C4

Elowen Hartwell stands frozen in the biting, icy wind of the Sterling Metropolitan District, her dark hands trembling as she stares at Calloway Sterling holding open the velvet box containing the heavy silver signet ring of the Sterling Family. Behind him, the armored black SUV idle hums against the deep snowbanks. Harrison Beckett stands nearby as the dominant enforcer, his hand rested on his weapon holster, ensuring no rogue interference disrupts the High Alpha’s decree.

Calloway steps closer, his massive, broad-shouldered frame blocking the bitter gale. He wears his signature clear-lens glasses over his sharp eyes, looking composed and harmless, though Elowen knows the terrifying physical power stored beneath his tailored coat.

"Get up, Marlowe," Calloway repeats, his deep voice carrying a firm, unquestionable command. "Your father signed the territory merge documents an hour ago. We announce our formal mate contract to the entire Metropolitan District at six PM."

Elowen forces her knees off the frozen pavement, her heart pounding frantically against her ribs. She squeezes her old brown coat shut, trying to hide the trembling of her dark skin and the scent of blood and sweat lingering from their brutal, raw encounter in the medical suite. Her tongue feels heavy. If she speaks now and he catches the wrong tone, or if her true Omega scent slips past her disguise, the Hartwell Family deceit shatters on the spot. But if she stays silent, she steps directly into her sister’s life under false pretenses.

"I need to go to Briarwood Memorial Grounds," Elowen whispers, her voice raspy and broken from crying. "My mother... Doctor Wallace Pembroke said..."

Calloway’s brow furrows slightly. He closes the velvet ring box with a quiet click, slipping it back into his pocket before stepping directly into her personal space. The overwhelming scent of pine and raw alpha power hits her senses, making her wolf whimper softly in her chest.

"Evelina Hartwell’s body was already cleared by Sterling Whitmore’s legal team," Calloway says coldly, his tone leaving zero room for debate. "The Hartwell Estate gave up all claims to her remains to avoid the medical debt. You are coming with me to Lagos Holdings headquarters right now to prepare for the public blood ceremony."

Elowen’s throat tightens painfully. Her father, Benedict Hartwell, sold her mother’s dead body to legal sweepers, used Elowen to trick the strongest alpha in the territory, and left her with ten thousand pack credits scattered like trash across the floor.

"Get in the vehicle," Calloway commands, reaching out to grasp her arm gently, his big fingers wrapping easily around her delicate wrist.

Elowen allows Harrison Beckett to open the heavy door for her, sliding onto the heated leather interior of the armored vehicle. Calloway climbs in right behind her, the heavy door shutting out the freezing howling wind.

As the vehicle surges forward down the white streets toward Lagos Holdings headquarters, Elowen stares out the tinted glass. Her mind races with dark thoughts of revenge and survival. Her mother is dead. Her father and stepmother, Cordelia Ashbourne, traded her body for territorial power. Her twin sister, Marlowe Hartwell, is sitting comfortably back at the Hartwell Estate, waiting to claim the glory of an alpha mate position she did not earn.

Calloway reaches up, removing his clear-lens glasses and folding them closed, one temple at a time. He sets them on the console, his posture shifting instantly from polite gentleman to absolute alpha predator. He turns his head, his dark blue eyes locking onto her face with terrifying intensity.

"You smell different than you did in the suite, Marlowe," Calloway says softly, his voice dropping into a dangerous, low register. "The scent of heat has faded, but there is something raw underneath. Something... hidden."

Elowen’s breath hitches in her lungs. She presses her back against the seat, her fists balling up tightly in her coat pockets. "It was a long night, Calloway. The medical facility was overwhelming."

"Is that all it was?" Calloway leans over, placing one heavy hand on her thigh, his thumb rubbing small, possessive circles into the fabric over her knee. "You took my knot like a true Omega, yet you act like a stranger sitting beside me now. Where is the arrogant entitlement you carried at the pack gala last week?"

Elowen swallows back her panic, forcing her expression to turn cold and distant, mimicking the arrogant posture she watched her sister use her entire life. "I just lost my mother, Calloway. Do you expect me to jump for joy because your family bought my bloodline?"

A dark, amused smirk touches the corner of Calloway’s jawline. He leans closer until his lips hover inches from her ear, his hot breath making her skin break into shivers. "I expect you to remember who owns you now. The moment I put my mark on your skin tonight at six PM, the Hartwell Family no longer has any claim to your life. You belong strictly to the Sterling Family."

The vehicle comes to a smooth stop beneath the underground private garage of Lagos Holdings. Harrison opens the doors, standing at attention while Calloway steps out first, extending his hand to pull Elowen out after him.

They take the private express elevator straight to the top floor executive suite. The glass doors slide open to reveal a massive, high-tech room overlooking the entire Metropolitan District. Waiting inside near the polished mahogany desk are several high-ranking members of the territory council, including Malcolm Hartwell and Beatrix Hartwell, along with Benedict Hartwell himself.

Standing in the center of the room, wearing an extravagant crimson velvet dress tailored for an alpha mate, is Marlowe Hartwell.

Elowen freezes near the elevator doors, her amber eyes widening in shock. Marlowe stands right there, her golden-dyed hair perfectly styled, her brown contact lenses shining in the bright lights.

Benedict Hartwell steps forward instantly, a fake, wide smile spreading across his bearded face as he bows slightly toward Calloway. "High Alpha Sterling! We brought Marlowe here early so the dress fittings could be finalized before the televised ceremony."

Calloway stops in the middle of the floor, his eyes darting from Marlowe in the crimson dress to Elowen standing beside him in her dirty brown coat and fake blonde wig.

Silence fills the room, heavy and suffocating.

Marlowe’s face goes completely pale, her brown eyes snapping to Elowen with absolute fury and hidden terror. "Calloway darling!" Marlowe calls out quickly, her voice high and desperate as she rushes toward him. "Why did you bring that useless Omega trash into our private floor? Elowen was banished from the estate hours ago!"

Calloway does not move. He slowly reaches into his coat pocket, pulling out his clear-lens glasses and putting them back onto his face. He stares at Marlowe, then turns his head slowly to look down at Elowen, who stands silently beside Harrison Beckett.

"You called her Elowen?" Calloway asks, his tone dangerously calm, like the quiet before a brutal storm.

Benedict steps up, sweating profusely beneath his formal collar. "Yes, High Alpha! That is Elowen, Marlowe’s disgraced twin sister. She was caught trespassing on estate grounds this morning trying to extort pack credits from us. We were just having Harrison’s team escort her to the rogue border!"

Elowen steps out from behind Calloway, pulling off her dirty black cap and yanking the fake blonde wig from her head, letting her short, natural dark hair fall free. She looks Benedict straight in the eye, her posture straight and unbroken.

"Tell him the truth, Benedict," Elowen says, her voice ringing clear through the executive suite. "Tell him which daughter was lying under him in the medical suite three hours ago."

Marlowe lets out a sharp, hysterical gasp. "Shut up, you crazy bitch! How dare you make up such disgusting lies in front of my mate!"

"Enough!" Calloway roars, his alpha voice crashing through the room like thunder, forcing Benedict, Malcolm, and Beatrix to instantly drop to their knees under the sheer weight of his territorial command.

The glass windows vibrate from the force of his aura. Calloway turns completely toward Elowen, his blue eyes turning a pitch-black shade as his internal wolf rises to the surface. He steps forward until he is standing inches from her face, staring at her dark skin, her amber eyes, and the faint, fresh bite marks visible on her collarbone where his teeth had latched on during the night.

"The female in my bed had a fresh henna mark over her chest to mimic a scar," Calloway growls softly, his hand reaching out to catch the collar of Elowen's coat, tearing the fabric open to reveal her smooth, dark chest. The henna mark is slightly smudged from sweat. "She carried no rich pack scent, only the pure, sweet aroma of an unbonded Omega."

Calloway turns his head, his terrifying gaze dropping onto Marlowe, who is trembling violently in her crimson dress.

"You smell like artificial perfumes and five different alpha scent-blockers, Marlowe," Calloway says, his voice ice-cold. "You weren't in that room."

Benedict scrambles on his knees, lifting his hands in panic. "High Alpha Sterling! Please, listen to me! It was a simple misunderstanding! Elowen forced her way into the suite to steal the mating contract! She tricked you!"

"Silence!" Calloway snaps, not even glancing at Benedict.

Harrison Beckett moves forward instantly, pressing the barrel of his sidearm against the back of Benedict’s neck, locking the older wolf in place on the floor. Beatrix lets out a muffled sob, hiding her face against the carpet.

Calloway turns back to Elowen, his face unreadable. He reaches into his pocket once more, pulling out the velvet box containing the heavy silver signet ring of the Sterling Family. He opens it, taking the ancient metal ring between his large fingers.

"You stood in that room and let me take your body," Calloway says, his blue eyes searching her amber gaze. "You pretended to be your sister so your family could secure my resources."

"I did it to save my mother," Elowen says clearly, refusing to look away or show fear before him. "And my father killed her anyway."

Calloway stares at her for three long seconds. Slowly, without breaking eye contact, he grabs Elowen's left hand, lifting it between them. He slides the heavy silver signet ring onto her ring finger. It fits perfectly.

Marlowe screams in outrage from across the room. "No! Calloway, you can't! She is a worthless, low-ranked Omega! I am the legitimate heir of the Hartwell Family!"

Calloway doesn't even turn around. "Harrison, take Benedict, Beatrix, and Marlowe into basement custody. Strip the Hartwell Family of all Lagos Holdings trade permits immediately. They are stripped of pack status effective right now."

"Yes, High Alpha," Harrison answers smoothly, signaling the armed guards standing near the doors.

The guards move swiftly, dragging the screaming Marlowe, begging Benedict, and weeping Beatrix out of the suite, the doors sliding shut behind them and sealing the room in total silence.

Elowen stands alone with Calloway, staring down at the massive silver ring heavy on her dark finger. Her mind is spinning, her heart thumping wildly against her chest. "Why are you doing this? You don't know me. I lied to you."

Calloway reaches up, taking off his clear-lens glasses once again. He folds them closed, one temple at a time, and slips them into his front pocket. He steps in close, his hands coming up to grip her waist, pulling her tight against his broad, muscular body until there is zero space between them.

"You took my full alpha claim and didn't break," Calloway whispers dark against her lips, his fingers digging possessively into her hips. "I don't care what your name is, Elowen. Your scent is already branded into my blood. The press conference is still happening at six PM, and you are walking out on that stage as my mate."

Before Elowen can process his words, Calloway’s phone rings loudly on the mahogany desk behind them.

Calloway keeps one arm firmly wrapped around her waist, dragging her with him as he reaches down and hits the speakerphone button.

Doctor Wallace Pembroke’s frantic voice fills the room.

"High Alpha Sterling! I am calling from the Briarwood Memorial morgue!" Pembroke gasps out, breathing heavily into the phone. "We were preparing Evelina Hartwell’s body for final processing, but when we ran the mandatory DNA blood scan against the territory database, the results triggered an automated high-level alert from the Central Omega Registry!"

Calloway’s eyes narrow. "Speak clearly, Pembroke. What alert?"

"Evelina Hartwell is not an Omega, High Alpha!" Pembroke shouts through the speaker. "Her blood markers confirm she is the long-lost Royal Lunar Alpha of the Western Territories, and Elowen Hartwell is not Benedict’s biological daughter—she is the sole living heir to the entire Western Royal Alpha Throne!"