Chapter 5

Chloe's POV

I had just hopped onto my beat-up, chipped bike when a sharp, familiar voice sliced through the air from behind. "What the hell are you doing here?"

It was my foster mother—Luna Regina.

The heavy scent of her rose perfume couldn't mask the stinging pheromones of pure rejection rolling off her.

I frowned. The last thing I wanted was a run-in with anyone from the Frostclaw Pack. But trouble has a way of finding me, like a hyena catching the scent of blood.

I looked over and saw a group of socialites standing a few yards away.

My foster father, Alpha Morris, was playing the doting parent, hovering over Rita—the "real" daughter they'd just brought home.

Rita was clinging to the arm of a silver-haired older woman, whispering something that made the lady pat her hand with an elegant smile.

Regina clearly didn't want their high-society friends seeing me.

She stepped sideways, physically blocking my view of the group.

"I'm talking to you," she hissed. "Why are you here?"

She was trying to keep her "classy Luna" mask on, but the way she was white-knuckling her designer clutch gave her away.

"Chloe, you were exiled yesterday. Your biological parents are in some backwater town in Oregon. Why aren't you there? Why are you hanging around the Caesar Hotel like a stalker?"

In her twisted head, I was obviously there to crash their party.

"If that ten thousand wasn't enough, I can add more," she said, her eyes dragging over me with pure judgment.

I was in a plain T-shirt and jeans, no makeup.

In LA, that's just a Tuesday. To her, it was the uniform of a loser.

She took a breath and lowered her voice to a patronizing whisper. "I get it. You're used to the luxury. You don't want to go back to being poor. But Frostclaw doesn't owe a rogue anything. There's fifty grand on this card. Take it and get out of my sight. Now."

I leaned one hand on my handlebars, unimpressed. I was just about to tell her where to shove that card when the silver-haired woman drifted over.

"Regina, dear? Who is this? A friend?" The woman's eyes were cold and elitist.

Regina's icy stare melted instantly into a fake, sugary smile. "Just the child of a low-ranking pack member from the border. We ran into each other. She didn't exactly wake up with a strong wolf, so she's struggling a bit. I was just offering her some... personal support."

"I see." The old lady nodded, looking over at Rita. "Rita takes after you. Such a kind heart."

Rita looked at me with those "innocent" eyes, acting like she was too shy to speak.

Then she tilted her head, her voice like a feather. "Mother always says that showing mercy is the first duty of a healer."

"Perfectly said." The old lady beamed and turned to Alpha Morris. "Morris, the Moon Goddess has blessed you. Your daughter is exceptional."

Morris's eyes flickered. Whatever tiny shred of affection he once had for me officially died in that moment.

To him, I was a ticking time bomb for his reputation. Rita was his ticket to the top.

Morris stepped up. "Regina, take the Lady inside. I'll handle this."

Regina sighed, playing the part of the grieving mother perfectly. "Talk some sense into her, Morris. The poor girl is having a hard time."

Her eyes, however, said something else: "You don't belong in this world. Crawl back into your hole."

Alpha Morris glanced at me. I could hear his wolf growling deep in his chest—he was annoyed.

He shoved a black card into my hand, his eyes dark with a warning.

"Chloe. Take the card, say thank you, and vanish," he whispered, his voice vibrating with suppressed rage. "Don't make me get physical."

I got it.

Today was Rita's big debut into the werewolf social circles.

To him, I was a piece of trash stuck to the bottom of his shoe.

I leaned against my seat, my eyes cold and mocking.

When I heard the words "thank you," my lips curled into a smirk.

Fifty grand.

Take the money, run, and be grateful?

They really had it all figured out. They wanted to paint me as the greedy, broke "parasite" in front of their rich friends.

Just when they thought I was going to tuck my tail and crawl away with my "blood money"—

I snapped my wrist.

The card caught the light as it flew through the air. It hit Morris square in the chest before sliding down his expensive suit and hitting the dirt.

The air went dead silent.

Regina's mask finally shattered. "Are you insane?" she screamed. "We're trying to help you! Don't push your luck!"

"Help me?" I propped my chin on my hand and let out a dry laugh. "Mrs. Marshall, I'm not interested in your family drama. But Mr. Marshall? You should probably save that money for her life insurance. Since she's the homewrecker, her wolf must be rotting from the inside out by now, right?"