LOGINShe continued to chatter about her high-society credentials until Conrad’s patience snapped completely. His Alpha aura flared for a split second, and with a single, sharp push of his heavy arm, he shoved Arabella's outstretched hands out of his way. "Move aside, girl. You're blocking my path."The fake, sweet smile Arabella had carefully plastered on her face froze instantly, turning into a mask of pale horror.Her breath hitched in her throat as she watched Conrad Sterling walk straight past her without a second glance, quickening his heavy steps as he approached my table.The moment his eyes landed on me, the harsh, terrifying aura he had directed at Arabella vanished entirely, replaced by a wide, eager smile that softened his battle-scarred face."Alpha Darcy, are you preparing to return to the Blackveil Quarter so soon?" Conrad asked, his amber eyes sparkling with genuine excitement as he set the obsidian cases down beside my leather jacket.I didn't flatter him. I didn't bow my h
“The pack feast is over, and I want every container packed before the night air turns cold,” Old Conrad Sterling growled, his deep, rumbling voice cutting straight through the heavy silence of the Silver Fang VIP suite.I sat back in my velvet leather chair, adjusting the collar of my rogue leather jacket. The Ashford Pack had spent twenty years in Ashford Manor treating me like a fat, useless human servant with no wolf, no scent, and no bloodline. They had starved me, hidden me in the dark, and thrown me into the dirt of the Blackveil District the second Piper Ashford walked back through their gates. But tonight, in front of the entire underworld nobility, Alaric Sterling had carved the finest meats for me with his own hands, forcing every Alpha in the room to bow to my presence.Old Conrad Sterling had his enforcers line up velvet-lined carrying boxes on the ruined mahogany table, carefully packing away every single bone, spiced broth, and roasted delicacy I had instructed the kitch
" Alpha Sterling," Arabella purred softly, taking a silver fork and carefully shelling a portion of rare Arctic crab meat, trying to place it onto the dark obsidian plate directly in front of Alaric. "This Crab Imperial is imported directly to The Gilded Crown. It's exquisite. I shelled it for you personally, you really should try it."Before the delicate piece of crab meat could even touch his plate, the massive man used his heavy steel eating blade to block her fork with a sharp clink, sliding his plate six inches to the left.The crab meat missed its mark completely, falling onto the tablecloth like a lump of wet garbage.Sterling didn't even look up at her face, his voice flat, heavy, and completely devoid of warmth. "Thank you, but no need."Distant, ice-cold, and ruthlessly polite.But just as the words left his mouth, the broad-shouldered Alpha put down his heavy steel blade.He picked up a large, sea-fresh fire-shrimp with his long, slender, well-defined hands—hands covered in
“Hands off the back of my chair, Sterling,” I growled, my pulse hammering a fierce, angry rhythm against my ribs as the thick scent of crushed pine and rogue male wolf rolled off him.Alaric Sterling didn’t flinch. The massive Alpha Enforcer of the Ravenscroft Citadel just stood behind me, his heavy amber eyes gleaming with dark amusement as the oppressive silence in the Silver Fang Club VIP suite stretched tight enough to snap.I sat back in my seat, my full hips filling the plush velvet leather, completely unbothered by my size or the way my curves pushed against the dark, practical rogue leather jacket I wore. The Ashford Pack had spent twenty years in Ashford Manor telling me I was a useless, fat human girl with no wolf, no scent, and no bloodline. They had used me as a servant, kept me locked in the shadow of their true purebred daughter, and then thrown me into the dirt of the Blackveil District with a formal decree of exile the second Piper Ashford walked back through their gat
“Hands off the back of my chair, Sterling,” I growled, my pulse hammering a fierce, angry rhythm against my ribs as the thick scent of crushed pine and rogue male wolf rolled off him.Alaric Sterling didn’t flinch. The massive Alpha Enforcer of the Ravenscroft Citadel just stood behind me, his heavy amber eyes gleaming with dark amusement as the oppressive silence in the Silver Fang Club VIP suite stretched tight enough to snap.I sat back in my seat, my full hips filling the plush velvet leather, completely unbothered by my size or the way my curves pushed against the dark, practical rogue leather jacket I wore. The Ashford Pack had spent twenty years in Ashford Manor telling me I was a useless, fat human girl with no wolf, no scent, and no bloodline. They had used me as a servant, kept me locked in the shadow of their true purebred daughter, and then thrown me into the dirt of the Blackveil District with a formal decree of exile the second Piper Ashford walked back through their gat
“Step back, Alaric,” I snapped, the scent of crushed pine and raw wolf aura rolling over my bare skin. “The Gilded Crown serves purebloods, not boundary-stalkers.”Alaric Sterling didn’t retreat. He closed the gap in two long, deliberate strides, his massive frame blotting out the velvet-draped corridor of the underworld club. He wore no pack colors, yet the suffocating weight of the Sterling Heights alpha bloodline rolled off him in waves, thick enough to force standard wolves to their knees.I stood my ground, my pulse hammering a steady, defiant rhythm against my ribs. I wasn’t a standard wolf. The Ashford Manor had discarded me like trash three weeks ago, branding me a scentless human parasite. They thought throwing me into the Blackveil District with a blood-oath exile would kill me. They were wrong.“I came to hunt, Darcy,” Alaric purred, his voice a low rumble that vibrated straight into my sternum. His golden wolf eyes flashed amber under the dim red lanterns of the VIP hall.







