####Chapter 4

Karina POV

Right on cue, Victoria Hayden, the pack's elder Luna, appeared at the door.

She greeted Lila with a warm, affectionate smile before her eyes landed on me, scanning me up and down like I was something she'd scraped off her shoe.

Her voice was pure honey when she spoke to Lila.

"Having fun, dear? Just make yourself comfortable."

Then, turning to me, her tone instantly iced over.

"This is Karina, a manager from our company. She's here on work stuff."

Everyone in the room knew exactly who I was, but she'd just reduced me to an employee.

It was her way of announcing that, with a potential alliance between Edward and Lila on the table, I wasn't even a speed bump.

Lila lifted her chin, her smirk smug.

"Oh, so she's just an employee."

Each word was a wolf marking its territory.

I ignored them both.

My gaze locked on Edward.

I wanted to see his reaction.

Would he defend me? Acknowledge me? Anything?

But his face was a cold, hard mask.

He didn't even flinch as his own mother publicly humiliated me.

He just didn't care.

"Luna Victoria," I said, looking her straight in the eye and keeping my voice level. "Since you went to the trouble of getting me here, why don't you just say what you want to talk about?"

"Some other time," she dismissed me with an arrogant wave, like she was shooing away a fly. "Since you're here, you can stay for lunch."

She didn't even bother to look at me, as if that was all the attention I deserved.

"Thanks, but I have plans," I said, turning to leave.

A dull ache spread through my chest, but I kept my spine straight.

After eight years in this house, I'd gotten used to pretending their contempt didn't touch me.

"When an elder tells you to stay, you listen," Victoria snapped from behind me, her voice dripping with contempt. "What's with the attitude? You have no manners whatsoever."

I stopped.

20 days, I calculated silently.

Just 20 more days until I could file the divorce papers.

What was another 20 days of humiliation?

"Fine, I'll stay."

I turned to meet her glare, a sneer playing on my lips.

I walked straight to the dining table and took a seat off to the side.

But Victoria wasn't done with me.

She glanced around the room, a proud look on her face, before her eyes settled on me again.

"Why don't you make yourself useful and pour tea for everyone?"

A few people at the table snickered.

My fists clenched under the table.

So that was her game.

Making me serve them like a maid was a deliberate public stripping of my status.

"What? You won't even do that?" she scoffed. "Humans really are useless. Not even a shred of basic etiquette."

Slowly, I stood up.

I picked up the teapot and walked over to her with the sweetest smile I could manage.

Then, to everyone's shock, I tipped the pot and poured the hot tea directly over her perfectly styled hair.

"I'm so sorry, Luna Victoria," I cooed, setting the empty teapot down with a soft click. "My clumsy human hands. I do hope you enjoyed your tea."

The dining room went dead silent.

The only sound was the tea dripping from the ends of Victoria's hair onto the floor.

The rain had stopped by the time I drove off the property.

In the rearview mirror, the gates of the Blood Moon Pack vanished, and for the first time in eight years, a wave of genuine relief washed over me.

I pulled out my phone and fired off a text to Victoria.

I assume you got my little surprise.

Remember our deal: the $5 million needs to be in my account by noon tomorrow.

Otherwise, I'll have no problem telling everyone how the Luna of the Blood Moon Pack played dirty with her human daughter-in-law.

My phone buzzed almost instantly.

Her reply was fast.

You bitch!

A grim smile touched my lips.

Are things getting a little too hot for you?

I texted back.

I can always come back and add more fuel to the fire.

I turned off my phone and took a deep, steadying breath.

I might be the underdog in this game against a pack of werewolves, but I wasn't going down without a fight.

Edward had betrayed me, and Victoria had humiliated me.

It was time they paid for it.

The money was pocket change to them, but making that arrogant Luna squirm was worth every penny.

And maybe, just maybe, it would finally show the man who broke my heart what his mother was really like.

"Goodbye, Blood Moon Pack," I muttered, hitting the gas.

The road stretched out before me as the rain started again, harder this time.

My thoughts scattered, flashing through eight long years of being treated like garbage, of waiting for a mating ceremony that was never going to happen.

Suddenly, a flash of yellow cut dangerously in front of my car.

My heart leaped into my throat as I slammed on the brakes.

The jolt of a rear-end collision threw me forward, my forehead cracking hard against the steering wheel.

A sharp, radiating pain shot through my temple, and when I looked up, my vision swam in a blur of red.

I fumbled for a tissue, frantically wiping the blood from my eyes.

The yellow motorcycle was long gone, having disappeared into the downpour like a ghost.

Someone was rapping on my window.

I rolled it down, and a splash of cold rain hit my lap.

Outside stood a distinguished-looking man, maybe in his early 50s, holding a sleek black umbrella.

He looked genuinely apologetic, an expression I hadn't seen on a werewolf in what felt like a lifetime.

"Miss, I am so sorry. That was completely our fault for rear-ending you," he said, his politeness catching me off guard. "My employer is in a terrible hurry. Would you be willing to simply exchange contact information? You can send us the repair bill, and I promise we'll take care of everything."

"I think I'd rather call the cops," I said, my voice tight.

Everything that had happened today had pushed me to my absolute limit.

The fight, the cheating, and now this—I was done being nice.

I just didn't have the energy to deal with anyone else's problems.

Wincing as the cold drops stung the cut on my head, I stepped out into the storm.

The back of my sedan was completely caved in where the Bentley had hit it.

Furious, I snapped a few pictures for insurance and dialed 911.

The man didn't argue; he just gave a slight nod and returned to the Bentley to speak with whoever was inside.

The rain was coming down in sheets now, pounding the pavement.

My thin white blouse was plastered to my skin as I stood there, one hand pressed to my bleeding temple, while I gave my statement to the dispatcher.

I retreated to my car to get out of the downpour, but it was too late.

I was already soaked to the bone.

Within minutes, the flashing lights of a police cruiser cut through the gloom, followed closely by a silent silver Maybach that pulled up behind the Bentley.

As I stepped back into the rain to meet the officer, someone else emerged from the Bentley.

He was tall and lean, with the kind of effortless grace that made you think of ancient statues.

He carried himself with an air of aristocratic boredom, but his eyes were sharp and deep, with something wild simmering just under the surface.

He caught me staring, and his gaze met mine.

The look was so intense it sent a shiver down my spine, waking something primal deep inside me.

For a split second, a dizzying sense of déjà vu washed over me.