Chapter 2

I picked up the glass of water beside the worktable and threw it at Lucas.

It struck his chest and soaked the front of his shirt. Water ran down his face. Emma flinched behind him.

"You want me to be understanding?" I asked. "Understand this."

Lucas wiped his cheek. His expression hardened.

"You are making this worse."

"I'm making this worse?" I pointed at the ninety-nine bottles. "You slept with my sister in my apartment and used my money to buy her gifts. What exactly would make this better for you?"

Emma moved closer to him. "Nora, please."

"Don't say my name like you're the victim."

Lucas reached into his coat and pulled out a black folder.

He placed it on the table beside the bracelet receipt.

"This is the Moonshadow Alliance contract," he said. "You signed it when we agreed to combine our business networks."

I opened the folder. My signature appeared on every page.

The Moonshadow Alliance controlled several wealthy werewolf families and their commercial partnerships. Lucas's family had held influence there for generations. My perfume brand had only gained access because of our engagement.

Lucas tapped one paragraph.

"If you breach the agreement or damage my family's reputation, you will be barred from competing in any connected market for two years."

I looked up at him.

"You're threatening to freeze my business?"

"I'm warning you."

"You slept with my sister, and now you're using a contract to silence me."

"I'm protecting everyone from your emotional decisions."

Emma lowered her head. She still wore my silk robe. The sight made my hands shake.

I closed the folder and walked past them.

"We're going to the shop."

Lucas grabbed my arm.

I looked down at his hand.

"Let go."

His fingers tightened for half a second. Then he released me.

Emma followed us to Moon & Moss. The shop was only a few blocks away, and it was supposed to be closed. But the front lights were on.

I unlocked the door with my key.

The first thing I saw was the new discount board behind the counter.

Buy three bottles, get five free.

My throat tightened.

Emma had changed the discount rules without asking me. The offer gave away products below cost. On the shelves, several expensive moon-oil blends had been marked down by half.

I opened the sales tablet and checked the records.

The discounts had started six weeks ago.

"Why did you do this?" I asked.

Emma stood near the entrance. "Customers were complaining about the prices."

"You were not allowed to change them."

"I thought you trusted me to manage the shop."

"I trusted you to follow the rules."

I opened the expense account next. The brand budget was almost empty.

The missing money had gone to a luxury hotel, a private driver, two designer bags, a healer's clinic, and a reservation at a restaurant Lucas liked.

I turned the tablet toward her.

"Explain these."

Emma's face went pale.

Lucas stepped between us. "She needed help."

"Then she should have asked."

"She was under stress."

"So you both decided my business was your personal wallet?"

Emma covered her stomach with one hand.

I laughed bitterly. "What else did you spend?"

I pulled out the records I had printed earlier and laid them across the counter.

"Hospital bills for your injuries. Your lawyer's fees. Three years of rent. The down payment for this shop. Every supplier invoice. Every client dinner you skipped. Every refund I paid when you gave away products. The apartment you used for your affair. The car you drove to meet him."

Emma's eyes filled with tears.

"I never asked you to do all that."

"You cried until I offered."

"You said we were family."

"I said I would help you stand up. I didn't say you could climb onto my back and stay there."

She sank to her knees.

Lucas immediately bent down beside her.

"Nora, she can't control herself," he said. "Her wolf gets out of control when she's frightened. I'm the only one who can calm her."

Emma pressed both hands against her stomach.

"And I'm pregnant," she whispered.

The shop went quiet.

Lucas looked at me, waiting for my reaction. Emma began to cry harder.

I stared at her hands.

When I was eight, Emma's parents had taken me into their home after mine collapsed. They gave me a room, shared their food, and told me I belonged there. Emma had been the first person to call me her sister.

For years, whenever she crossed a line, I remembered that room.

I remembered owing her family everything.

Emma lifted her tear-streaked face. "You taught me how to negotiate. So tell me, Nora. What should I choose? My sister or the man who protects me?"

She had repeated my own lessons back to me.

I crouched in front of her.

"Here is your final choice," I said. "Get rid of the baby and cut Lucas out of your life."

Lucas rose sharply. "Watch your mouth."

I stood and faced Emma.

"Choose your sister, or choose a cheating man who used my money to buy your love."

Emma's crying stopped.

Lucas reached for her hand.

I pointed toward the door.

"Decide."