Riley Vale took a deep breath, her expression like stone carved by ice. She had no desire to waste more words with Ronan Duskcliff or that two-faced snake, Scarlett. Her tone was low, steady, and cold as the northern wind. "Andi," she said sharply, "call Prince Lucien. Tell him to come. Now." Andi nodded with grim resolve, already reaching for his communicator when Ronan moved faster than lightning, snatching it from his hand. "No," Ronan barked, his Alpha aura crackling in the air. Lucien Duskgrave could not find out-not yet. Not before Ronan figured out a way to clean this up. If the Alpha Prince of the Stormridge Pack learned what had happened here, not only would Ronan lose access to the East Hollow Project, but the Duskcliff name might never recover. Andi tried to snatch it back, furious, but before the two could struggle further, the sharp clicking of heels echoed across the corridor. A woman's voice rang out with practiced elegance, laced with ice. "Scarlett, darling, the banquet is about to start. Why on earth are you still out here? We've been looking everywhere." Scarlett straightened. Her eyes darted toward the end of the corridor. Lady Seraphina Duskgrave walked toward them, flanked by half a dozen high-ranking she-wolves-Lunas and noblewomen from the inner circles of the Council Packs. Seraphina's gown shimmered in moon-silver threads, her posture proud and commanding, her every step echoing polished dominance. But when her gaze landed on Riley, her expression turned dark, venomous. "There you are, you filthy little tramp." Riley blinked, startled by the venom in the woman's voice. Before she could ask whether she was being mistaken for someone else, Seraphina snapped toward her entourage, "That's the one. The Omega slut who's been seducing my mate Ford." Gasps fluttered among the women behind her like startled birds. Seraphina stormed forward, high heels clacking like thunder across marble. Without warning, she raised her hand, aiming a slap directly at Riley's face. Riley stepped back instinctively, dodging the blow with ease. "This must be a mistake," she said, voice tight but controlled. "I don't know you, and I've never-""Don't play innocent, you little whore," Seraphina snarled. "You think you're special because you've been in Alpha's bed? Do you know how many like you I've seen?" The women behind her didn't need further prompting. One by one, they joined in, their voices rising like a pack circling a wounded deer. "Look at her-clearly a heat-addled stray," scoffed a woman in a gold gown. "Probably climbed her way into the Stormridge Pack's territory on her back." "She reeks of desperation. You can smell it from here," spat another, her lips curling in disdain. "I've seen cleaner bitches in the Silverfang Den," a third chimed, and a wave of cruel laughter followed. The words hit like claws. Then came the hands. They shoved her. Hard. Riley, thin from years in captivity, staggered back. Someone elbowed her ribs. Another grabbed her arm and shoved. She nearly lost her balance- Andi caught her. "Enough!" Andi snapped, eyes blazing. "Touch her again and I swear, your whole damn estate will be begging for scraps within a moon cycle." The women didn't even flinch. "What are you gonna do, little pet?" one sneered. "Run back to your Beta boyfriend?" "A trash Omega slut and her sissy little sidekick. How quaint." Andi trembled with fury. And Ronan? Ronan Duskcliff stood back. Watching. Silent. He knew Riley wasn't lying. She had just been released from Wolf Prison. Since her release, she'd either been under house arrest at the Ebonclaw estate or recovering at Mooncrest Hospital. There was no way she could've seduced anyone. And especially not Ford, Lucien's father. And yet he said nothing. Riley's claws itched beneath her skin. Her wolf snarled inside her, thrashing against her ribs.She could shift. She could let her wolf out. They'd see what a real threat looked like when the white wolf-the cursed wolf-unleashed her fury. But not today. Not on Matriarch Duskgrave's 80th birthday. And not after Andi had spent hours helping her prepare, carefully crafting her look, her dress, her hair-so she could enter that ballroom with dignity. She clenched her fists and forced the shift down. Her bones ached. Her magic buzzed under her skin like static. But she would not shift. She stepped forward instead, brushing past Lady Seraphina with barely contained rage in her voice. "You think I'm scared of you?" she said, voice low and deadly calm. "You think you can break me with words and whispers? I've already survived worse than any of you could ever imagine." She paused, her glare sweeping across the wolves surrounding her. "You call me a tramp. A whore. A stray. But all I see are bored wives in expensive gowns, clinging to men who don't even love you." "You want to tear me down to feel powerful? Fine. But don't mistake your status for strength." Andi's jaw dropped. Even Scarlett went pale. But Riley wasn't finished. "I may not have wealth, or a bloodline you recognize. But I have something none of you do-truth. And that truth is enough to burn your paper crowns to ash." She turned to Seraphina, eyes blazing like stormfire. "If your mate prefers me over you, maybe the problem isn't me. Maybe it's the fact that even Alphas get tired of sleeping next to poison." The corridor went silent. The women stared, stunned.And Riley? She walked away. Head high. Eyes forward. Unbroken.