Chapter 4

Alexandra POV:

For the next week, I was a ghost.

I cooked breakfast. I ironed shirts. I smiled when Jacob ignored me and when Anthony lied to my face. I played the part of the oblivious, weak Omega perfectly.

But in the hidden moments-when they were at work or school-I was at war.

My phone buzzed. A message from Zara, a Beta female who worked in the pack's administrative office. She was one of the few who remembered that I had designed the pack's security grid.

Zara: Sent the files. You won't believe this.

I opened the attachment. It was a dossier on "LunaWannabe," a private social media account.

Katia.

I scrolled through the posts. It was a shrine to her narcissism.

Video 1: Katia holding a diamond bracelet. Caption: "My Alpha spoils me. Old wife thinks he lost it at the gym. LOL."

I recognized that bracelet. It was an heirloom from my grandmother. Anthony told me he had sold it to pay for Jacob's private tutoring.

Video 2: Katia in the school gym, wearing top-tier tactical gear. Caption: "Training the future Alpha. Jacob has so much potential, unlike his genetic donor."

Genetic donor. That's what she called me.

I saved everything to an encrypted cloud drive.

Then I opened the financial records I had pulled from the server. Anthony thought hiding the transactions under "Consulting Fees" was clever, but he was lazy. He used the same shell company name-"Shepherd Holdings"-for everything.

Anthony wasn't just cheating on me; he was cheating the pack.

He had been siphoning funds from the "Widows and Orphans" relief fund. Thousands of dollars a month. And where did the money go?

Lease payment: Moonlight Hotel Penthouse.

Transfer: K. Shepherd - Consulting Fees.

Purchase: Porsche Cayenne (Registered to K. Shepherd).

He was stealing from the most vulnerable members of our pack to fund his mistress's lifestyle. This was treason. If the Council saw this, he wouldn't just lose his title. He would be exiled. Or executed.

I heard the front door open. It was dinner time.

I walked into the dining room. Anthony and Jacob were already sitting, waiting to be served.

"What's for dinner?" Jacob asked, not looking up from his phone.

"Roast chicken," I said, placing the platter down. "And I have a surprise."

Anthony looked up, wary. "What kind of surprise?"

"I was thinking," I said, putting on my most innocent, naive smile. "Since Ms. Shepherd has been helping Jacob so much, we should invite her to sit at our table for the Gala. As a thank you."

The silence was deafening.

Anthony and Jacob exchanged a look. A look that said, She is so stupid.

"That... that sounds like a nice gesture," Anthony stammered, trying to hide his excitement.

"Yeah, Mom. That would be cool," Jacob added, smirking.

"Great," I beamed. "I'll send the invite tonight. I want everything to be perfect."

"You're finally stepping up, Alex," Anthony said, reaching for a drumstick. "Maybe you're not useless after all."

I watched him eat. I watched the grease stain his chin.

Eat well, husband, I thought. It's your last meal as an Alpha.

Later that night, I made a call to a burner number.

"Hello?" a gruff voice answered. It was Marcus, the head sound engineer for the Gala venue. He was a low-ranking Gamma I had helped years ago when his daughter was sick.

"Marcus. It's Alex."

"Luna? Is everything okay?"

"No, Marcus. But it will be. I need a favor. A big one."

"Name it."

"I need total control of the AV system at the Gala. Specifically, the main projector and the microphone override."

There was a pause. "You planning a show, Luna?"

"I'm planning a revolution, Marcus."

"Consider it done."

I hung up. I looked at the dress hanging on my closet door. It wasn't the modest beige gown Anthony had picked out for me.

It was deep crimson. The color of blood. The color of revenge.

My Inner Wolf paced in my mind, her tail swishing in anticipation.

Soon, she whispered.