LOGIN"That fang is known as the Ancestor Fang."
Penelope's voice cuts through the crowded ballroom like a razor blade slicing through wet paper.
The sound makes my lungs lock up.
I lift my head so fast a muscle snaps in my neck.
Blood rushes straight to my ears.
A heavy, sickening pulse drums against my temples.
She knows.
The bitch actually knows what it is.
My boots feel glued to th
Penelope POV"We didn't know she was your daughter."Chloe's voice shakes as the words burst out of her.My father does not blink. His posture is a granite wall."Does her bloodline change the fact that you starved her?" My father's voice drops the temperature in the room by ten degrees. "Are you telling me that her agony is my fault because I did not hand you a birth certificate?""That girl is a liar." Chloe points a crooked finger at me, her knuckles white. "Penelope lied to every single person in the Blue-Claw Pack.""Yes." I step forward, the soles of my boots clicking against the marble floor. "It is entirely my fault."Chloe blinks, her mout
Melvin POV"That fang is known as the Ancestor Fang."Penelope's voice cuts through the crowded ballroom like a razor blade slicing through wet paper.The sound makes my lungs lock up.I lift my head so fast a muscle snaps in my neck.Blood rushes straight to my ears.A heavy, sickening pulse drums against my temples.She knows.The bitch actually knows what it is.My boots feel glued to the polished floorboards.I stare at her.The velvet box sits in her hand, open, catching the glare of the heavy crystal chandeliers.That tooth is not just old bone.It is the foundation of the Blue-Claw Pack.Our ancestors bled for it.Our alphas swore oaths on it.And she is holding it like a piece of cheap costume jewellery."Wait!"The word rips out of my throat before I can stop it.
Penelope 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“Have me apologise by licking her shoes?”Penelope turns her gaze on me. Her lips curl into a cold smile of unfiltered mockery.“You probably thought the same thing, didn’t you?” she says.Her eyes cut straight through me. She digs right down to that old instinct I try to bury. My habit o
Julian POV"You think you can just drive away from this?"I slam the steering wheel with the heel of my palm. The horn blares, a sharp, metallic screech that cuts through the heavy drone of the afternoon traffic outside Moon Cafe. The engine of my SUV idles with a low, violent rumble, vibrating stra
Penelope POV"Let it go, big brother."My hand tightened on Cooper's sleeve. The expensive wool bunched under my fingers."It is just dinner," I said. "No need to stoop to their level and ruin the mood."Across the table, Marcella and her mother sat rigid. Their faces twisted. The silence between us
Penelope POV"Where is the manager?!"Marcella stands up so fast her chair screeches against the tile. Her finger points straight at my nose."What kind of place is this? You just let trash walk in now?!"Every single person in the Moon Cafe stops chewing. Heads turn. Glasses clink against porcelain







