LOGINI stared him down."None of your business."Derek's fists clenched white.Damon stepped forward."Aria. We need a private word.""No." I didn't even pause. "Internal Affairs at the Five Families is going to pin that fake Rogue ambush on you. Save your breath for Pack court."I walked past them.Lucas signaled. Warriors blocked the two of them.Derek snarled like an animal."Aria is mine! I lived with her for three years!"Lucas let out a cold laugh."Three years and you never marked her? A low-rank Beta would protect his Omega better than you did."Derek had nothing.Damon's brow pulled tight."Lucas. You're going to mark her.""Damn right." Lucas held his stare. "And I'm never letting either of you near her again."They turned and stalked off, fuming.At the same moment.Victoria got a message from her PR handler.[Victoria. You need to hear this song. Alpha Lucas just declared Aria is the real W. Cresthaven Pack legal already sent a cease-and-desist.]Victoria opened the song.A clea
I didn't look at him again. I walked into the dark.Derek stood there like an empty shell.Damon caught up."Did you find Aria?"Derek's eyes were hollow."Brother. The pup. Gone."On the other side of the wall.My signing ceremony was underway.Lucas signed the Pack contract on parchment.He turned to the official Pack press."Aria will be the sole Songweaver under Cresthaven Pack.""She is the real W. The wolf who took home the Moonlit Voice crown three years ago."The hall erupted."Aria is the real W! Victoria is nothing!"I turned to Lucas."I wrote a new song. Hold the contract announcement until I record it. Release them together.""Done."Late that night.Lucas drove me to the penthouse on top of the Pack tower himself.Cold minimalist style inside. Set with my favorite white roses.A walk-in closet packed with designer dresses.My skincare lined up on the vanity."Alpha Lucas. Are these... Pack benefits too?"He leaned against the doorframe. Eyes fixed on me."What if I told y
Victoria turned bone white.The screen flashed again.Third clip on.The Alpha on top this time was the same young wolf standing in the hall.The crowd lost it."Victoria is a real bitch in heat."Damon snapped.Eyes red, he slapped Victoria across the face."You filthy whore. I was blind."I watched the whole circus with cold eyes.I turned to Lucas and said it quietly. "Thank you."Lucas's mouth pulled into a slow smile."My pleasure."The former Alpha and Luna burst in.The former Alpha drove a fist straight into Damon's jaw."You idiot! Victoria was supposed to be your sister-in-law!"The Luna stormed over and cracked Victoria across the face.In the chaos, Victoria pointed at me."It was Aria! She set this up to destroy me!"I stared back at her.I felt my voice settle in my throat.I opened my mouth. Loud. Clean. Cutting through every shout."You wanted to use this dirty trick on me. Funny how it nailed you to the wall instead."The hall went dead quiet.Derek swayed on his feet.
I curled my lip. Signed: So what.Victoria shook with rage. She fired Damon a savage look.Damon nodded and signaled the booth.The big screen lit up.Two naked bodies tangled across it.Heavy panting. Female screams. Filling the hall.Filthy footage.Just as I focused on the woman's face, a wide warm hand covered my eyes from behind.Lucas.His chest pressed against my back.Low rough voice in my ear."Eyes that pretty don't need to see this."A second later, Victoria's scream split the ceiling."What is this! Cut it! Cut it now!"The woman on screen, getting pounded raw.Wasn't me.It was Victoria.And the Alpha on top of her was Damon.The hall went dead silent. Then the noise blew open.Lucas had sent me the video the night before.His Pack tech hacked Victoria's apartment cameras and pulled the highlights.In the video, Victoria was clearly all in.She was rolling her hips for the camera."Yes, Damon! You're so much better than that loser Derek!"Victoria went white as paper.She
I shoved the song draft into my bag and walked out the front door without looking back.Half an hour later, an armored G-Wagon roared up to the gate.The window rolled down. Lucas. Hard jaw, dangerous eyes.I climbed in.The SUV peeled off just as Derek's black Maybach passed in the other lane.Derek caught a scent. He turned hard in his seat and stared after the SUV.His phone buzzed. Victoria.[Aria isn't answering. The ceremony is starting. Where is my song?]He looked down to type.When he looked up, the SUV was gone.The Maybach pulled into the driveway.Derek pushed open the door. The house felt dead cold.Every trace of me. Every scent. Wiped clean.He took the stairs two at a time."Aria! Is the song done?"A maid stepped out, shaking."Alpha. Aria... she's gone. The boxes... she ran them through the Pack incinerator."Derek froze.Today was his Mating Ceremony. Why would she destroy everything and leave?Unless she knew.He shoved the thought down.Derek texted: [Aria. Where a
A second of silence."I know. Congratulations."His voice was calm. Like he'd been waiting for this."Your mother's exit clearance comes through in three days. My Warriors will fly her out. Your initiation into Cresthaven Pack. Any specific requests?"I thought about it."At the Ritz Estate. In three days. Possible?""Done."The Ritz Estate was where Derek and Victoria were holding their Mating Ceremony.Once my mother was safe, I'd show up at their ceremony and tear them apart in front of every wolf in the Five Families.Two days in the hospital. Then I cabbed back to the house.I packed every item from the past three years into boxes and ordered the staff to dump them.Derek walked in just as the boxes went out.He stared."What is this?"I signed: Trash."Is the song done?"I signed: Still polishing. You'll have it tomorrow.He nodded. Voice flat."Hurry up. Victoria's losing patience."I watched him climb the stairs and smiled inside.My phone buzzed. The Alpha group chat Derek had







