TOUCH HER, AND DIE

Cressida’s POV

"Payment?" I asked. My heart skipped a single beat, but I kept my face blank. I refused to show him any weakness.

Alaric smirked. His sharp teeth flashed in the dim light of the gloomy valley. He reached his massive hand right past my head and grabbed the muddy wall. His thick fingers broke off a huge chunk of raw silver straight from the dirt.

"A sample, partner," Alaric said, tossing the heavy silver ore into the air and catching it. "To make sure your product is pure."

He winked at me. His glowing silver eyes faded to a deep, striking blue. Before I could say another word, he turned around and vanished right back into the dark shadows of the forest.

Fast forward exactly two weeks.

The Northern Ridges weren't dead anymore. I built a massive, heavily guarded mining camp right over the muddy valley. The silver flowed out of the rocky ground every single day. The money piled up in my bank accounts faster than I could count it.

I sat in my new field office. I wore a sharp, tailored black suit and leaned against a large oak desk. I tapped my silver fountain pen against a fresh stack of profit reports.

Suddenly, the camp's loud warning horn blew.

The heavy wooden door to my office burst open. It slammed hard against the wall.

Dorian Cavendish marched inside. Five of his strongest pack warriors followed closely behind him. Mia clung tightly to his left arm. She wore a bright pink dress and a massive diamond necklace.

My jaw tightened. That was my favorite diamond necklace. Dorian conveniently forgot to return it to me before he kicked me out of the pack.

Dorian looked around my office in absolute shock. He stared at the detailed mining maps on the walls. He saw the gold coins and the huge blocks of refined, pure silver sitting in the corner of the room. He expected to find me starving and freezing in a dirty tent. Instead, he saw a wealthy empire.

His initial shock quickly turned into burning greed.

"What is the meaning of this, Cressida?" Dorian demanded. He stormed over and slapped both of his hands hard on my oak desk. "You used my pack's guards to find this mine! This silver belongs to the Silver Moon Pack. I am taking over this operation immediately."

I leaned back in my leather chair. I didn't even blink. I just smiled at his pure stupidity.

He actually believed he still owned me. The sheer arrogance radiating from him smelled like burnt copper. He really thought a silly pack title gave him the right to simply walk in and steal my hard work. I slowly picked up my coffee cup, taking a deliberate sip while he fumed.

"You signed the legal contract, Dorian," I said calmly. "This land and everything under it is legally mine. You have zero claim to my money."

Mia stepped forward. She acted sweet, but her brown eyes burned with deep jealousy. She reached across my desk and grabbed my silver fountain pen right out of my hand.

"Come on, Cressida," Mia said in her annoying, high-pitched voice. "We are family now. You should share your success with us. You have so much money, and you are being so selfish. Can I keep this pen? It is so pretty."

My patience finally snapped. I was done playing nice with these entitled children.

I stood up fast. Before anyone in the room could even blink, I swung my right arm back.

SMACK.

I slapped Mia directly across her face with all my strength. The sharp sound rang out as loud as a gunshot in the small office.

Mia screamed loudly. She lost her balance and fell hard to the wooden floor, dropping my expensive pen.

The room went dead silent. The five warriors froze. Dorian stared down at Mia crying on the floor. His eyes instantly turned pitch black with his wolf's deadly rage.

"You bitch!" Dorian roared.

His Alpha aura exploded inside the room, knocking the maps off the walls. He raised his heavy fist, aiming a lethal blow right at my head. He used full force. He intended to kill me right there.

I didn't flinch. I stood my ground and kept my eyes locked onto his black ones.

Before Dorian's fist could even touch my skin, a massive, scarred hand shot out from the dark corner of the room. It caught Dorian’s wrist in mid-air.

A loud, sickening crack echoed through the quiet office.

Dorian screamed in sudden agony as his thick bones broke under the intense pressure. He dropped straight to his knees.

Alaric Sterling stepped out of the shadows right behind me. His eyes glowed a deadly, bright silver.

"Only I get to put my hands on her, boy. Try it," Alaric growled softly, his voice shaking the wooden floorboards, "and you lose the arm.”