Chapter 1

Araminta POV:

I pushed open the heavy oak double doors of the England Group headquarters, and a cold draft mixed with white lilies and the oppressive pheromones of high-ranking werewolves hit my face. I pulled my five-year-old daughter, Eulalie, closer under my black coat, curling my five fingers tight into my palm.

Eulalie's thin fingers clutched the hem of my dress. Born with severe autism and perceived by the clan as a wolfless defect who lacked an inner wolf after the normal sixteen-to-eighteen shift age, she could not process the noisy mourning in the hall. Her breathing turned shallow, and her small face went as pale as paper.

I crouched down and covered her ice-cold ears with both hands. I tried to soothe her shivering with my own body heat, keeping my hidden White Wolf aura suppressed so no one in this Alpha-dominated building would notice.

"It's okay, sweetie. Mommy is right here," I whispered, looking past the crowd in bespoke black suits and past the buffet tables set strictly with titanium cutlery, since silver was the only fatal poison that burnt our kind and destroyed our inner wolves.

In front of the memorial platform stood my husband, Carlo England, the hereditary Alpha and billionaire CEO of the England Pack. His broad back was ramrod straight, projecting the stern authority of a grieving leader.

I held Eulalie's hand and took half a step forward. Just then, Carlo turned sideways, took off his suit jacket soaked in his signature cedarwood scent, and draped it over the shoulders of a frail she-wolf standing beside him.

The woman turned her head, revealing Dallas Bauer's tear-stained face. With red-rimmed eyes, she leaned her head right onto Carlo's shoulder, and my mated husband did not push her away.

I froze in place. On the side of my neck, the permanent marking bite Carlo had left on me throbbed with a dull ache. In our world, once a male marked his mate, their souls bound permanently, and betrayal would cause physical agony that could even kill a wolf.

Dallas's son, Gael, stood by their legs in a tailored miniature suit. Carlo reached down and rubbed the boy's head with a gentle smile, looking every bit like a loving father in a family of three.

Eulalie followed my gaze. A trace of confusion flickered in her blank eyes before she shrank further behind my legs, yanking my coat so hard her knuckles whitened.

Several Pack Elders and socialites nearby spotted us. They cast open looks of disdain our way and did not even bother lowering their voices.

"Look at that useless Omega clinging to the Luna title." A sharp female voice sounded from the front row. "She can't even keep her Alpha's attention. Now that the old Elder has passed away, she has zero backing left while Carlo's first love, Dallas, is clearly taking over."

I ignored the cold whispers that felt like ice water pouring over my head. Holding Eulalie's hand, I walked straight toward the memorial platform, my heels clicking against the polished marble floor.

Hearing my footsteps, Carlo looked back. The dark golden eyes of the Alpha frosted over with impatience the second they landed on me.

"Why did you bring her here?" Carlo snapped in a low voice, tugging impatiently at his tie without a single word of comfort. "The scents here are too chaotic. Who is going to take responsibility if she goes feral?"

I took a deep breath, forcing down the bitter lump in my throat.

"She is the Elder's granddaughter. She has every right to say goodbye."

Dallas shrank back behind Carlo, releasing a wave of artificially sweet pheromones as she spoke in a syrupy voice.

"Araminta, please don't blame Carlo. Given Eulalie's condition, he's only thinking what's best for her."

I shot Dallas a cold glance, catching the flash of smugness at the corner of her eyes.

"This is family matter. An outsider like you has no place commenting," I said, my voice quiet but icy.

Carlo's face darkened. He took a heavy step forward, blocking Dallas completely behind his tall frame like a shield.

"Apologize to Dallas right now, Araminta," Carlo warned, his back teeth grinding. "She has worked tirelessly on this funeral for days. She has done far more than a Luna in name only like yourself."

Looking at him defend another woman over his own wife, I felt as if an invisible hand had been squeezing my heart so hard, I tasted blood in my mouth.

Sensing my surging distress, Eulalie let out a short, terrified scream and dropped to the floor with her face buried between her knees and her hands locked over her head.

The hall went dead silent. Every gaze turned on us like spotlights, and every face was filled with either disgust or sheer amusement.

Carlo's brows twisted into a tight knot at the loss of face, and he pointed a long finger toward the side exit.

"Take her to the lounge at once! Stop embarrassing me in front of the whole Pack!"

I said nothing. I bent down, scooped my trembling daughter into my arms with all my strength, and turned my back on their malicious stares.

As I turned away, I heard Dallas whisper softly to her son, "Don't be scared, Gael. That little lunatic is gone."

I carried my daughter out of the main hall and down the corridor toward the side lounge. With every step I took, the marking on my neck continued to throb until it went completely numb and I couldn't feel the pain anymore.

Inside the quiet lounge, I set Eulalie down on the leather sofa. Looking into her panicked eyes, I made up my mind to sever this rotten marriage once and for all.

Just as I turned toward the dispenser to pour her a cup of warm water, the lounge door was kicked open from the outside with a loud crash.