Chapter 2

Avia Cooley POV:

After walking two blocks past the bus stop and making sure no one was tailing me, I flagged down a sleek black sedan and gave the driver the address to Westcrest Mountain Manor.

Thirty minutes later, the wrought-iron gates of the most expensive territory in the city swung open for me. I pushed through the heavy oak doors of my private villa and headed straight into the walk-in closet.

I peeled off the priceless silver-threaded coat and changed into a faded gray hoodie and frayed jeans.

Looking into the floor-length mirror, I curled my lips into a cold smile. This shabby disguise was my best armor for dealing with the vultures in the Cooley family.

I walked back down the hill, hopped onto a crowded public bus, and let the cheap diesel fumes soak into my clothes all the way to Cooley Manor.

When I pushed open the carved front doors of the Cooley estate, classical music was playing in the bright living room. My adoptive father, Jeremiah Cooley, and his wife, Enid, were sipping air-freighted crystal-core tea on the velvet sofa.

The moment Jeremiah saw me, his smile vanished. He slammed his porcelain teacup onto the table with a loud crack.

"So you finally decided to crawl back?" Jeremiah snapped.

Enid covered her nose with jewel-crusted fingers and leaned back in disgust. "She reeks of cheap oil and street dirt. What an embarrassment to the Cooley Pack."

I lowered my chin, keeping my eyes cold while making my voice sound meek. "Father, Mother. I just got back."

"Where the hell were you?" Jeremiah stood up, puffing out his chest as the acting Alpha of the pack. "Young Master Freddy just called! He said you acted like a lunatic at the hotel tonight!"

"He was rutting with an Omega in a public restroom," I said, lifting my head to look straight into his murky eyes.

Enid let out a shrill laugh. "What Alpha man doesn't have a fling or two? You're a defective wolfless who can't even shift into a Dire Wolf! Climbing into the Costa family's bed is a blessing for you, yet you dare throw a tantrum?"

"A blessing?" My lips twisted into a mocking sneer. "If selling a daughter for business loans is such a great blessing, why don't you save it for your precious Omega daughter, Danae?"

Jeremiah's face turned purple with rage. He raised his thick hand and swung it hard toward my cheek. "You ungrateful little wretch!"

My eyes narrowed. I shifted my weight half a step to the left, dodging his palm with ease.

Thrown off balance by his own force, Jeremiah stumbled forward and nearly crashed into the coffee table.

"You're getting old, Father. Watch your back," I said coldly.

Ignoring their livid faces, I walked out of the main hall and headed toward the cramped, damp storage shed in the side courtyard that served as my bedroom.

Once inside, I locked the wooden bolt, pulled a modified micro-laptop from a hidden floorboard under the bed, and tapped rapidly on the keyboard.

Blue light reflected off my face as encrypted files from the dark web loaded onto the screen. Twenty years ago, my birth father, Ean Cooley—the true Alpha of this pack—had vanished alongside my mother, and I needed to track down the Obsidian Syndicate to find out if they were still alive.

Kingsley Rose POV:

At the same time, deep inside a heavily guarded underground bunker on the edge of the city, I sat on a black leather sofa, letting my pureblood Lycan aura fill the concrete room.

My chief Beta assistant, Arthur Hayes, stood three paces away, cold sweat beading on his forehead as he held a freshly printed classified folder.

"Boss, we ran the check," Arthur said, keeping his head bowed. "Miss Avia is registered as the adopted daughter of Jeremiah Cooley. Her genetic evaluation at sixteen came back completely wolfless. She currently attends the remedial remedial class at St. Jude Alpha Academy."

I tapped my long fingers against the leather armrest, recalling the sharp, fearless look in her eyes under the streetlamp.

"Wolfless?" I repeated softly. "A genetic wolfless who can shrug off an Alpha's aura and kick open a solid oak lock with one foot?"

Arthur blinked in surprise. "Perhaps Freddy's bloodline is just that weak. Should the North Rose Conglomerate step in and crush the Cooley family now?"

"No. Don't startle the snake," I said, standing up and tossing the folder into the shredder. "If my new wife wants to play poor, I'll play along with her."

I buttoned my dark jacket, my tone brooking no argument. "Have the garage bring out that second-hand Ford sedan tomorrow. From now on, I'm just a broke rideshare driver."

Arthur's eyes widened in shock, his throat bobbing as my Alpha's Command pressed down on his spine. "Yes, Boss."

I walked over to the liquor cabinet, poured a glass of straight whiskey, and downed it in one gulp, staring out the reinforced observation window into the dark night.