Chapter 1 The Wrong Woman

Vanessa Sinclair hung up, sounding thoroughly pleased with herself.

I didn't dare waste a second. As I urged the driver to go faster, I dialed Declan Ashford.

After a few rings, he picked up.

Deafening music blared in the background, punctuated by the sharp clink of crystal glasses. He was already at the engagement party.

"Alpha Declan, your mother is in one of the houses on the estate. Your secretary, Vanessa, is assaulting her. You need to get over there right now—"

"Stop. I already know what you're going to say." He cut me off before I could finish.

I froze. "What?"

He sighed, his voice thick with impatience. "Selena, we may be getting engaged, but your family needs to learn boundaries. Your mother cannot use your relationship with me as an excuse to sneak into my house and steal."

My grip tightened around the phone. "You've got this wrong. She's your—"

"I don't care if she's my future mother-in-law. I am not obligated to tolerate her greed just because she gave birth to you."

His voice rose sharply. "Today she sneaks into my home. Tomorrow what? She barges into my office demanding money? Vanessa taught her a lesson. A little pain, a little humiliation—it builds character. You should be grateful."

Grateful? He expected me to be grateful that his secretary had beaten my future mother-in-law bloody?

I clenched my jaw.

Just moments ago, my mother had been talking about using our pack's resources to help him.

And this was how he treated her.

Never mind that my mother had never stolen a thing in her life.

If I ever ended up in conflict with that secretary, would he stand by me?

If he couldn't handle something this simple, maybe we should call off the engagement tonight.

When I spoke again, I kept my voice deliberately low. "Declan, she's badly hurt. Seriously hurt. You'd best go find her and get her medical treatment. After all, she's the woman who raised you."

Silence.

Then he laughed.

"Selena, are you insane?" Declan snapped. "Your mother did not raise me. Stop trying to make your family sound more important than they are. No wonder Vanessa can't stand your family.

"With a daughter like you, I'm honestly surprised she only slapped your mother once. My mother will be here any minute. If you don't want this engagement canceled, stop targeting Vanessa."

He hung up.

The moment I returned to my home screen, a notification popped up.

He had posted a photo of the absurdly lavish engagement venue.

The caption read, 'To my mother, with gratitude. Every opportunity, every open door, every privilege I enjoy came from the woman who gave me life. Not even my future mate could ever outrank her.'

I stared at the photo for three seconds. Then I clicked on the like button.

My mother glanced over. "What's wrong?"

I slipped my phone into my evening bag.

"Nothing," I said. "I'm getting out first. You should take a nap. I'll come get you when it's time."

Through the windshield, the brilliantly lit Thorncrown Pack Alpha Estate drew closer and closer.

Somewhere on that property, Vanessa was still wiping blood from her knuckles.

Inside the ballroom, Declan was adjusting his cuff links, wondering why his mother still hadn't arrived.

My car pulled up.