Chapter 1I was heading out of my half-brother's restaurant when the manager stopped me.
"Excuse me, miss, you haven't paid your bill yet."
Looking at this unfamiliar face, I figured she must be new and didn't recognize me, so I kept my tone calm:
"Just put it on the owner's tab. He'll know."
The woman gave me a look like I was dirt on her shoe.
"This is Fangridge Bistro. We don't do tabs."
She shoved a printed bill at me.
I glanced down—$100K for one meal.
Silverware maintenance fee: $10K.
Exclusive air purification service: $20K.
VIP mood enhancement service: $30K.
And a bunch of other ridiculous charges.
Holy shit! I had no idea Jasper was running this kind of scam.
I laughed. "I'm Jasper Halfmoon's sister. If there's a problem, he can talk to me at the Pack estate."
But she wouldn't drop it. "If you can't afford it, stop pretending. Now you're name-dropping Halfmoon?"
My wolf stirred under my skin, pissed off at the disrespect. This woman had no clue who—or what—I was.
I pulled out my phone and texted my Beta:
[Tell Jasper—fire his manager or I pull all his funding!]
---
"Miss, stop wasting time and pay up."
Her tone was smug, like she'd already decided I was some gold-digger trying to skip out.
A few people were staring now. Human customers, thankfully—none of them could sense the Alpha dominance rolling off me.
I frowned, not wanting to deal with this crap, and called Jasper directly.
Busy signal. I tried again.
Still busy.
Middle of a workday—what the hell was that idiot doing?
I put my phone down and looked straight at her, speaking slow and clear:
"I'm telling you one more time—my name is Soren Ironclaw. I'm Jasper Halfmoon's elder sister."
"His phone's busy, but you can check his Pack account. My photo and info are linked to it."
I thought that would settle it.
But when she heard my name, instead of checking, she burst out laughing—loud and shrill.
She was practically cackling, drawing even more stares.
Then she leaned in close, her voice dropping so only I could hear:
"Still playing games? I've seen your face all over my mate Jasper's social media."
"You shameless homewrecker, sneaking around with my man."
"And now you have the nerve to walk into his restaurant and charge meals to his account? Do you have any shame?"
For a second I just stared. I glanced at her name tag—Marlowe Thornfield. Then it hit me.
This was Jasper's Chosen Mate. The one he'd been so secretive about that he wouldn't even show me a picture.
So this vicious, stupid Omega was his big secret.
How could his taste be this terrible?
Now I got it. This wasn't a mix-up. The $100K bill was a setup—meant to humiliate me.
Before I could say anything, she'd already lost patience.
"Since this lady wants to skip out on her bill, we'll have to hold her until the cops arrive."
She waved her hand, and two big security guards—both low-ranking wolves—stepped forward.
One clamped his hand over my mouth. The other twisted my arms behind my back like he was trying to snap them.
I fought hard, my wolf snarling. They should've been on their knees the second they caught my Alpha scent, but they didn't even flinch.
The strength difference made my struggle pointless. These bastards had clearly been ordered to ignore Pack law.
They dragged me toward the kitchen, ignoring my glare and the horrified looks from customers.
Then they threw me hard into a storage room that reeked of bleach and rotting food.
The door slammed shut, cutting off all light and sound.
Chapter 2
In the darkness, Marlowe slammed her boot into my stomach.
The impact knocked the wind out of me. I doubled over, gasping, my wolf howling.
"That's for spending my mate's money!"
"That's for trying to steal him!"
She was shrieking, her voice twisted with jealousy. The sharp, bitter scent of her Omega rage filled the cramped room.
She looked down at me and snarled at the two guards: "Beat her. Beat her until she can't stand."
The guards were obviously hers—low-ranking wolves who should've bowed to an Alpha on instinct. But they ignored every shred of Pack law.
They started raining punches and kicks on me.
I gritted my teeth, swallowing every sound. My wolf thrashed inside, desperate to shift and rip them apart, but I forced her down. If I shifted here, in front of humans, the Wolf Council would have my head.
It felt like my ribs were cracking one by one. My vision blurred.
She kept screaming: "Who the hell do you think you are? You're nothing but a pathetic side piece!"
"I told you—I'm his sister! Call Jasper!"
I tried to explain, but she ignored me. Finally, when I was dizzy and tasting blood, she raised her hand.
They stopped.
She planted her boot on my shoulder and smiled down at me, her eyes glowing faintly amber—her wolf rising.
"You pay for that meal today, plus another $100K."
"That's what you get for trying to steal my mate."
"I'm not scared of killing you. Jasper will clean up any mess for me."
I was curled up, barely able to whisper: "That's my own money. Just ask him."
Her face darkened. She kicked me again, and the two guards understood—they resumed the beating.
I knew she wouldn't listen. If this kept up, I'd die here—or worse, my wolf would take over and tear her throat out.
After they beat me until I coughed up blood, I fumbled for my phone on the floor.
"Stop... I'll pay."
Satisfied, she signaled them to stop and crouched down, gripping my jaw with clawed fingers.
"See? Should've done this from the start."
"$200K. Not a penny less."
I lay on the cold concrete, gasping, my wolf whimpering.
I ignored her and called Saskia—my second-in-command.
She answered on the first ring.
"Saskia, bring $200K to Jasper's restaurant."
"Now."
She paused. I could hear the alarm in her voice.
"Soren? What's going on? You sound—"
"Don't ask. Just hurry." I hung up.
When Marlowe heard "$200K," her eyes lit up.
She probably thought I was so scared I'd pay extra just to end this.
She looked smug and spat at my feet.
"Smart bitch."
Chapter 3
Saskia was fast.
Minutes later, the storage room door slammed open.
Saskia rushed in with two of my personal guards—loyal wolves from Ironclaw Pack, their eyes already flashing gold.
When she saw the blood at my mouth, my torn clothes, and me curled up on the floor, her face went pale.
"Soren—"
I shook my head hard, cutting her off before she could say my rank out loud. I grabbed the bank card from her hand and threw it at Marlowe's feet.
Marlowe snatched it up, finally satisfied. She waved us off like trash.
"If this card's fake, I'll find you. Now get out."
Every step out of that room felt like broken glass grinding into my ribs. My wolf was howling for blood, but I forced her down. Not yet.
Once we were outside, I leaned against the wall and breathed. "Thanks, Saskia. I'll pay you back."
She stared at me like I'd lost my mind. "Forget the money. What the hell happened?"
I laughed, bitter and cold. "Jasper picked himself a real winner. Time to remind him who runs things."
I pulled out my phone and called Quinn Blackwater—the only wolf I trusted at Fangridge. He answered immediately.
"Quinn. Fire Marlowe Thornfield. You have ten minutes."
"If she's still there when I call back, Ironclaw pulls every penny from Fangridge. Clear?"
Silence. Then his voice came through, steady.
"Yes, Alpha. It's done."
I hung up and turned to Saskia. "Take me to the Pack house. I'm calling a tribunal."
She blinked. "You mean—"
"Yeah. Marlowe assaulted an Alpha. Jasper let it happen. They both answer for it."
This was Pack business, and I'd handle it the way an Alpha should.
Saskia drove me straight to the Ironclaw estate—our main territory, where the Council of Elders held court.
I walked in covered in bruises and blood, and every wolf in the hall froze.
Elder Hawthorne's eyes went wide. "Alpha Soren—what happened?"
"Marlowe Thornfield beat me half to death in a storage room. Two of Jasper's guards helped her." I met his eyes, cold and steady. "I'm calling a tribunal. Tonight."
The room went silent.
Hawthorne nodded slowly. "It will be done."
After that, I went to our Pack healer—a sharp-eyed woman named Meredith. She took one look at me and her mouth thinned.
"Whoever did this knew you were Alpha. They ignored the pack bond on purpose."
She handed me a full medical report—broken ribs, internal bruising, marks that would scar. Proof.
Holding those papers, the rage inside me burned hotter. My wolf snarled, demanding revenge.
I needed answers.
And I was going to get them from Jasper himself.
Saskia tracked him down—he was at his estate. The one I gave him when he turned eighteen.
I grabbed my guards and headed there.
But when we pulled up, music was blasting so loud I could feel it. Voices shouting, laughing, howling.
He was throwing a party.
No wonder he didn't answer my calls.
The front door was cracked open. I raised a hand, stopping my guards, and listened.
Marlowe's voice floated out—high-pitched, sobbing, playing victim.
"...she threw money at me and got me fired, Jasper! She disrespected you!"
"She wanted to break us up!"
Inside, Jasper's pack of spoiled friends howled in agreement.
Then I heard Jasper's voice.
"Don't worry, babe. No one treats you like that and gets away with it."
He paused, like he was making some big speech.
"When I find that bitch, I'll drag her here myself and make her kneel."
His friends cheered, shouting about teaching me a lesson.
"Say the word, Jasper!"
"Yeah, let's show her who's boss!"
I'd heard enough.
I raised my hand. My lead guard kicked the door open.
The music died. The shouting stopped.
Every wolf in that room turned—eyes wide, some already pale.
I stepped inside, letting my Alpha presence roll out like a cold wave.
"No need to drag anyone." I smiled, sharp as a blade. "I'm right here."
"Who wants to teach me a lesson?"
