Chapter 3

Azalea POV:

I stayed at Azura's for two days.

I avoided the news, but I couldn't avoid the internet.

On the second morning, Azura cursed loudly from the kitchen.

"What?" I asked, walking in.

She tried to hide her phone, but I snatched it.

It was Instagram. Kimberly's account.

The photo showed her lounging on a chaise lounge-my chaise lounge, in my sunroom. She was holding a glass of champagne.

But that wasn't what made my blood boil.

On the table next to her lay the Moonstone Scepter. It was a ceremonial artifact, passed down through the female line of my family for six generations. It wasn't a toy. It was sacred.

The caption read: Heavy lies the crown, but someone has to wear it. LunaDuties StepUp

"She's touching it," I whispered. A low growl vibrated in my throat. I didn't even know I could make that sound.

"Azalea, don't," Azura warned. "They want you to react."

"I need to go back," I said, turning to the door. "I need to get my mother's things. The necklace. The scepter. Before she defiles them."

"I'm coming with you."

"No. If you come, Caleb will see it as an act of aggression from the Beta line. He'll use it to strip your rank. I have to go alone. Technically, I'm still his wife. I have the right to enter."

I drove back to the penthouse. My heart hammered against my ribs like a trapped bird.

The elevator ride felt like an eternity. When the doors opened, the stench hit me again.

Cheap vanilla. Musk. And something else-stale sex.

I gagged. This place, which used to smell of lavender and cedar, now smelled like a brothel.

I marched straight to the master bedroom.

Kimberly was there. She was standing in front of my vanity mirror, wearing my silk robe. The one Caleb gave me for our first anniversary.

She saw me in the reflection and spun around.

"You have some nerve coming back here," she spat.

"Where is it?" I demanded. "Where is the Moonstone necklace?"

"Oh, that old thing?" Kimberly waved a hand dismissively. "It was tacky. Doesn't fit the modern aesthetic we're going for."

I stepped forward, invading her personal space. "Give it to me."

She smirked and reached into the pocket of the robe. She pulled out the silver chain.

It was snapped in two. The glowing, milky stone in the center was cracked down the middle.

"Oops," she said, her eyes gleaming with malice. "I tried it on, but the energy was... weird. It just popped. I guess even the jewelry knows you're a reject."

Time stopped.

That necklace held the last lingering scent of my mother. It was supposed to protect my future children.

"You broke it," I whispered.

"Caleb said he'd buy me a diamond one. Bigger. Better."

Something inside me snapped.

Deeper than my heart, deeper than my bones.

A dark, primal pressure expanded in my chest. My vision went red around the edges.

Kill her.

The voice in my head wasn't mine. It was guttural. Ancient.

I saw the heavy crystal vase on the vanity. Kimberly was too busy admiring herself, too confident that a human couldn't touch a shifter.

I grabbed the vase and swung.

It connected with her shoulder, shattering on impact.

Kimberly shrieked, stumbling back, more from shock than the blow. She was a wolf, she wouldn't break easily, but she was vain.

Before she could recover, I was on her. I didn't try to overpower her muscles; I went for the soft targets. My fingers dug into her hair, yanking her head back, while my other hand clawed at her eyes.

"You are nothing!" I screamed. "You are a thief and a whore!"

Kimberly thrashed, her claws coming out, but she hesitated. She knew if she marked me-really hurt the "money"-Caleb would be furious. That hesitation was my only advantage.

I pinned her head to the floor, my knee on her chest.

"Get off me!" she gargled, her face turning purple.

I raised my fist, ready to smash her nose in. I wanted to see her bleed. I wanted to mark her face so everyone would know what she was.

My inner wolf roared, a sound of pure, unadulterated bloodlust.