Chapter 2
Seattle's sky was as overcast as my mood.
The moment the plane touched down, I didn't call anyone. During those twelve hours of flight time, I'd imagined every possible scenario, but none of them made me angrier than reality itself.
The Silverstone Corporation headquarters gleamed with metallic luster in the evening sunset. I took the elevator straight to the top floor—no appointment, no notice—just appeared at my father's office door like that.
"Miss Silverstone!" Secretary Miranda was so startled by my sudden appearance that she nearly spilled coffee on the carpet. "Weren't you supposed to return in another month? The academy courses..."
"Plans changed." I removed my coat, silver-gray eyes scanning the familiar office environment. "Where's Damien?"
Miranda's expression turned awkward. She said carefully, "He... he didn't come to the company today. Said he was accompanying that Miss Seraphina. This is the third time this week."
'Third time.' That number repeated in my head, each repetition stoking my fury higher.
My fingers traced across the desktop, feeling the wood's temperature. "Where is he?"
"Chez Laurent restaurant," Miranda was obviously used to these inquiries. "He always reserves the private dining room there."
A cold light flashed through my silver eyes. I grabbed the car keys. "Take me to him."
"But Miss Silverstone, maybe you should first..."
"Now."
Miranda wisely shut up.
Chez Laurent was one of Seattle's most upscale French restaurants, with warm candlelight and soft music creating the perfect romantic atmosphere. Normally I would appreciate the refined elegance here, but tonight, everything seemed particularly grating.
I didn't knock—just pushed open the private dining room door.
Then I saw the scene I least wanted to see in my entire life.
Damien was wiping wine stains from a blonde woman's lips, his hand lingering on her cheek, their faces close enough to feel each other's breath. Two glasses of champagne sat on the table, candlelight flickering ambiguously in their eyes.
This was my fiancé, my fated mate, enjoying what should have been our romantic dinner with another woman.
"Ainsley?" Damien's voice was full of shock, his hand frozen in mid-air. "How did you..."
"I came back to see what my fiancé was up to." My voice was calmer than I'd expected, but I knew any werewolf could hear the deadly danger in it. "Looks like you're doing just fine."
The blonde woman turned to look at me—a face so exquisitely perfect it was almost unreal, golden hair smooth as silk, eyes holding some light I couldn't read.
"Damien never mentioned you were coming back today." Her voice was as soft as a feather, but each word pierced my heart like a needle.
'So this is Seraphina. The werewolf who made my Alpha fall for her.'
I studied her carefully, trying to understand what had made Damien so infatuated. She was indeed beautiful, with a kind of fragile charm, but I could smell something wrong about her.
"Ainsley, let me explain..." Damien hurriedly stood up, but the distance between him and Seraphina made any explanation seem pale and powerless.
"No need to explain anything, Damien." Seraphina stood up gracefully. She was shorter than me, but every movement revealed a kind of calculated charm. "Ainsley, I thought you didn't care about him."
"After all," she continued, her voice filled with feigned concern, "Damien told me you were very busy, always in Europe. I was worried there were problems in your relationship."
"He accompanies me every day," she looked toward Damien, eyes full of affection. "Says I remind him of something important. Right, Damien?"
I looked at Damien, waiting for his response. This man I had once loved deeply was now hesitating between two women, his face written with embarrassment and guilt.
"Seraphina is just temporarily staying at..." he began to explain, but his voice grew smaller and smaller.
"Staying where, Damien?" My voice remained calm, but each word was like an ice blade. "At your apartment? Or some place you specially prepared for her?"
Seraphina laughed softly. "Ainsley, don't misunderstand. Damien is just taking care of me. I'm alone in this strange city, and if it weren't for him..."
She didn't finish, but the meaning was clear. She was implying her special place in Damien's heart, hinting at his protective instincts and care for her.
What made me angriest was that Damien didn't refute it. He just stood there, letting this woman brazenly display the intimate relationship between her and my fiancé.
'Enough.'
I turned and left the private room without another word. Behind me came Damien's voice: "Ainsley, wait..."
But I didn't stop.
I stood in the restaurant's parking lot, taking a deep breath.
Then I smelled it.
The scent was faint, but as an Alpha, my sense of smell was much keener than ordinary werewolves.
'Eastern pack markings.'
This instantly put me on alert. The relationship between West Coast and East Coast packs had always been tense. If Seraphina carried the scent of eastern wolf packs, that meant...
My phone vibrated. An anonymous text message:
"Beware the golden wolf. She's not what she appears to be."
I stared at this message, silver eyes flickering dangerously in the darkness. Someone was warning me, but who? Why?
'This is no coincidence.'
Seraphina's timing was too perfect—appearing just when I left Seattle. Her background was mysterious, yet she could so quickly bewitch Damien. And now someone was anonymously sending me warning messages.
My phone vibrated again. This time it was a message from Damien:
"Sorry you saw that. I can explain."
I looked at this message, imagining he might be discussing what just happened with Seraphina right now, imagining she might be whispering in his ear to soothe his guilt.
'Explain?' I laughed coldly. 'Some things don't need explanation, Damien. The moment you chose betrayal, there was nothing left to say between us.'
I didn't reply to his message. Instead, I dialed another number.
"Silverstone Intelligence Center speaking." A familiar voice came through the phone.
"I need you to investigate someone," my voice was ice-cold and determined. "Seraphina. Focus on her bloodline origins and past movements. I want to know everything about her, every detail from birth to now."
"Understood, Miss."
I started the car. "Also, investigate which eastern pack members have appeared on the West Coast recently."
"Got it."
After hanging up, I looked at myself in the rearview mirror. Silver eyes flickered with determined light in the darkness.
The Silverstone intelligence network was the most powerful on the entire North American West Coast. Soon I would know this blonde woman's true identity. And when I possessed the truth, everyone who betrayed me would pay the price.
Including Damien.
I drove toward the family estate, already beginning to plan the next moves in my mind.
