Chapter 2 2

Debra slammed the lock of the guest bathroom door. The click was the loudest sound in the world.

She collapsed against the wood, her lungs heaving, trying to pull oxygen from the air that suddenly felt too thin. The bathroom was sterile, smelling of lemon polish and expensive soap. It was a temporary sanctuary, a fragile bubble in a house that had become a prison.

Her hands were shaking so badly she could barely work the clasp of the necklace.

Ten minutes.

She stared at herself in the mirror. The girl looking back was pale, her eyes wide with a frantic energy. The ruby sat against her skin, heavy and warm. It looked like a fresh wound.

"It's your talisman, Debra," her mother had whispered, her skin gray against the hospital sheets. "Never take it off. It connects you to who you really are."

Who was she? She was the daughter of a weak Alpha and the stepdaughter of a monster.

A frantic knocking on the door made her jump. She stifled a scream.

"Debra! It's me! Vicky!"

Debra unlocked the door instantly. Vicky practically fell into the room, locking it behind her. The maid was panting, her face flushed.

"Are you okay?" Debra asked, grabbing Vicky's arms.

She saw it then. A red, angry welt rising on the back of Vicky's hand.

"He... he kicked me," Vicky stammered, seeing Debra's gaze. She pulled her hand away. "It doesn't matter. Colin is an idiot. But Marley isn't. She's serious, Debra. I heard her on the phone with the bank. She needs liquid assets by Monday morning or they foreclose on the River-Run estates."

"I know." Debra went to the sink, wetting a towel with cold water. She tried to press it to Vicky's hand, but Vicky pushed it away.

"Listen to me," Vicky said, her voice dropping to a harsh whisper. "You have to go. Now. While everyone is watching the groom enter."

"Go where?" Debra asked. "I have no money. My cards are linked to the family account."

"The service tunnels," Vicky said rapidly. "Take the laundry chute to the basement. I left the back gate unlatched. You can get to town, hide at a motel."

"And leave you here?" Debra shook her head. "If I disappear, Marley will tear this house apart. She'll blame you. I saw how she looked at you."

"I can handle Marley," Vicky lied. Her eyes were terrified.

"No." Debra stood up straighter. A cold resolve settled in her stomach, replacing the nausea. "If I run, I prove them right. I prove I'm weak. This is my house. My mother built this wing."

"Debra, pride won't save you," Vicky pleaded.

"It's not pride. It's all I have left." Debra turned back to the mirror. She splashed cold water on her face, watching the droplets run down like tears she refused to shed. "I'm not giving her the necklace. I'm going to tell her to go to hell."

"Oh, Debra..."

The heavy thud of boots outside the door silenced them.

"Miss Vance," a deep voice boomed. "The Luna requests your presence."

It wasn't a request.

Debra dried her face. She looked at Vicky. "Stay here."

"No way," Vicky said, smoothing her apron. "I go where you go."

Debra opened the door. Two guards stood there, massive and impassive. They didn't gesture; they just turned and walked, expecting her to follow.

The walk to the bridal suite felt like a funeral procession. The hallway was lined with portraits of Vance ancestors. They seemed to glare at Debra, judging her for letting their legacy crumble.

The bridal suite was a cavern of ivory silk and white roses. Marley sat on a velvet chaise lounge, sipping red wine. The contrast of the dark liquid against the white dress was jarring.

She waved a hand. The makeup artists and stylists scurried out like frightened mice.

Only the guards remained. And Colin.

Colin was leaning against the window sill, smoking a cigarette inside, blowing smoke onto the sheer curtains. He grinned when Debra entered.

"Time's up," Marley said. She set the wine glass down on a glass table. "Give it to me."

Debra stopped in the center of the room. She kept her hands at her sides. "No."

Marley sighed, a sound of exaggerated disappointment. "I really hoped we could do this the civilized way. You know, the way where you realize your position and accept it."

"My position is the daughter of this house," Debra said. "That necklace is from my mother's dowry. It is not Vance property. It is mine."

"Your mother," Marley chuckled. "The woman who couldn't even keep her husband interested? The woman who died leaving the pack weak and vulnerable?"

"Don't you dare talk about her," Debra stepped forward, her hands curling into fists.

"I am the Luna now!" Marley stood up, her voice cracking like a whip. "I control the assets. I control the image. And I will not have a brat holding onto three million dollars in raw gemstone while my family drowns in debt! Do you think this wedding paid for itself?"

Debra blinked. So that was it. Not just cruelty, but bankruptcy.

"Grab her," Marley commanded.

The guards moved instantly.

"No!" Vicky screamed. She threw herself in front of Debra, her small frame a pathetic barrier against the trained enforcers. "You can't touch her! Alpha Edward-"

"Edward is currently admiring the curtains in the reception hall, completely out of his mind on 'supplements'," Colin laughed, pushing off the window sill. "He won't be back for twenty minutes. Plenty of time."

One guard reached out, his hand encompassing Vicky's entire shoulder.

"Leave her alone!" Debra lunged, but the second guard caught her arm, twisting it behind her back with practiced efficiency. Pain shot up to her shoulder.

"Get the help out of here," Marley said, bored.

The guard holding Vicky didn't escort her out. He shoved her. Hard.