Morning light filtered through the blinds of my apartment, casting thin stripes across the floor. I stared at my reflection in the bathroom mirror, barely recognizing the woman looking back at me. Golden flecks still danced in my irises—evidence of my wolf's awakening. Three years of suppression had ended in a single night of agony and transformation.

"We are Alpha," my wolf whispered in my mind. "Never forget that again."

I squared my shoulders and headed for the door. The talent agency was expecting me, and I had a feeling today would change everything.

---

The chrome and glass tower of Elite Talent Agency loomed over the sidewalk. I pushed through the revolving doors, nodding at the security guard who barely glanced up from his magazine. Three years of coming here had made me invisible—just another wolfless Omega trying to make it in the entertainment industry.

"Skylar Kennedy," Beta Mckenzie Wilson's voice cut through the reception area before I even reached her office. "My office. Now."

I followed the sound of her voice down the hallway, past assistants who averted their eyes. News traveled fast in pack circles. Everyone knew what had happened last night.

Mckenzie's office was immaculate as always—minimalist furniture, awards displayed on walls, and the faint scent of expensive perfume. She didn't look up when I entered, her manicured fingers continuing to tap on her keyboard.

"You're late," she said, though I was actually five minutes early.

"I'm sorry," I said automatically, then caught myself. My wolf bristled at the apology.

Mckenzie finally looked up, her eyes narrowing as she took in my appearance. "You look terrible. Did you even try to cover up those bags under your eyes?"

"I—"

"Save it." She cut me off with a dismissive wave. "I've had three calls this morning. Three. All asking about the pathetic wolfless Omega who got publicly rejected by Sterling Bishop."

She stood up, circling her desk to face me directly. Her Beta aura flared, pressing down on me with uncomfortable pressure.

"Do you have any idea what you've done?" she hissed. "Sterling Bishop is one of our biggest clients. Starlight Pack controls half the entertainment industry werewolf talent in this city."

"I didn't ask him to reject me," I said quietly.

"No, you just couldn't keep an Alpha satisfied." Mckenzie's lips curled into a sneer. "What use is a wolfless Omega who can't even hold onto her mate?"

My wolf growled, pushing against my consciousness. *Let me out. Let me show her what we are.*

"Not yet," I whispered under my breath.

Mckenzie misunderstood my response, her face twisting with disgust. "Not yet? You think there's still a chance? Sterling's already moved on to the Kennedy heir."

"Aura's not—" I stopped myself before revealing the truth.

"Save your excuses." Mckenzie turned back to her desk, pulling out a folder. "You've got one chance to fix this mess you've created."

She thrust a glossy invitation toward me. "VIP networking event tonight. Every major player in the entertainment industry will be there."

"I'm not sure I should—"

"You should what? Hide away in shame?" Mckenzie laughed harshly. "You need to make yourself useful again. Entertain the guests, make yourself indispensable. Or I'll blacklist you so thoroughly you'll never work in this city again."

My stomach tightened. "Entertain?"

"Don't act innocent." Her eyes gleamed with malice. "You know what these events involve. Powerful wolves expect certain... accommodations."

For three years, I'd avoided these types of events, using my relationship with Sterling as protection.

"If you refuse," Mckenzie continued, her voice dropping to a dangerous whisper, "I'll make sure everyone knows you're nothing but a rejected, wolfless nobody. No pack will touch you."

---

I left the agency with the invitation clutched in my hand, my mind racing. Three years ago, this threat would have devastated me. Now, it merely crystallized my resolve.

"Tonight," I whispered to my reflection in the elevator's mirrored wall, "everything changes."

Back in my apartment, I stood before my closet, surveying the meek, submissive clothing I'd worn as a disguised Omega. Pastel colors, modest cuts, nothing that would draw attention.

I pulled out a simple black dress with a high neckline and tossed it aside. Then another, and another, until the bed was covered with discarded options.

My fingers brushed against something at the back of the closet—a garment bag I hadn't opened in three years.

Inside was a crimson dress, fitted and daring, that I'd brought from home but never had the courage to wear. It screamed power and confidence—everything an Omega was supposed to avoid.

"Perfect," I murmured, running my fingers over the silky fabric.

As I held it against my body, I caught my reflection in the mirror—straight-backed, chin lifted, eyes blazing with golden flecks. The woman staring back at me wasn't hiding anymore.

"We're going hunting tonight," my wolf purred approvingly.

I smiled, feeling my canines lengthen slightly. "Yes, we are."

The VIP event would be the perfect stage for my revenge—and the beginning of my return to power.

The Beverly Hills Grand Hotel towered above me, its golden lights spilling onto the sidewalk like liquid wealth. I smoothed down the crimson dress that hugged my curves—a far cry from the meek attire I'd worn for three years. Tonight, I wasn't hiding anymore.

The VIP suite occupied the entire top floor, accessible only through a private elevator that required a key card. I'd "borrowed" mine from Mckenzie's office during our meeting, knowing she'd never notice it missing until tomorrow.

"Welcome, Miss Kennedy," the attendant said with a slight bow, his eyes widening as he took in my appearance. "Enjoy your evening."

The elevator doors opened directly into a world of crystal chandeliers and flowing champagne. The suite was packed with entertainment industry elites—producers, directors, and pack leaders mingling in an orgy of power and influence. The air hummed with conversation and clinking glasses, underscored by the faint scent of expensive cologne and perfume.

I scanned the room, noting familiar faces from movie sets and industry parties. In the center of it all stood Sterling and Aura, surrounded by an adoring crowd of sycophants and power brokers.

Sterling looked every inch the successful Alpha in his tailored tuxedo, his arm possessively wrapped around Aura's waist. She glittered in diamonds that caught the light with every movement, her dark hair styled in elegant waves that cascaded down her back.

"Another champagne, darling?" Sterling's voice carried across the room as he signaled a server, his eyes never leaving Aura's face.

I moved through the crowd slowly, my wolf's heightened senses picking up snippets of conversation. Director Vincent Cross stood near the bar, his reputation for discovering new talent legendary in werewolf entertainment circles. He'd once expressed interest in meeting me, before Sterling's rejection made me persona non grata.

"The Kennedy fortune is simply staggering," Aura's voice drifted toward me as I passed behind a group of producers. "You wouldn't believe the properties we own across Europe alone."

I froze, straining to hear more.

"And Alpha Morgan is so doting," she continued, her voice taking on a practiced tone of humblebrag. "He spoils me terribly. 'Aura, my dear,' he always says, 'you deserve the very best.'"

A couple of entertainment executives nodded appreciatively, clearly impressed by her fabricated connection to one of the most powerful Alphas in werewolf society.

"He's always sending me rare herbs for my wolf's strength," Aura added, touching her neck delicately. "The Kennedy bloodline requires special care, you know."

My wolf snarled inside me, rage building like a gathering storm. *She's lying about everything. Our father would never—*

I couldn't contain it anymore. A loud, mocking scoff escaped my lips, cutting through the conversation like a knife through silk.

The room fell silent. Every head turned toward me.

Aura's eyes widened in shock, then narrowed with fury as she recognized me. Sterling's expression shifted from surprise to cold calculation.

"Well, well," I said, stepping forward into the circle. "If I'd known we were sharing bedtime stories, I'd have brought popcorn."

"Skylar?" Director Cross's eyebrows shot up in recognition. "I didn't expect to see you here after... recent events."

"Recent events?" I tilted my head innocently. "You mean Sterling's public rejection of his true mate for a fraud? Those events?"

Gasps rippled through the crowd. Aura's face flushed crimson, her hands curling into fists at her sides.

"Sterling," I turned my gaze to him directly, "care to explain why you're parading around with someone who's lying about her bloodline?"

Sterling's Alpha aura flared, pressing down on me with uncomfortable force. Three years ago, it would have made me cower. Tonight, I stood taller.

"What is this?" he snarled, his voice carrying that distinctive Alpha timbre that made lesser wolves submit. "How is a wolfless stray allowed in a VIP suite?"

The crowd shifted uncomfortably, some taking steps back as if my supposed wolflessness might be contagious.

Mckenzie materialized at Sterling's side, her face twisted in a practiced expression of outrage. "I'm so sorry, Alpha Sterling. She's not supposed to be here."

"Then why is she?" Sterling's eyes flashed dangerously.

Mckenzie turned to me, her lips curling into a cruel smile. "Skylar, darling. I thought I made it clear what your role tonight would be."

She gestured toward a tray of champagne flutes on a nearby table. "The guests need refreshments. Perhaps you could make yourself useful?"

The room fell silent again, waiting for my reaction. Every eye watched me, some pitying, others amused by my apparent humiliation.

I looked down at the tray of drinks, then back up at Sterling's smug face. My wolf stirred inside me, no longer willing to be silenced.

*It's time to show them who we really are.*

The room's atmosphere shifted as I stood frozen by the champagne tray. The crowd's attention had moved elsewhere, leaving me isolated in a corner of the opulent suite. My wolf stirred restlessly beneath my skin, sensing danger before I could process it.

"Well, well," a deep voice rumbled behind me. "What do we have here? A little Omega all alone?"

I turned slowly, coming face to face with a man whose reputation preceded him. Cayden Gordon—notorious rogue leader, known for preying on vulnerable she-wolves without pack protection. He stood well over six feet tall, his broad shoulders blocking out the light from the chandelier above. His eyes, a cold amber, assessed me with predatory interest.

"I'm working," I said, trying to keep my voice steady as I moved to step around him.

Cayden's massive arm shot out, slamming against the wall beside me. I found myself trapped in the narrow space between his body and the decorative paneling.

"Working, are you?" His breath reeked of expensive whiskey and something feral. "I've always wondered what services a wolfless Omega provides at these events."

My heart hammered against my ribs as his hand reached out to brush a strand of hair from my face. I flinched away, but he grabbed my chin, forcing me to look up at him.

"You know," he whispered, his voice dropping to a guttural growl, "I've always had a special interest in she-wolves without packs. No protection. No consequences."

His fingers trailed down my neck, leaving a sickening trail of heat in their wake. I swallowed hard, fighting the urge to scream.

"Please," I whispered, hating the tremor in my voice. "I'm here on official business."

"Of course you are," Cayden laughed, the sound devoid of humor. His eyes glittered with malice as he leaned closer, his lips nearly brushing my ear. "Tell me, little Omega, what happens when a wolfless bitch like you gets cornered by a rogue with no rules?"

I looked desperately toward Mckenzie, who stood just ten feet away, deep in conversation with a producer. Our eyes met briefly—hers flickered with something like guilt before she deliberately turned away, lifting her champagne flute in a mock toast to avoid my gaze.

"She's not going to help you," Cayden observed, following my line of sight. "No one here will. That's why they invited me tonight—to handle problems like you."

His hand slid lower, his fingers brushing the neckline of my dress. I jerked backward, but there was nowhere to go.

"Stop," I hissed, my wolf snarling in the back of my mind.

"Or what?" Cayden's grin widened, revealing yellowed canines. "You'll call for your Alpha? Oh wait—you don't have one. You're nothing but a rejected, wolfless stray."

Across the room, Sterling's laugh cut through the murmur of conversation. He stood with Aura tucked against his side, both of them watching my predicament with open amusement.

"Look at her," Aura's voice carried just far enough for me to hear. "Pathetic little Skylar, always needing rescue."

Sterling's arm tightened around her waist as he leaned down to kiss her temple. "She should be grateful we're allowing her to work here at all."

They clinked champagne glasses in a mocking toast, their eyes never leaving my face as Cayden's hand slid lower down my body.

"See?" Cayden whispered, his voice hot against my skin. "No one cares what happens to you. No one even notices when rogues like me take what we want."

Something inside me snapped. The fear that had been freezing my limbs melted away, replaced by a white-hot rage that burned through my veins like acid.

My wolf surged forward, no longer content to be caged. *Let me out. Let me tear his throat out.*

"Your eyes," Cayden murmured, his expression shifting from lust to curiosity. "They're changing color."

I felt it happening—the golden flecks in my irises expanding, glowing with an inner light that had nothing to do with the suite's ambient lighting. Power coursed through me, raw and untamed after three years of suppression.

"You want to know what happens when you corner a she-wolf?" I asked, my voice dropping to a dangerous whisper.

Cayden's eyes widened slightly, but his predatory smile remained fixed. "I'm about to find out."

My hands curled into fists at my sides, nails lengthening into claws as my wolf pushed closer to the surface. The air around us seemed to thicken with Alpha energy—my energy.

"I'm going to tear your throat out," I growled, feeling my canines extend beyond human limits.

Cayden's smile faltered as he finally sensed the shift in power. His eyes darted to Sterling and Aura, seeking confirmation of what he was witnessing.

But it was too late for him to retreat. My wolf had tasted freedom, and there was no going back now.