Chapter 3

Caleb and I pulled up to the house, but Sophia was already there, blocking the driveway. She was fuming.

"Caleb! I only bribed the staff at the Pack House for you! How dare you fire her!"

Caleb snapped. "Oh, so now you’re the victim?"

Sophia pointed a shaking finger at me. "Would I have to do it if you actually made me feel secure? Ever since she showed up, you’ve changed! I told you I was done, and you didn't even try to chase me!"

"What does Tessa have to do with this? Sophia, I never realized how delusional you could be when you’re in the wrong!"

"You’re actually taking her side? Fine. Great! Caleb, we are over!" Sophia scrambled into her car, sobbing, and floored it down the street.

Caleb looked like he wanted to go after her, but his pride won out. He grabbed my arm and marched me inside. "Let’s go. Let her go."

We’d been up since dawn for the ceremony and hadn't even touched a bite of food. The first thing I did was order the household staff to fix breakfast. Per Hale tradition, every new residence is assigned a team of Omega staff who report directly to the mistress of the house.

The food had just hit the table when Caleb’s phone rang. It was one of his friends. His face went white.

"What? Sophia was in a wreck?" He grabbed his keys and bolted.

I elegantly dabbed my mouth with a napkin and signaled the staff to clear the table. Then, I called Riley.

Riley was my private investigator, a guy I’d hand-picked and trained since college. The second I woke up in this life, I’d put him back on payroll. The entire web of informants across the Pack House, the Hale estate, and the Vance manor was his handiwork.

Riley chuckled on the other end of the line. "Wreck? Please. They’ve already made up. Caleb’s currently pinned to Sophia’s lips in a parking lot. Want the video feed?"

I frowned. "Ignore them. Watch Lacey. Is the crew I planted in Damon’s wing of the estate still in place?"

"Ready and waiting. I swapped in a new batch of Omega housekeepers a few days ago. Pin-hole cameras are live inside and out."

I nodded. After the stunt Lacey pulled today, airing the family’s dirty laundry in front of the Council, there was no way Damon wasn't going to "discipline" her.

Riley scrambled to switch his monitors. A few minutes later, his voice came back, crackling with a mix of shock and adrenaline.

"Holy shit, Tessa. This is dark. Damon’s got her behind locked doors. He’s stripped her bare."

"Jesus, this guy is a psycho. He’s using silver-tipped needles on her. She’s screaming her head off—since she can’t shift into her wolf form right now, she’s feeling every single prick."

"Oh, god!" Riley’s voice suddenly went cold with horror. "Damon just let a Rogue wolf into the room... He’s a monster!"

My hand stilled. "Record everything."

In my last life, Damon tried the same intimidation tactics to get my shares. I didn't break. Instead, I promised to help him take over the entire Blackridge Pack. He spent weeks testing my competence before he finally backed off.

But this time, Lacey didn't just withhold shares; she humiliated him.

"Disgusting," Riley muttered. Even as a former tabloid rat who had seen it all, he sounded sickened.

I felt nothing. This was the bed Lacey made for herself, wasn't it?

"Send me a copy. And keep a tail on her."

Knowing Lacey, she wouldn't have the spine to take Damon down herself. Instead, she’d try to drag me to hell with her. I wasn't going to give her the chance.

Sure enough, after breaking under the torture and handing over her shares, Lacey reached out to Sophia.

In our last life, they were bitter rivals. For Lacey to drop the grudge and ask for a meeting, there could only be one reason.

By nightfall, I had my answer.