Ava POV:

War in the modern world wasn't fought with claws and teeth. It was fought with contracts, supply chains, and public opinion.

Sarah had been busy.

I scrolled through WolfNet on my tablet. She had posted a photo of herself in my old apartment-before the movers finished-captioned: New beginnings in our nest! So sad that some people can't let go of the past and try to bully a pregnant mother. NewLuna LoveWins.

The comments were vile.

@AlphaMale88: Sterling girl is just bitter she's barren.

@PackMomma: How can she kick out a pregnant woman? Heartless.

"She's good at playing the victim," Leo said, sitting across from me in my office at Sterling Corp.

"She's a parasite," I corrected. "But parasites die without a host."

"What's the plan?"

"Tonight is the Urban Development Gala. Liam needs the raw materials from our mines to finish his new tech center. Without that center, his investors pull out. Without investors, his pack goes bankrupt."

I stood up. "Let's go cut the cord."

The Gala was in full swing. The air was thick with the scents of roasted lamb and expensive wine. I smelled Liam before I saw him. But this time, the smell was different.

It was the heavy, musky scent of a male who had recently mated.

I turned the corner toward the restrooms and nearly collided with Sarah. She was reapplying lipstick. When she saw me, her eyes lit up with malicious glee.

"Ava! I love what you've done with your hair. It almost distracts from the bags under your eyes," she chirped.

"And I see you're still wearing that dress," I said, glancing at her outfit. "Did you buy it, or did Liam charge it to the company account I'm about to freeze?"

Sarah's smile faltered. She stepped closer, lowering her voice. "You think you're so smart. But Liam doesn't want you. Last night... oh, last night he was wild. He told me I'm the only one who can handle his wolf. He said you were like a statue in bed. Cold. Lifeless."

It was a lie designed to hurt. But the image of them together just made me nauseous.

"You were exiled from the River Pack for sleeping with the Alpha's father," I stated calmly. "You signed an NDA. Did you tell Liam that? Or does he think you're just a misunderstood victim?"

Sarah paled. "You wouldn't dare."

"Try me."

Suddenly, the bathroom door swung open. Liam marched in. He must have been waiting outside.

"Is she bothering you, baby?" Liam asked, wrapping an arm around Sarah.

Sarah immediately melted into him, trembling. "She... she threatened the baby, Liam! She said she'd make sure we starved!"

Liam turned on me, his face red with rage. "You are toxic, Ava. I'm glad I rejected you. You're trying to kill my pack because you can't handle rejection."

"I'm not trying to kill your pack, Liam," I said, pulling my phone out. "I'm just conducting business."

I tapped the screen and held it up. It was a digital document. A cease-and-desist order on all raw material shipments from Sterling Mines to Crescent Tech, effective immediately.

"What is this?" Liam squinted at the screen.

"This is the end of your free ride," I said. "As of tonight, Sterling Corp is severing all ties with Crescent Tech. No more steel. No more rare earth metals. No more access to our transport routes."

Liam laughed nervously. "You can't do that. We have a contract."

"Read clause 14, section B," I recited. "The Sterling Pack reserves the right to terminate the agreement if the partner pack engages in conduct detrimental to the Sterling reputation. Publicly humiliating the Sterling heiress at the altar? I'd say that counts."

The color drained from Liam's face. He knew the numbers. Without our materials, his construction stops. His loans will default within a month.

"Ava, wait," he stammered, his aggression evaporating into panic. "This... this will ruin us. Hundreds of families in my pack depend on this project. You can't punish them for my personal life."

"You made your personal life public, Liam," I said, stepping around him. "You wanted to be the big, strong Alpha? Go find your own steel."

I walked out of the restroom, leaving the scent of their fear behind me.

Ava POV:

The fallout was immediate. By the next morning, Crescent Tech's stock had dropped 15%. The banks, run by the shrewd Ironclaw Pack, were already calling in Liam's loans.

"Why go after his money?" my friend Maya asked as we walked through the luxury shopping district. Maya was a human, one of the few who knew about our world. "I thought wolves were all about honor duels."

"Liam doesn't have honor," I said, pausing in front of a jewelry store window. "He has an image. He built his entire identity on being the successful, modern Alpha. If I take that away, he's just a boy who broke a promise."

We entered the store. It was a high-end boutique that specialized in silver-infused jewelry-dangerous for wolves if not handled correctly, but a status symbol for the ultra-rich who wanted to show they could flirt with danger.

And there she was.

Sarah was standing at the counter, pointing at a delicate watch encrusted with diamonds and silver filigree.

"I'll take it," she said loudly. "My mate is celebrating a big victory over his ex."

The salesclerk nodded. "Of course, ma'am. That will be fifty thousand."

Sarah pulled out a sleek black credit card. I recognized it immediately. It was a supplementary card attached to my private account. I had given it to Liam for 'pack emergencies' years ago. He had given it to his mistress.

I felt a cold fury settle in my stomach.

Sarah tapped the card.

Beep. Declined.

She frowned. "Try it again. It's a Black Card. It doesn't have a limit."

Beep. Declined.

The clerk looked uncomfortable. "I'm sorry, ma'am. The issuer has blocked the card."

"That's impossible!" Sarah screeched. "Do you know who I am? I am the Luna of Crescent Tech!"

"Actually," I said, stepping forward. "You're a thief."

Sarah spun around. Her face went from red to white when she saw me.

"Ava," she hissed. "You... you blocked the card?"

"It's my card, Sarah," I said, my voice projecting clearly through the quiet store. Other customers turned to watch. "I gave it to Liam for emergencies. Buying a silver watch for a mistress is not an emergency."

I walked up to the counter and plucked the card from her hand.

"Hey! Give that back!" Sarah lunged for it, her claws extending slightly.

I caught her wrist. My grip was iron. I squeezed, just a little, letting a fraction of my strength show. Sarah gasped in pain, her knees buckling.

"You are wearing a dress bought with my money. You are driving a car leased in my name. You are living in a pack that runs on my family's charity," I whispered, leaning close so only she could hear. "You think you won the prize? You just stole the dog, Sarah. I own the kennel."

I released her. She stumbled back, rubbing her wrist.

"You're jealous!" she shouted, trying to salvage her dignity. "Liam loves me! He gives me everything!"

"He gives you nothing that isn't mine," I corrected.

I turned to the clerk. "I'll take the watch. And please cut this card in half."

"Yes, Miss Sterling," the clerk said, recognizing me.

Sarah looked around. The other shoppers-some human, some wolf-were snickering. The illusion of the glamorous Luna was shattering. She was just a woman with a declined card and a stolen life.

She turned and ran out of the store, tears of humiliation streaming down her face.

I watched her go. It felt good. But it wasn't enough.

Taking their money was easy. Taking their hope? That was the next step.

My phone buzzed. It was a text from my father.

Come home, Ava. The Elders have found something in the archives about the White Wolf. You need to go to Paris.

Paris. The Sanctuary. The neutral ground where the Lycan Kings lived.

I looked at the silver watch in my hand. It was beautiful, dangerous, and cold.

"Pack your bags, Maya," I said. "We're going to France."