LOGINPenelope POV"Princess Penelope! How do you respond to the slander circulating about you online?"The reporter in the front row pushes his microphone forward, his eyes wide with hunger for a headline."And does your divorce from Julian signify a complete break between the Rogue Pack royal family and the Blue-Claw Pack?"The applause from the crowd dies instantly. The silence in the grand hall is sudden and heavy.I do not blink. I adjust my grip on the microphone. The metal is cool against my palm.Below the stage, Julian’s shoulders stiffen. His pupils shrink into sharp, black needles. He lifts his chin, locking his gaze directly onto my face.I do not look away.
Julian POV"Are you completely blind, Julian?"Hazel spat the words at my face, her fingers digging so hard into my forearm that her polished nails nearly drew blood.I did not blink. I could not move my eyes from the center of the grand stage."Look at her," Hazel whispered, her voice climbing into a sharp, frantic register that grated against my ears. "Look at the way she stands there. This is a scam. It has to be a scam. Santiago is running a game on everyone in this room. He is trying to save his own skin after the Westview fallout. There is no way that pathetic, mute bitch is a royal bloodline."My mind stayed entirely blank. The noise of the ballroom receded until it was just a dull, rhythmic thudding in my ears, like blood pumping
Melvin POV"You think you can just stand there and ignore me, Santiago?" I slam my fist onto the top of the cocktail table.The crystal flutes rattle against the glass surface. The champagne inside them sloshes over the rims, spilling onto the polished marble floor.Santiago does not even turn his head. He stands ten yards away in the center of the Eternal Palace, surrounded by the Alphas of the southern packs. He wears the heavy, gold-trimmed robes of the Lycan King. His broad back remains a solid, unmoving wall of muscle. He completely blocks me out from the circle of power."Melvin, lower your voice," Chloe whispers, her hand snapping sideways to grip my forearm. Her manicured nails dig straight through the fabric of my suit jacket, biting into my skin. "Everyone is looking. The cameras from
Penelope POV“What, here to give me another warning?”The laptop screen flickered against the dark walls of my office. Julian stared back at me, his jaw set so tight the skin around his mouth looked grey. His uniform was immaculate, every button on his collar done up to the throat.“That is not what I meant, Penelope,” he said.I leaned back in my chair and let out a dry, rattling laugh. “Didn’t you Blue-Claw Pack folks scheme all this just to take me down a peg?”Julian blinked once, his eyes cold and steady through the digital feed. “You went too far today. Violence only drives resentment deeper. Just return the item to Melvin, and I will take care of the rest. I will clean up the mess online.”My finge
Julian POV“What did you say?!” Father Melvin roared through the comms.The sound tore through my skull.“Santiago went to Westview himself?!”I kept silent.My boots scraped against the cold stone floor of the Blue-Claw Pack headquarters.I leaned my weight against the heavy oak desk just to stay upright.The world tilted under my feet.It was over.Everything we built was over.The reporters Father sent to humiliate Penelope did not break her.They did not force her to crawl back to us.Instead, they delivered a massive slap across our faces in front of the Lycan King himself.This was not a simple family dispute anymore.This was an act of total war against the Rogue Pack royal family.It was direct.It was unprovoked.It was completely unforgivable.&ldquo
Penelope POV"Get back in the car, Penelope," Leif says, his hand slamming against the cold metal of the VIP exit door.I don't move. I pull the black cap lower until the brim cuts off my vision, hiding everything but the hundreds of lenses flashing on the other side of the glass."They are waiting for a bloodbath," Leif mutters, his fingers twitching toward his waist where his piece is tucked into his belt. "Let me take the front. You take the tunnel.""No," I say.I push past his shoulder. My boot hits the concrete outside."Is it true you slept your way to the top of the Westview Governorship?" a reporter yells, shoving a microphone five inches from my nose.
Penelope POV"You actually did it, then."Cooper stood in the centre of my drawing-room, his heavy wool coat still dusted with grey soot from the North Road.
Penelope POV"Get out of my seat, Leif."My voice cuts through the quiet of the office like a blade. I do not look up from the tablet in my hands.
Penelope POV"You are really not worried people will believe there is something going on between us?"I keep my voice flat. I do not look up from my teacup. The rose te
Penelope POV"Your Excellency... have mercy... I was wrong..."Tallulah whispers the words through a throat full of fluid. She lies on the ruined Persian rug in the center of the Silvermoon Salon.I do not move. I do not blink.The velvet drapes around the room are torn. Glass from smashed wine bott







