Chapter three

FAMILY STORM

ANNIE'S POV

I pulled up to the Moonbane pack house with my stomach in knots. The big mansion looked the same as always, grand and impressive from the outside. But tonight it felt like walking into a battlefield. My hands were still shaking from what I had done in Karin’s office. The memory of slipping my panties into his pocket made my cheeks burn with embarrassment and a strange kind of excitement.

What did I do?

As soon as I stepped inside the main hall, Lina’s voice cut through the air like a sharp knife.

“Where are you coming from dressed like a slut?”

She stood near the grand staircase, her arms crossed over her chest. Her blonde hair was perfectly styled, and she wore one of her expensive designer dresses. Her brown eyes narrowed at me with pure disgust. Victor Moonbane, my father, sat in his favorite large chair like a king judging his subjects. His silver-streaked hair and the alpha signet ring on his finger made him look even more intimidating.

I stopped in the middle of the hall. My tight black dress suddenly felt too revealing under their stares.

Lina took a step closer. “Look at you. You smell like cheap perfume and desperation. Did you really think parading around the city in that dress would get you anywhere?”

Victor raised his hand. “Girls. Settle down.” His voice was calm but still carried authority. He looked at Lina with stern eyes. “Alpha Voss called. He said he’d be coming for dinner tonight. Lina, I trust you to be on your best behavior. No arguing with your sister. Your fiancé is visiting. We’re finalizing the wedding date, I think.”

My heart jumped. Karin had already called them. He was coming here. Tonight.

Lina smiled brightly, her anger toward me forgotten for a second. “Of course, Father. I’ll make sure everything is perfect. Karin Voss will see exactly why I’m the right choice for his Luna.”

“And Annie,” Victor said to me. “You can bring that boy you pretend not to like.”

“We’re no longer together,” I said loudly, looking straight at Lina. “Someone clearly can’t keep her legs closed around other people’s men.”

The room went dead silent for a second.

Lina’s face twisted with rage. “Bitch, what did you say?”

She started coming down on me fast, her heels clicking angrily on the marble floor. Her hand was already rising like she wanted to slap me again.

“You think you can talk to me like that?

Victor stood up slowly. “Enough!”

But Lina wasn’t done. She stopped right in front of me, her face red with anger. “You’ve always been jealous of me, Annie. Always. And now you think you can steal my future? Pathetic. Damon chose me because I’m better than you in every way. He said it himself, you were nothing to him. A convenient little toy.”

Her words hit hard, reopening the fresh wound in my chest. I could still see them together in that bedroom. Damon moving inside her. The way they laughed at me. The cake I baked smashed on the floor.

Tears burned in my eyes again, but I refused to let them fall. Not in front of them.

I stepped closer to Lina, my voice low but steady. “You knew I loved him. You knew we were together for three years. You introduced us. And yet, you still spread your legs for him behind my back. So tell me, who’s the real slut here, Lina?”

Lina’s hand flew up, but Victor grabbed her wrist before she could slap me again.

“Enough!” he shouted. “Both of you. This is not how Moonbane women behave. Alpha Voss is coming tonight, and I will not have this house turned into a circus.”

He turned to me with cold eyes. “Go upstairs to your room, Annie. Get cleaned up. And change out of that ridiculous dress. We have an important guest coming.”

Without another word, I turned and walked upstairs to my room. My legs felt heavy, but my mind was racing.

I closed the door behind me and leaned against it. The room was simple compared to Lina’s luxurious one down the hall. I was always the forgotten one.

I sat on the edge of the bed and buried my face in my hands. The pain from Damon’s betrayal hit me all over again. Three years of memories flashed through my mind,  his smiles, his promises, the way he held me at night. All lies.

But then I remembered Karin Voss. The way his body tensed when I kissed his neck. The way his gray eyes darkened. He hadn’t thrown me out. He hadn’t called security immediately. Something had shifted in him. I could feel it.

My wolf Liera stirred inside me.

He felt right. His wolf wanted us.

I stood up and walked to the mirror. My red lipstick was slightly smudged from the long day. My eyes looked tired but determined.

Tonight, Karin Voss was coming to this house. He was coming for dinner. And I had no idea what he would say or do.

Would he expose me? Would he reject me in front of everyone? Or… would he actually choose me?

A small, dangerous spark of hope lit up inside my chest.

I changed into a simple but elegant black dress, modest enough for Victor but still flattering. I fixed my makeup and brushed my hair. When I looked at myself again, I didn’t see the heartbroken girl anymore.

I saw someone who was fighting back.

A knock sounded on my door. One of the servants called out, “Miss Annie, Alpha Voss has arrived.”

My heart jumped into my throat.

This was it.

The game I started was about to get very real.

I took one last deep breath and opened the door. Whatever happened tonight, I would face it head on. For myself. For my wolf. And for the plan I had set in motion.