Ivy POV:

I drove fast.

The moment I was clear of the cemetery and back on the highway, I let out a breath I had been holding for an hour. My hands gripped the steering wheel so tight the leather creaked.

Seeing him hadn't broken me. But it had enraged me.

I navigated through the city until I reached the penthouse suite of the Richardson Hotel. This building was sovereign territory of the Royal Pack-a safe haven.

I parked the car in the private garage and took the elevator up.

As soon as the doors closed, I reached up and unclasped the silver amulet from my neck.

The sensation was immediate. It was like taking off a heavy wool coat in the middle of a desert.

My power flooded back. My scent-a mix of winter frost, night-blooming jasmine, and ozone-filled the small space of the elevator. My aura expanded, heavy and commanding.

I was no longer just Ivy. I was a Luna.

I walked into the penthouse. It was modern, secure, and smelled like home.

*Are you safe, my love?*

The voice in my head was deep, velvety, and felt like a warm blanket wrapped around my mind.

*The Mind-Link.*

*I am safe, Collin,* I replied, feeling the tension drain from my shoulders at the sound of his voice. *I just left the graveyard.*

I pulled out my phone and initiated a secure video call.

The screen lit up instantly.

Collin Anderson's face filled the frame. He was breathtaking. Dark hair, a strong jawline covered in stubble, and eyes that were a piercing, molten gold-the sign of an incredibly powerful Alpha.

He was in his office at the Anderson Pack headquarters. He looked ready to kill someone.

"Did he touch you?" Collin asked. His voice was a low growl that vibrated through the phone speakers.

"He grabbed my arm," I admitted.

Collin's eyes flashed. I could hear the wood of his desk creaking as he gripped it. "I will tear his arm off."

"Focus, Alpha," I said gently. "It hurt him more than it hurt me. The rejection backlash stung him."

Suddenly, a small, chaotic blur jumped into Collin's lap.

"Mama!"

My heart melted. Leo, my four-year-old son, grinned at the camera. He had my dark hair but his father's golden eyes.

"Hi, baby wolf," I cooed. "Are you being good for Daddy?"

"Yes! Grandpa Alaric let me howl at the moon!" Leo chirped.

Alaric Richardson, the Alpha King, stepped into the frame behind Collin. He looked regal and terrifying to most, but to me, he was the father Donnell Dillard never was.

"Everything is in place, Ivy," Alaric said, his voice stern but kind. "The Dillard Pack is hosting a 'Charity Gala' tonight at the Grandeur Hotel. They are desperate for investors. It is the perfect stage."

"I know," I said, my expression hardening. "I'll be there."

Collin pulled Leo closer, nuzzling the top of his head. The contrast between Clayton's selfish proposition and Collin's fierce, protective love was stark.

Collin was my Second Chance Mate.

*The Moon Goddess rarely grants do-overs. But when she does, she doesn't mess around.*

When I met Collin three years ago, I was broken. He didn't try to fix me; he loved me until I fixed myself.

"Be careful," Collin said, his eyes locking onto mine through the screen. "Your wolf is strong, Ivy. But they play dirty."

"Let them try," I said. "I'm not the girl they killed anymore."

"No," Collin smiled, a predatory, proud grin. "You are my Queen."

We ended the call. I felt the warmth of the bond lingering in my chest-the Soul's Peace. It gave me the strength I needed for what came next.

*I walked to the closet. No disguises tonight. No hiding.*

*It was time to dress for an execution.*

*

Ivy POV:

*The Grandeur Hotel was lit up like a beacon, desperate to project wealth the Dillard Pack no longer possessed.*

*I stepped out of the Royal limousine, the hem of my midnight-blue gown sweeping the pavement. The dress was cut dangerously low in the back, revealing the scars I no longer felt the need to hide. Diamonds dripped from my ears, and my wedding ring caught the strobe of the paparazzi flashes.*

*I walked toward the entrance, my heels clicking a rhythm of war against the marble steps.*

*"Invitation?"*

*The bouncer didn't even look up. But the man standing behind him did.*

*"Ivy?"*

*Dexter Dillard, my biological brother and the Pack Beta, froze. He looked like our father-thick neck, watery eyes, and a permanent sneer that was currently faltering.*

*"You're dead," Dexter whispered, blinking rapidly. "Clayton said he saw a ghost, but... you're solid."*

*"Solid enough to ruin your night, Dexter," I said smoothly.*

*He recovered quickly, his face twisting into that familiar bully's grimace. He stepped in front of me, blocking the doors. "You can't go in there. Dad's courting investors. We don't need a zombie causing a scene."*

*He signaled two security guards. "Get her out of here. Dump her in the alley."*

*One of the guards, a brute I recognized as Stan, reached for my arm. "Come on, sweetheart. Don't make this ugly."*

*I didn't flinch. I didn't pull away.*

*I simply released a fraction of my aura.*

*It wasn't the weak, submissive scent of the Ivy they remembered. It was the crushing weight of a Royal Luna.*

*Stan stopped. His wolf whined audibly. He took a step back, his instincts screaming at him to submit.*

*Dexter's knees buckled slightly, sweat instantly beading on his forehead. "What... what is that?" he gasped, clutching the doorframe to stay upright. "How are you doing that?"*

*"Move," I commanded.*

*The word wasn't a shout. It was a compulsion.*

*Dexter scrambled aside, tripping over his own feet. The guards lowered their heads, unable to meet my gaze.*

*I walked past them, the heavy double doors swinging open.*

*They had broken my body five years ago. Tonight, I was going to break their legacy.*

*

Ivy POV:

The ballroom of the Grandeur Hotel smelled of expensive perfume, roasted meat, and the underlying musk of a hundred wolves.

*I didn't sneak in. I walked right down the center of the aisle.*

The chatter in the room died down, wave by wave, as people noticed me.

Donnell Dillard, my father and the Alpha of this failing pack, stood near the buffet. He dropped his wine glass. It shattered, red liquid staining the white carpet like blood.

"Ivy?" he whispered.

The guests-wolves from neighboring packs, potential investors-began to whisper.

"Isn't that the daughter who died?"

"Look at her... she's radiant."

"Is that... Royal blue?"

Donnell marched over, his face purple with rage. He didn't hug me. He didn't cry with relief.

He looked at me like I was a stain on his perfectly tailored suit.

"How dare you," he hissed. "You let us mourn you. You let us bury an empty casket!"

"You didn't mourn me," I said, my voice cutting through the silence. "You erased me."

"You ungrateful brat!"

A shrill voice pierced the air. Aunt Carol. She was a Beta female, cruel and ambitious, who had always hated my mother.

She stormed over, her face twisted in a snarl.

"You ruin everything!" she shrieked. "This is Ainsley's night! We are securing the investors tonight, and you show up like a ghost to shame us!"

She raised her hand.

*I saw it coming. I could have caught it. I could have snapped her wrist like a dry twig.*

*But I let it land.*

*Smack!*

Her palm connected with my cheek. The sound echoed through the silent ballroom. My head snapped to the side. I tasted blood.

*Good. Now everyone saw.*

"You are a curse!" Carol screamed. "You have no wolf! You are nothing!"

I slowly turned my head back to face her. I licked the blood from the corner of my lip.

My eyes, usually a soft brown, began to glow. Not the yellow of a Beta, or the orange of a regular wolf.

They flashed a brilliant, blinding silver-white.

*The air in the room suddenly grew heavy, charged with ozone.*

"Touch me again," I snarled, my voice layered with the growl of my wolf, "and you lose the hand."

Carol stumbled back, fear finally dawning in her eyes. "You... you're..."

Suddenly, the heavy double doors of the ballroom exploded inward.

It wasn't wind. It was power.

A wave of pure, crushing Alpha Aura slammed into the room. It was heavy, suffocating, smelling of storm clouds and absolute dominance.

Every wolf in the room dropped to their knees. Their instincts forced them to bare their necks in submission. Donnell fell. Dexter fell. Even Aunt Carol collapsed, whimpering.

I was the only one left standing.

Three figures walked through the dust.

Alaric Richardson, the King.

Arnulfo Richardson, the Prince.

And in the center, radiating enough power to level the building, was Collin.

His golden eyes scanned the room, bypassing the cowering wolves until they locked onto me. He saw the red mark on my cheek.

The temperature in the room dropped ten degrees.

Collin threw his head back and let out a roar that shook the chandeliers.

"*WHO TOUCHED MY MATE?!*"

The Alpha Command slammed into the crowd, pinning them to the floor.

*I smiled.*

"Hello, husband," I said softly.

The revenge had officially begun.

*