6

"Your appetite has returned, Sierra. The infusion I brewed should have cleared the silver-rye from your system."

"Thank you, Elaine. My wolf was starving. I didn't get a single bite at the cafe before everything went sideways."

"I’ve left some flatbread and dried venison here. A pregnant female shouldn't go without, especially with the high-rank blood your pups carry."

"They're already demanding their share of the kill, Elaine. I can feel them."

"I'll leave you to it, Mistress."

"Wait—Timothy? I’ll make sure there’s no mess on the furs."

"You remember my rules, then. No eating in the sleeping quarters."

"Hunger doesn't care about your rules, Alpha. And neither do they."

"You’ve grown quite close to that designer, Felix. Close enough to meet the matriarch of his pack."

"It isn't what your wolf senses, Timothy. Felix took a blow for me. The meal was a debt of honor, nothing more. His mother simply intruded."

"So the debt is paid? Then where is my meal, Sierra? I was the one who pulled you from the rogue territory."

"You're a busy Alpha. I assumed Steele Industries required your constant attention. My gratitude is a private matter. I wish you a prosperous reign and a quiet territory."

"Is that all? A wish for prosperity? You’re wasting your talent in that small studio. Felix is a scavenger; he has roving eyes and hidden agendas. He isn't worthy of a Vaughn, even one playing at being an omega."

"That is my concern, not yours."

"Is he so vital to you that you’d stay in that cage?"

"Think what you like, Timothy. Your opinion doesn't reach me anymore."

"If it weren't for the elders and the memory of my grandmother, I wouldn't waste my breath on you."

"Mistress, are you awake? I brought lemon-water for the haze in your head."

"Thank you, Naomi. I need to leave. My presence in the Steele Residence is no longer appropriate."

"Before you go... could you help me? The Alpha’s dressing chamber is a disaster. No matter how I arrange his ceremonial robes, he growls about the placement. I’m at my wit's end."

"He’s predictable if you know the signs. On a storm-day, give him the dark charcoal furs and the silver clasp. On a clear hunt, go with the lighter leathers."

"And if his wolf is restless? How do I tell his mood?"

"Prepare two sets. Let him choose. He’s pickier than a High Elder and twice as arrogant. He won't be satisfied regardless of your effort."

"Is that your honest assessment of me, Sierra?"

"Mistress! I... Alpha!"

"It’s alright, Naomi. Go. I rarely speak behind a wolf's back, Timothy. I prefer to bite from the front."

"So I heard. Am I truly that difficult to please? I never complained about your questionable taste for three years."

"You called me colorblind because a sheet was a shade too deep for your liking. You wore boots that blistered your feet and then told me the better ones I found were beneath your status. Don't lie to yourself, Alpha."

"Holly is clearly struggling. Perhaps she should be exiled from the household staff."

"She’s improving. You’re just being a tyrant. Are you really threatening a servant to get to me?"

"I focus on the strength of the pack, not the feelings of the individual. If she can't perform, she goes. Unless, of course, a professional stylist intervenes."

"I am an interior designer for the Vaughn estates now. My time costs gold."

"A thousand gold pieces."

"You think my integrity has a price?"

"Three thousand."

"You have too much gold and too little sense, Timothy. Why would I dress my ex-mate?"

"Ten thousand gold pieces for one session."

"Ten thousand. Paid upfront. And no revisions once the choice is made."

"Where did that Vaughn pride go?"

"It’s right here. It simply recognizes a lucrative hunt when it sees one. Now, what is the occasion?"

"A Great-Pack gala this weekend. The Northern Lords will all be present."

"Holly, open the cedar chest. Take out the crimson silk tunic. The one that matches a blood-moon. Pair it with the white wolf-fur cloak."

"Mistress? The Alpha only wears black and grey. This is... bold."

"Trust me, Holly. I’m the designer he paid for. This is the look."

"Sierra, what are you eating on the street at this hour?"

"Connor! I... I was just hungry. A late-night snack."

"I'll have what she's having. Watching you eat like a wolf after a long hunt makes me hungry too."