Chapter 2

I looked down at Molly's hand on my wrist.

"Compensation for what?"

Molly tightened her grip.

"You entered a private meeting area in Silver Ridge without a verified pack identity. You wore a bracelet that looks like a royal heirloom, and you came here to get close to our Alpha. Under pack security rules, you owe an identity review fee and security compensation before you leave."

I looked past her, straight at Adrian.

"Alpha Vale, is this your rule?"

Adrian's expression shifted.

"Molly's wording is harsh, but Silver Ridge has had problems with outsiders before. Some women have faked bloodlines and used private meetings to gain access to pack resources."

"So your solution is to let your childhood friend accuse an invited guest of fraud and charge her for it?"

"If you have nothing to hide, the review will clear your name."

Molly smiled.

"Exactly. Pay the fee, register your pack, and wait until we confirm who you are. Then you can go."

I pulled my wrist free.

"I was invited here. I did not cross your border in secret, and I did not ask for access to your pack records, your treasury, or your Luna seat. I came to a formal meeting that Adrian Vale agreed to attend."

Molly's smile faded.

"A woman with no escort, no formal notice, and no named pack does not walk into Silver Ridge wearing something that looks like a royal bracelet unless she wants people to assume she is important."

The moonstone bracelet sat cool against my skin. Molly saw only a pretty object and thought it was part of an act.

"I am leaving," I said.

I picked up my bag and stepped around her.

Molly raised her voice before I reached the door.

"Guards."

Several Silver Ridge guards entered and took their places near the exit. They carried gray review bands at their belts, the kind used for unidentified border wolves, but they did not reach for them yet.

Molly folded her arms.

"She stays until the review is complete."

I looked at Adrian.

"You are detaining me inside your lodge."

"No one is detaining you," Adrian said. "We are asking you to cooperate with a security procedure."

"A procedure invented after I refused to let Molly insult me."

Molly stepped closer.

"My father oversees lodge access and visitor records. I know the rules better than an outsider who will not even name her pack."

"Then bring your father here. Or bring the Council liaison assigned to Silver Ridge. If this is a real security matter, handle it through a real channel."

Her eyes narrowed.

"You think you can demand Council involvement?"

"I think you should stop pretending personal jealousy is pack security."

Molly's face flushed.

Adrian moved to stand beside her.

"Isabella, you are escalating this for no reason. Molly is protective of Silver Ridge and of me. Her approach may be emotional, but her concern is not unreasonable."

"She called me a fake Luna climber, accused me of chasing your title, implied I used other Alphas for money, and now she wants twenty thousand dollars before I am allowed to leave. Which part of that sounds reasonable to you?"

Adrian did not answer quickly enough.

Molly seized the silence.

"Twenty thousand is not much for someone wearing luxury brands from head to toe. Unless those things are not real."

"I can pay twenty thousand."

"Then pay it."

"I will not pay for your insult."

The room went quiet.

Molly looked as if I had slapped her.

"You arrogant little liar."

Adrian's voice turned colder.

"That is enough from both of you."

"No," I said, looking at him. "It was enough the moment she walked in. You should have ended it then."

His expression darkened.

"Silver Ridge may not be a royal pack, but I received you with respect."

"You let her question my bloodline in your dining room. You let her block the door. You let your guards stand between me and the exit. If this is your idea of respect, then Silver Ridge and I have nothing else to discuss."

Molly's anger sharpened.

"Do you know how many women would fight for a chance to become Luna of Silver Ridge?"

"I am not one of them. I have no interest in your Alpha, and I have no interest in his Luna position. I came because my father asked me to give this meeting a chance. That chance is over."

For the first time, Adrian looked truly offended.

"Your father asked you to give Silver Ridge a chance?" he repeated. "Who exactly do you think you are?"

I looked at him, then decided he did not deserve the answer yet.

"I am someone who has no reason to stay in this room any longer."

I stepped forward.

Molly flicked her gaze toward the guards. Two of them closed the gap at the door. A third guard reached from the side and caught my arm.

His fingers locked around my sleeve and skin.