Chapter 3

Isabelle’s POV

Five years later

"Welcome back to Boston, Mom," Hannah said, tugging lightly on the sleeve of my expensive coat.

I looked down at my eldest daughter and smiled, stepping out of the bustling sliding doors of Logan International Airport.

The crisp autumn air hit my face, a massive contrast to the warm climate we had left behind in California.

Five years ago, I left this exact city bleeding, broken, and floating face-down in a freezing river.

Now, I was walking back onto this concrete territory on my own terms, smelling like extreme wealth and absolute power.

I was no longer the pathetic little girl who cried over a man's cold words or begged pack elders for a scrap of respect.

"Is this the place where you used to live?" Leo asked, his little hand gripping the strap of his backpack tightly.

He was already looking around the terminal curb with a defensive glare, his tiny shoulders completely square.

"Yes, buddy, but we are just here for a very important business meeting," I replied, running a hand through his dark hair.

Mia stood quietly by my side, her big, intuitive eyes scanning the crowded rows of parked cars and yellow taxis.

"The air smells loud here," Mia whispered, wrinkling her small nose as she leaned closer into my leg.

"That is just the city energy, sweetie," I told her, kissing the top of her head before gesturing to a black SUV pulling up.

My private driver hopped out immediately, bowing his head respectfully before grabbing our designer luggage pieces.

I ushered the triplets into the spacious backseat, sealing them away behind the heavily tinted bulletproof glass.

Nobody in the werewolf world had any idea these three beautiful children even existed.

I spent the last half-decade using my technology skills to completely wipe my medical records and mask our location.

Even better, I invented an advanced digital blocking device that completely scrambled our natural wolf scents.

To any shifter walking past us right now, my kids and I just smelled like completely ordinary, upper-class humans.

We arrived at our new luxury penthouse downtown within twenty minutes, the security gates clicking locked behind us.

The apartment was a fortress, equipped with biometric scanners and a private elevator that required my personal thumbprint.

"You guys stay here with Nora, okay?" I told them, kneeling down as the nanny began unpacking their toys. "Mommy has to go to a big party for work, but I will be home before you guys go to sleep."

"Go crush them, Mom," Hannah said with a sharp little grin that looked way too mature for a five-year-old.

"I always do," I whispered, feeling a fierce wave of pride wash over my chest as I looked at them.

I changed into a perfectly tailored emerald green suit, the fabric clinging to my body like a second skin.

My reflection in the full-length mirror showed a woman with cold, calculating eyes and a completely untouchable aura.

I left the penthouse and rode the private elevator down to the basement garage, where my security team was waiting.

The drive to the convention center was completely silent, my mind focusing entirely on the digital battlefield ahead.

Aegis Systems was about to launch our new global cybersecurity framework, a system that every major corporation needed.

More importantly, it was a framework that Blackwood Holdings desperately required to fix their collapsing transport networks.

Conall was bleeding money out of his ears from digital sabotage, and I held the only medical cure in my hands.

I bypassed the main entrance of the convention center, taking the secure back elevator straight to the green room.

My executive director, Marcus, was pacing back and forth on the carpet, holding a sleek silver tablet.

"You are late, Isabelle," Marcus said, looking up with a massive sigh of relief flooding his face. "The crowd out there is going absolutely crazy. Every single billionaire in New England is sitting in that ballroom."

"Calm down, Marcus," I said, taking the tablet from his hands and skimming the final presentation slides. "Is the encryption framework fully locked in?"

"Yes, it is flawless," he replied, adjusting his tie with shaking fingers. "But the organizers are demanding to know your name before you walk out. They are tired of calling you the anonymous architect."

"Tell them they will hear my name when the announcer speaks it," I said, handing the tablet back to him.

I walked over to the heavy velvet curtains that separated the quiet backstage area from the massive grand ballroom.

I parted the fabric by a fraction of an inch, peeking out at the ocean of expensive suits and glittering dresses.

The room was packed to maximum capacity, filled with high-profile human executives and hidden pack leaders.

My eyes immediately scanned the VIP section, searching for the one face I knew would be waiting in the dark.

There he was. Conall Blackwood was sitting in the center row, his jaw clenched tightly as he stared at the stage.

He looked exactly the same, maybe a little more exhausted, with those same storm-grey eyes that used to make me freeze.

He had no idea that the anonymous tech genius he came to beg for a corporate partnership was his dead wife.

"Are you ready for this?" Marcus whispered, stepping up behind me as a crew member adjusted my microphone line.

"I have been ready for five years," I muttered, my voice completely flat and devoid of any human warmth.

The master of ceremonies walked up to the central podium, his voice booming out across the state-of-the-art speakers.

The massive crowd immediately fell into an expectant silence, the clinking of champagne glasses stopping completely.

"Ladies and gentlemen," the announcer proclaimed, gesturing broadly toward the massive digital screens on the wall. "Tonight, we are privileged to finally meet the hidden mind behind the fastest-growing technology empire in America."

My heart did not speed up. My palms did not sweat. I felt completely numb and entirely focused.

"The majority shareholder and chief technical director of Aegis Systems," the announcer shouted into the microphone. "Please welcome Isabelle Loren."

The heavy double doors at the side of the stage swung open with a loud, dramatic click that echoed through the room.

The bright spotlight shifted instantly, blinding me for a split second as the crowd began to applaud loudly.

I stepped out from behind the velvet curtains, my high heels clicking sharply against the polished wooden stage.

I threw my shoulders back and looked directly down into the VIP section, locking my eyes onto my target.

‘Hello… Husband.’