Chapter 4

Elana POV

I refused to stay in the infirmary. And I certainly didn't degrade myself by moving to the servant's quarters.

Instead, I retreated to my office. I slept on the distressed leather couch, my back against the cushions, and I barricaded the door.

For a week, I was a ghost haunting my own workspace. I existed on stale coffee and adrenaline, working by the glow of my laptop screen. I gathered evidence, tracing the complex webs of money trails I had frozen before the fallout.

My leg throbbed with a constant, dull rhythm, but I refused the pain meds from the pack clinic. I didn't trust anything they gave me. Paranoia was my new survival instinct.

Today was the Annual Pack Auction. It was a high-society spectacle where artifacts, jewels, and rare magical items were sold to raise capital for the region. It was the biggest social event on the calendar.

I wasn't supposed to go. A "cripple" ruins the aesthetic of perfection the Obsidian Pack tries so hard to project.

But Ayla Guy was there.

She met me at the entrance of the grand hall, a beacon of defiance. Ayla was tall, her striking red hair cascading over the shoulders of a sharp, tailored suit that screamed old money and lethal power. She was a high-ranking Beta in the Alpine Pack-a territory much wealthier and militarily stronger than Obsidian.

"You look like hell, honey," Ayla said, her voice dropping to a sympathetic purr as she pulled me into a hug.

"Nice to see you too," I grimaced, shifting my weight to adjust my crutches.

"I got you something," she whispered, slipping a small velvet box into my hand.

Inside lay a necklace strung with ancient, polished bone fragments.

"Wolf bone," she murmured, her eyes serious. "From a warrior ancestor. It wards off malice and ill will."

I clasped it around my neck. It felt strangely warm against my skin, a small comfort in the cold.

We entered the hall. The chatter died down instantly, replaced by the heavy silence of judgment.

I held my head high. I was wearing a sleek, floor-length black dress that concealed my cast, though the rhythmic *clack-clack* of my crutches gave me away.

Emilio and Hayden were seated at the front table, holding court. Hayden wore a white gown that looked suspiciously like a wedding dress, practically glowing under the chandeliers, dripping in diamonds that weren't hers.

Emilio saw me. His jaw tightened, a muscle feathering in his cheek.

The auction began. Paintings, marble statues, ancient iron daggers-the usual displays of wealth.

Then, the auctioneer unveiled the main event.

"Item 405. The Tear of the Moon Goddess."

A reverent hush fell over the room.

It was a blue diamond, raw and uncut, suspended in a cage of filigree silver. Legend said it enhanced the bond between Mates and drastically increased fertility.

Hayden gasped, the sound audible in the quiet hall. She turned to Emilio, placing a theatrical hand on her flat stomach. "Oh, Emilio... it's beautiful. Imagine what it would do for... us."

She glanced back at me, a smirk playing on her lips.

"But it's so expensive," she said, pitching her voice to carry. "Maybe we shouldn't."

Emilio puffed out his chest, playing the role of the provider. "Nothing is too good for my family."

He raised his paddle. "Fifty thousand."

The crowd murmured in appreciation.

I felt a surge of bile rise in my throat. That was pack money. *My* money. The funds I had painstakingly saved by renegotiating contracts and cutting costs on foundation materials-savings he was now blowing on a rock for his mistress.

I raised my paddle.

"Sixty thousand," I said.

My voice rang out clear, cutting through the murmurs.

Heads snapped toward me.

Emilio turned, his eyes flashing a dangerous red. "Elana, sit down."

"Seventy thousand," Emilio countered, his voice tight.

"Eighty," I said instantly.

"One hundred thousand!" Emilio roared, losing his composure.

The room was buzzing with electric tension. The "Future Luna" and the Alpha bidding against each other? It was a scandal in real-time.

"One hundred and fifty thousand," I said calmly.

Emilio stood up, knocking his chair back. "Two hundred thousand!"

I didn't blink. I raised my paddle again. "Two hundred and fifty."

"Sold!" the auctioneer shouted, sweating profusely. "To Lady Elana!"

I smirked. I had won. I would take that stone and crush it to dust before I let Hayden wear it.

The auctioneer approached with the mobile card machine. I reached for my payment card, triumph coursing through me.

*Buzz.*

My phone vibrated against my hip.

I glanced down.

[Notification: Bank of Obsidian. Transaction Declined. Account Frozen.]

I froze. The blood drained from my face.

*"Did you think I wouldn't secure my assets, Elana?"* Emilio's voice slid into my mind via the link, dripping with malice. *"You are nothing without me. You own nothing. You are nothing."*

The auctioneer was waiting, shifting uncomfortably. "Ms. Thomas?"

"Try again," I said, my voice shaking despite my best efforts.

He swiped it again. A harsh beep echoed.

"Declined, ma'am."

The whispers started, like snakes hissing in the grass.

"She's broke."

"Emilio finally cut her off."

"How embarrassing."

Ayla stepped forward, her face thunderous. "I'll pay for it." She whipped out her Alpine Pack black card.

*Buzz.*

Ayla checked her phone, her eyes widening in shock.

*"Any interference from outsiders will be considered an act of economic aggression against the Obsidian Pack,"* Emilio announced via *Mind-Link*, projecting his voice to every wolf in the room. *"Transaction blocked."*

He had blocked external transfers at the venue. He controlled the network. He had trapped us.

Emilio walked up to the podium with a slow, predatory grace. He pulled out a checkbook.

"I apologize for my... associate's confusion," he said smoothly to the crowd, slipping on his mask of benevolence. "She is unwell. I will cover the cost. And the stone..."

He turned and walked over to Hayden.

"...belongs to the true heart of this pack."

He clasped the necklace around Hayden's neck. The blue diamond rested against her throat, mocking me.

The crowd erupted in applause. They cheered for his "generosity." They cheered for his "mercy" in covering my public failure.

I stood there, leaning heavily on my crutches, stripped of my dignity, my money, and my pride.

Hayden touched the stone, looking at me with a sickening, mock pity.

Emilio leaned in close to my ear, his breath hot against my skin. "You are a wolf-less cripple, Elana. You exist because I allow it. Go back to your room."

Tears pricked my eyes, hot and stinging, but I refused to let them fall. I would not give him that satisfaction.

"You think this is power, Emilio?" I whispered back, my voice trembling with rage.

His eyes narrowed.

"Buying shiny things for your whore with stolen money?"

His hand twitched, as if he wanted to strike me right there.

"Watch your back," I said.

I turned and hobbled out of the hall. The applause for them sounded like rolling thunder behind me, a soundtrack to my exile.

Ayla walked beside me, her hand gripping my shoulder like a vice. "I'm going to kill him," she growled, her wolf surfacing in her voice.

"No," I said, staring straight ahead at the exit doors.

"Death is too easy. I'm going to take everything he has. His reputation. His pack. His pride."

I touched the bone necklace Ayla gave me. It was cold now.

"I'm done playing defense."