die

at the far end of the massive obsidian dining table in the Aerie. Gamma Arthur Vance stood beside Kingsley, sl

ozone of an impending thunderstorm. His inner wolf, *Rage*, was highly agitated. Clotilde

ten note attached to the in

se I was wolfless. A phantom sting of old humiliation flared in my chest

y eyes snapped to me, instantly misrea

e ice. "Like a pathetic, dependent Omega, you're actually eag

nk mask, weighing my

rned to his Gamma, his voice dropping into the heavy, inescapable timber of an Alpha's Command. *"A

stalked out, leaving the room

and pulled out my encrypted phone. A message from

a's silent auction includes The No

It was my mother's resting place, the only remaining tether to my

cial execution. It was a territorial wa

They were explosions of sequins, feathers, and tulle-garments des

said f

Noir*. It was a long-sleeved, high-necked black velvet gown with a plunging back. It

due respect, Luna, that's a bit... aggressive

my stare. Arthur was a battle-hardened Gamma, yet he instinctively took a half-step back, his inner wolf recognizing an

e foyer, the air was thick with Kingsley's oppressive a

he loo

elegance of the dress clung to my curves, transforming the 'wolfless freak' into a dark queen. For a split seco

ng gravity drawing me toward him, bu

iolently shoved his instincts down. "Barely adeq

tension was a physical weight. As the car took a sharp tur

or, putting as much distance between us as the backseat allowed.

ing the words with a heavy Alpha's Comma

, I saw the tight lines of his face, the subtle tremor in his clenched

etch. Tonight, I woul