." His voice turned cold. Defensive. "You ca to , rember? You were the one who wanted her gone. I just provided the ans."
"And look how well THAT turned out!"
"At least it accomplished sothing." He paused. Let the words hang in the air. "Her wolf is gone."
I froze.
"What?"
"Her wolf." He repeated slowly. Like I was stupid. "It’s gone. Destroyed. Whatever that compound did to her, it killed her inner wolf. She’s basically human now."
My heart pounded.
"How do you know that?"
"I have my sources." I could hear him smirking through the phone. "She’s working at a company in the territory. No scent. No wolf abilities. Just a shell of what she used to be."
Working at a company.
In the territory.
"Which company?" My voice was sharp. Demanding.
Another pause. Longer this ti.
"The Alpha’s company." He said it carefully. "Blood Crown Industries."
The world tilted.
"WHAT?!"
"She started a few days ago. Administrative assistant or sothing. Apparently she’s quite good at it."
Aria was working for Kael? MY Kael? In HIS company?
The jealousy hit like a physical blow. Hot and sharp and all-consuming.
How DARE she.
How DARE that worthless, wolf-less, pathetic excuse for a woman insert herself back into Kael’s orbit?
"Rebecca?" His voice cut through my spiraling thoughts. "You still there?"
"She’s working for him." My voice ca out strangled.
"Apparently. Though from what I hear, she hasn’t actually seen him yet. The Alpha rarely visits the company himself."
That was sothing. A small rcy. But it didn’t calm the rage burning in my chest.
"This is unacceptable." I gripped the phone harder. "She needs to be removed. Again. Permanently this ti."
"Rebecca." His voice turned warning. "We tried that once. It didn’t work. And if we try again and fail..."
"I don’t care about the risks! I’m the one who’s been here! I’m the one who’s been waiting! I’m the one who actually DESERVES to be Luna!"
Silence.
Then, softer: "So what are you going to do?"
The question hung in the air.
What WAS I going to do?
"She’s working at his company. She has access." I smiled. It felt sharp on my face. Dangerous. "If I can get close to her...befriend her, maybe...I can use her to get to Kael."
"Then what about our daughter?"
The words hit like a slap.
Right.
Vivian.
The child I’d never wanted. The reminder of a mistake I’d made years ago, when I was young and stupid and thought sleeping with him would sohow make Kael jealous. It hadn’t worked, of course.
"Listen to very carefully." I leaned forward even though he couldn’t see . "You’d better take the fact that we had a daughter together and bury it. Forever. Do you understand ? You keep that secret locked in your chest until the day you die. Because if even a WHISPER of it gets out..."
I let the threat hang.
"I will destroy you." My voice was barely a whisper now. "No one can block my way to beco the Luna."
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