Chapter 2

Odette's yell pulled every head in the room our way.

A pack of security guys in black suits came jogging over, all shoulders and muscle. Low-rank wolves, the kind who never learn to shift clean. They looked at me like I was already guilty of something.

"Miss Sharpe, what do you need?" The one in front knew Odette by name. He was practically bowing.

Odette pointed at me, chin up. "Do you people even do your jobs? Some stray with no invitation walked right in. What if she steals something? Can you cover that?"

The guard's face went hard. He turned to me.

"Ma'am, your invitation, please."

I didn't blink. "I don't have one."

That got a gasp out of the crowd, then whispers, then laughing that nobody bothered to hide.

"So she really did sneak in."

"Look at that dress, she's probably worth less than the tablecloths."

"Strays get worse every year. They'll do anything to climb."

Callum was eating it up. He put on a sad face, like he actually felt bad for me.

"Marlowe, why do this to yourself? I know the breakup hit you hard, but you don't have to fall this far."

"Hit me hard?" I couldn't help it, I laughed. "Callum, you cheated on me first. Don't stand there acting like the wounded party."

"Watch your mouth!" His face went tight. He shot a look at Odette, checking if she'd heard.

I didn't give him room to talk his way out of it. I raised my voice so the whole crowd could hear.

"Since everyone loves a good story, let me tell you about this man." I pointed at him. "Three years together. He played broke the entire time, told me it was to test my heart. Had me working three jobs just to keep us afloat."

"Called it a test of loyalty." I gave a short laugh. "Then he took the money I killed myself earning and bought this woman a designer bag worth more than my rent, trying to buy his way into the Sharpe family."

The whispers stopped for a second. Then the laughing came back, lower this time, meaner.

Wolves respect strength. But a man who mooches off a woman and then throws her under the bus for it sits at the bottom of everyone's list.

Callum's face went dark red, a vein standing out on his forehead.

"Shut your mouth! You're the one who cared about money more than me, that's why you failed my test!"

"Test?" I let the word sit there, ugly. "You're not fit to shine shoes for a real pack, and you think you get to test me? Poor is poor. That kind of small doesn't wash off, no matter whose family you marry into."

"You've got a death wish, don't you." His eyes flashed green, the color wolves get right before they lose it.

Odette saw her man get humiliated in front of everyone and started shaking.

She shoved Callum aside and screamed at me. "You trash, who do you think you are, running your mouth here? Security! Get her! Throw her out in the gutter where she belongs!"

The guard didn't hesitate this time. He waved the others forward.

"Apologies," he said.

Two of them came at me from both sides, hands going for my shoulders.