Just as Riley Vale stepped out of the private suite, her eyes locked on a chaotic scene at the corridor's end. Andi was tugging desperately at the embroidered silk scroll, while Scarlett Vale clutched it to her chest, both refusing to let go. Then- "Rip-!" The unmistakable sound of fine silk being torn cut through the air like a blade. Andi froze, hands trembling. His lips parted, but no words came out. He could only stare in stunned horror at the ruined remains of the embroidery now sagging between them. Scarlett, for a brief moment, allowed a flicker of schadenfreude to cross her face. But then, like flipping a switch, her expression twisted into a mask of innocence. Her wide doe eyes filled with tears as she turned to Riley and whimpered, "Sister, I didn't mean to! He tried to snatch it from me-I only wanted to help protect it for you..." Riley's breath caught in her throat. The image of the delicate embroidery being torn into shreds-that she'd spent weeks sewing by moonlight, every thread a symbol of silent redemption-blurred her vision. That wasn't just silk. It was the two-million-dollar gift that Alpha Lucien had personally entrusted her to deliver to the Elder Matriarch. The symbol of reconciliation. The only thing that could justify her presence here. And now it was destroyed. She saw red. With her wolf howling in her blood, Riley lunged. She seized Scarlett by the hair and slammed her head against the marble wall. "Die, Scarlett!" Riley snarled. "You ruin everything you touch!" Scarlett shrieked in pain, blood splattering against the white stone as her scalp cracked open. She collapsed against the wall, sobbing and clutching her head. Andi stumbled back, eyes wide in shock. "Oh my goddess..." He had never seen Riley like this. Not even during her worst days behind the bars. Then came the thunder of heavy boots. Ronan emerged from the room like a storm. His gaze swept over Scarlett's bloodied face, then shot to Riley's trembling form. "What the hell are you doing?" he barked, storming forward and shoving Riley off her sister. Riley staggered but caught herself. Her eyes burned with fury. "Oh, I'm the one making a scene now?" she shouted, voice shaking. "Wasn't it your precious Scarlett who tore up my work? Who clawed at my hair and spat on my name-and you defended her!" Ronan's jaw clenched. "I don't care who started it," he growled. "This is the Elder's birthday celebration-if you can't control yourself-" Riley cut him off with a sharp laugh. "Control myself?" "You stood there and watched while she destroyed everything I had left. And now I'm the one causing trouble?" She bent down and picked up the torn embroidery, holding it out like a bloodied offering. Her hands shook as she held the two shredded halves before Ronan's face. "This was handcrafted," she said through gritted teeth. "This was the piece Alpha Lucien won for two million silver marks to honor the Matriarch." Ronan's eyes narrowed, voice going cold. "What did you just say?" Scarlett's smile stiffened. "T-two million?" she stammered. "That can't be right... it's just a piece of cloth-" Riley's gaze sharpened into daggers. "This ‘piece of cloth' was designed by Elder Sera of the Northern Weavers, embroidered by my own hands over weeks. It was gifted to Alpha Lucien. He entrusted me to deliver it as a gesture of goodwill on behalf of Stormridge."Then she turned her burning gaze to Scarlett. "You didn't just tear silk, Scarlett-you insulted an Alpha's honor." Ronan's expression twisted with disbelief. His throat bobbed as he swallowed, and for the first time tonight, he looked afraid. If Lucien found out... Scarlett paled, her lips trembling. "I-I didn't know-" Andi couldn't take it anymore. He stepped forward, spitting fire. "You think everyone lives in your shallow little world of lip gloss and pity money, don't you?" "She offered you something priceless, and you think you can buy your way out of it with your daddy's allowance? Are you out of your freaking mind?" Scarlett flinched. "I was just trying to help..." "Help?" Riley's voice sliced through the lie. "You grabbed it like a hyena in heat. You wanted to destroy it." "You never expected anyone would give me something so valuable. You couldn't stand that it was me and not you. So you ruined it." She took a step closer, the power beneath her skin dangerously close to snapping. Ronan felt it-the white wolf stirring inside her. Her aura flared, brushing the edges of Alpha strength, a blinding shimmer behind her irises. For a moment, he thought she might shift right then and there. But she didn't. She inhaled once. Twice. Today was the Matriarch's birthday. She couldn't let blood stain the celebration. And she wouldn't let Scarlett or Ronan see her lose control again. So she straightened her shoulders, raised her chin, and with deliberate slowness... tore the ruined embroidery once more, right down the center."Now," she said coldly, dropping the remains at Scarlett's feet, "it's worthless." Then she turned her gaze on Ronan-sharp, accusing, final. "Remember this, Ronan." "You may think you're still the boy I once admired. But now I know the truth." "You're not strong. You're not noble. You're just a man too weak to stop the wolves in your own home from tearing others apart." Then she turned to Andi. "Let's go." Andi looked at her like she was glowing, eyes wet with admiration and fury. He scooped up what was left of the embroidery, shoved it into his bag, and followed Riley down the corridor like a knight behind a queen. Behind them, Scarlett knelt on the ground, blood still trailing down her temple. Ronan stood frozen. And the remnants of Stormridge's goodwill lay shredded at their feet.