Taylor’s face twisted—hard. She could’ve spent all year guessing and still never figured out I was Jennifer. I let that moment hang, then switched tones. "You know, Ms. Taylor, you threw a lot of accusations at me just a minute ago. Don’t you think it’s about time you apologized?" Her face went even paler. She clenched her teeth, forcing herself to hold it together. After a few seconds, she gave a stiff little smile and said, "Sorry, Raelyn. I was wrong about you." I smiled right back. "No worries. I’m magnanimous like that—I forgive you." Taylor spun around and marched off, dropping the whole fake-classy act without even trying to hide it. Once Taylor was gone, Adam finally let it out—his voice practically shaking with excitement. "Raelyn—no, Jennifer—you’re seriously my idol! I’ve been obsessed with your music!" I gave him a light smile. "Relax. I’m just a regular person." He looked at me like I’d just told him Santa was real. "Regular? You launched your career, won the biggest award in the industry in under a year, then vanished—and no one’s even come close to doing what you did." His eyes were practically sparkling. "I really hope we get the chance to collaborate again!" I just nodded and smiled, saying nothing more. Adam practically floated out of the room to go handle the follow-up, leaving only Aiden and me behind. "So, it turns out you’re full of surprises," Aiden said, arching a brow, his tone unreadable. I laughed. "Mr. Salvatore, you're making it sound way too dramatic." "Do you always talk like that?" I raised an eyebrow. "Then tell me—how should I talk?" He paused. Looked like he had something to say… but in the end, he said nothing. That night, after dinner, Adrian turned to Aiden with a spark in his eye. "Heard Death Canyon just opened up a new racing course. You in?" Robin chuckled. "Sounds like fun. Bring Rae along too."Adrian immediately groaned. "Dad, come on. This is a guy thing. She’s just a girl—she’ll probably start screaming the moment the engine roars. You really want her to come?" I leaned forward, amused. "And since when are girls banned from racing?" Adrian waved his hands. "Hey, I don’t hate on girls. Some of them are actually decent. Like that one chick who broke Aiden’s lap record? Total legend. Bet she was a drop-dead gorgeous, leather-jacket-wearing badass." I calmly shattered his fantasy. "That 'badass' was me." Adrian practically levitated. "No freaking way. I don’t believe you." "Then don’t." He snorted. "Okay, fine. If you really are her, come prove it tomorrow. But don’t chicken out when you realize you can’t even climb into the car." Oh, I was not letting this little punk off the hook. "And if I am the one who set that record?" "Then I’ll stop calling you Hicktown Girl." I grinned. "Then you’ll have to show some respect—Queen Raelyn." Adrian puffed up like he was sealing a business deal. "Done! But if you’re lying, you're out of Eclipse Pack—no, out of Varken altogether." "Deal." We high-fived on it. The next morning, Adrian came to wake me up himself, practically bouncing with excitement. He even roped Aiden into joining us as we headed out to Death Canyon. Normally, Adrian was all about racing and had a serious Aiden-worship thing going on. But the whole drive, all he could talk about was the mysterious female werewolf who broke Aiden’s record—going on and on about what she might look like. I kept my mouth shut the entire way. When we got to Death Canyon, the cars were already lined up and waiting. I grabbed a red racing suit without fanfare, slipped it on, picked a ride, and slid into the driver’s seat. Adrian hovered outside, arms crossed, sneering. "Look, if you suck, just say so. No shame in backing out early." I smiled, clipped my harness into place. "You might want to keep your eyes open for this." I slammed the gas.The engine roared, and the car launched like a missile. Death Canyon might sound ominous, but it was really just a winding mountain road with 18 back-to-back hairpin turns. For most people, it was brutal. For me? It felt like a warm-up lap. I am the Shadow Pack’s Alpha, after all—and my garage is home to over a dozen race cars, each one custom-built by some of the top tuning pros in the world. By the end of the lap, I’d smashed the record—and I barely even broke a sweat. When I stepped out of the car, Adrian looked like he’d just witnessed a miracle. "You broke the record again? That’s... that’s insane!" Aiden stayed quiet, just watching. I waved Adrian over. His earlier bravado had totally evaporated—he trudged over with his tail between his legs and muttered, "Queen Raelyn." "Atta boy," I said with a grin, giving his head a playful pat. That’s when Aiden stepped in. "What do you say? One-on-one race?" I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, no thanks." But Adrian wasn’t done. "Come on, Queen Raelyn! Race Aiden please! I’ve never seen anyone faster than him!" Then Aiden added with that smooth, low voice, "Don’t tell me you’re scared." Oh, it’s like that now? I arched my brow. "Fine. One lap. This new track. First one back wins."