Third-person POV: "Felix, you're back! Come have dinner with us," Laurel said, her voice full of fake warmth. Hazel chimed in sweetly, "Felix, sit down. I was just asking Mom why you weren't home yet." It was obvious Laurel and Hazel treated Felix differently, and the reason traced back to Norman. Norman was old-school. He was obsessed with the Greens' identity as a military family, and military ranks and honors meant everything to him. Since Marlon's retirement, the Greens had no one left to carry the torch. Norman himself only ever made it to colonel, so the family's status and influence had been on the decline ever since. The Silverleaf Pack kept slipping in the rankings as well.To him, only a man could be the family's pillar and lead the pack to greatness. So he pinned all his hopes for restoring the Greens' glory on Felix. Even though Felix was mixed-blood, Norman invested more effort and resources in him than he ever did in pure-blood Hazel. That was why Laurel and Hazel had to play nice with Felix, even when they hated it. Laurel never stopped wanting a son, but she never managed it. No one invited Thora to the table, so she dragged over a chair and dug in like she owned the place. Felix saw and followed suit, taking his seat with a smile. Laurel set down her utensils and got to the point. "By the way, there's a party this weekend. All the top pack representatives in Starlance City will be there—including the Greens. Your father will be back for it, too." Starlance City was the capital of the Astralis Empire. As she spoke, Laurel stared at Thora with open disdain as Thora ate. Mixed-bloods just don't have manners or class. "You guys should get yourselves ready for the party. Don't embarrass the Greens." Then she turned to Thora with a cold laugh. "Thora, honestly, you shouldn't even go. You always manage to turn the Greens into a laughingstock. It's just humiliating." Felix frowned at that. But surprisingly, Hazel spoke up for Thora. "Mom, she's still family. It wouldn't look right if she skipped it." Hazel had already worked things out with Caleb about how they would sabotage Thora at the party. She couldn't let her mom mess it up now.Laurel shot Hazel a look, clearly confused by her sudden support for Thora, but she didn't argue. Thora paid no attention to their pointless chatter. She had thought about dealing with Hazel early to repay the original Thora for the body. But Hazel's little plots weren't even a real threat right now, so Thora wasn't in a hurry. Besides, making a move now would just bring trouble. After dinner, Thora went straight upstairs. Felix finished eating in silence and went to his room, too. When the dining room finally emptied, Hazel's face turned cold. "Mom, are you really okay with this? If Thora actually becomes Alpha of Silverleaf Pack, she'll control all the resources, and we'll get nothing. We'd have to answer to her for the rest of our lives!" "Of course I'm not okay with it!" Laurel snapped. Her husband Norman was supposed to be first in line for Alpha, and she'd always considered herself the next Luna. She never expected Thora to pop up and ruin things. If Thora really became Alpha, Laurel knew it'd only be a matter of time before they got kicked out. She couldn't let that happen. "Don't worry, I'll handle it," Laurel said, lowering her voice. After all, she'd taken out that little tramp's mother years ago to become the Greens' matriarch. There was no reason she couldn't steal the Alpha title for Hazel now. When Marlon announced the successor, he made it clear that Thora would only become Alpha after coming of age and awakening her wolf spirit. So Laurel just had to make sure Thora never awakened her wolf spirit—ever.