Chapter 4

My phone buzzed in the cup holder, the screen flashing Marcus Thorne’s name. I answered it on the first ring, merging onto the highway. 

“Ms. Vance,” Marcus said, his voice crisp and professional. “I have some excellent news. The downtown penthouse you listed this morning already has a buyer.

 The only hiccup is their liquidity. They’re a bit cash-poor at the moment and need to sell their current residence to fund the purchase. They’re hoping for a direct property trade, with you covering the difference in value.”I tapped the brakes, keeping my eyes on the rearview mirror. “Can they close within a week? I need liquid cash, Marcus. Not a prolonged escrow.”“Well,” Marcus hesitated, the sound of shuffling papers coming through the speaker. 

“The property they’re offering is in Crescent Heights. It’s a prime location, highly sought after by the pack’s elite and the wealthy human socialites. But it just hit the market, so a traditional cash buyer would take a month to close.”“Where exactly in Crescent Heights?” I asked, my pulse giving a sudden, sharp thump. 

“The cliffside cul-de-sac. Lot 14. It’s the elevated estate at the very end of the road. Best view of the valley, highest property value in the sector.”A cold, sharp smile cut across my face. Lot 14. I knew it well. It was the exact house Silas had been secretly saving pack funds to buy for Elara once he officially named her Luna. 

It sat on a steep incline, completely isolated from the flood zones, with thick stone walls and a reinforced three-car garage. It was already a fortress. And it was located in the exact same neighborhood where Silas, Elara, and the rest of his parasitic inner circle currently lived. “I’ll take the trade,” I said, my voice leaving no room for negotiation. Marcus actually choked on his breath.

 “Excuse me?”“You heard me. We trade the penthouse for Lot 14. They pay me the difference in cash. Get the paperwork drawn up.”“Ms. Vance, that’s a brilliant move. The commission on this…” He didn’t finish, but I could hear the greedy grin in his voice. “I’ll call the buyer right now. If they agree, I can have the keys to you in an hour.”“Do it quickly.

***

.”Thirty minutes later, I was standing in the grand foyer of Lot 14. The previous owners had already moved out, leaving the massive space echoing and empty. The hardwood floors gleamed under the afternoon sun streaming through the floor-to-ceiling windows. 

It was beautiful. But beauty wouldn't stop a corrupted beast from tearing through drywall, and it wouldn't keep out the freezing blood-winds of the apocalypse. I sat cross-legged on the floor, my laptop balanced on my knees, and opened my email. 

I had already sent out a mass inquiry to the top five high-security renovation firms in the city. My inbox was flooded with replies. I hired all of them, splitting the mansion into five zones. When the lead contractors arrived an hour later, I didn't waste time with pleasantries. I unrolled the original blueprints across the kitchen island and pulled out a red marker. 

“The standard insulation is useless to me,” I told the foreman, a grizzled shifter named Briggs who looked like he chewed gravel for breakfast.

 “I want the exterior walls reinforced with steel rebar and poured concrete. The windows need to be ripped out and replaced with three-inch polycarbonate bulletproof glass. I need a commercial-grade water filtration system installed in the basement, and the roof needs to be retrofitted to hold the weight of heavy snow and solar panels.”Briggs stared at the blueprints, then at me. 

“Lady, this isn’t a house renovation. This is a bunker. It’s going to cost a fortune and take at least two months.”“I’m paying fifty percent above your standard labor rate,” I said smoothly, sliding a printed contract across the island. “And I’m adding a hundred-thousand-dollar bonus if you have it finished and up to code in twenty days. Cash, upon completion.”Briggs’s eyes widened. The greed warring with his shock was written plainly on his scarred face.

 Finally, he smirked and snatched the pen. “You got it, boss. We’ll start tearing down the drywall tonight.

”Fifty miles away, Luna Diane pulled her designer scarf up over her nose, trying to block out the smell. The discount butcher shop smelled of cheap bleach, raw copper, and desperation. It was a human-run store on the edge of the territory, the kind of place where shifters only came when they were completely broke. 

Diane wrinkled her nose in disgust as she stared at the package of discounted chicken backs in the freezer. Her stomach gave a pathetic, hollow rumble. If that ungrateful little omega hadn’t walked out, Diane wouldn’t be caught dead in a place like this. She was used to imported, hormone-free elk steaks delivered straight to the Alpha estate.

 But with Lyra gone, the monthly stipend she had been siphoning from the pack’s medical fund had dried up. Silas was too distracted by Elara to notice, and the pack elders were suddenly auditing the books. She grabbed the chicken, keeping her head down. She just needed to get home before any of the pack wives saw her.

 “Oh, Diane! What a surprise!”Diane flinched, her claws accidentally extending a fraction of an inch before she forced them back. She turned to see Claudia Sterling, a wealthy human socialite and one of Elara’s closest friends, pushing a cart piled high with premium wagyu beef and organic produce. 

Diane forced a tight, fake smile. “Claudia. Just… picking up a few things for a stew.”Claudia’s eyes flicked to the pathetic package of chicken bones in Diane’s hand, her lips twitching in suppressed amusement. “How quaint. Well, I’m actually in a fantastic mood today. I just secured a new property.”Diane’s jaw tightened. Jealousy, sharp and bitter, flared in her chest. “Oh? Where?”“Right here in Crescent Heights. Lot 14. The cliffside estate,” 

Claudia beamed, completely oblivious to the fact that Lot 14 was the exact house Silas had been coveting. “I traded my downtown penthouse for it. 

The seller was in a massive rush.”Diane’s breath hitched. Lot 14? Silas was going to be furious. “Who sold it to you?”“Oh, some girl named Lyra. Lyra Vance,” Claudia said, waving a hand dismissively. “She’s the omega who just got rejected by your Alpha, right?

 I have to say, I assumed she was some penniless stray you all took pity on, but she’s sitting on a massive trust fund. She traded the penthouse straight up and is probably rolling in the cash difference.”The supermarket suddenly felt very cold. Diane stared at Claudia, her mind short-circuiting. “Lyra? You’re saying Lyra bought a penthouse downtown? And she traded it for Lot 14?”“Well, yes,” Claudia laughed, adjusting her grip on her cart. “Didn’t you know? Her lawyer was bragging about it at the country club. Apparently, her biological parents left her a staggering inheritance. 

She owns at least four other luxury properties across the state. Who knew the little stray was actually an heiress?”The package of chicken bones slipped from Diane’s numb fingers, hitting the linoleum floor with a dull thud. An heiress. The word echoed in her head, deafening and absolute. All those times Diane had mocked Lyra for wearing the same two coats. 

All those times she had forced Lyra to beg for grocery money, pocketing the difference to buy her own jewelry. She hadn’t been humiliating a poor, dependent omega. She had been humiliating a multi-millionaire. 

And worse she had driven her away. “Are you alright, dear?” Claudia asked, looking at Diane’s pale face with mild concern. Diane didn’t answer. She turned and bolted out of the store, her heart hammering against her ribs in a frantic, panicked rhythm. Silas had to know. They had to fix this. They had to get that money back.