The Claw's Penalty: She Survived to Rule Them All

POV: Harlow Love

I stood in the corner of the banquet hall, a ghost in long sleeves.

Kaden sat at the High Table with Brittaney. She was miraculously healed, wearing a new red dress. She raised a glass to me, smirking.

Suddenly, the lights cut. A distorted voice boomed. "A gift."

Photos rained from the ceiling.

I caught one. It was explicit. Brittaney. And the Beta of the Silver Lake Pack-our enemies.

I sniffed the paper. Vanilla and betrayal.

The hall erupted. Kaden stood up, snatching a photo. He inhaled sharply. He smelled it. I saw the recognition in his eyes. He knew.

Brittaney grabbed his arm, whispering frantically into his ear. "Think about the merger, Kaden! If I go down, the alliance with the South breaks. You need my father's money!"

Kaden stiffened. He looked at the crowd. He looked at me.

He made a choice. He chose power.

"Forgery!" he roared. "These are fakes! Planted by my jealous, barren wife to frame the future Luna!"

The betrayal hit me harder than the bullet would have. He knew the truth, and he threw me to the wolves to save his bank account.

He dragged me out of the hall before I could speak. In the limo, silence reigned.

"Why?" I whispered.

"Politics, Harlow," he said, staring out the window, his jaw tight. "You're expendable. The alliance isn't."

That was it. The final crack.

Inside me, something woke up. Not the weak Omega wolf. Something ancient. A White Wolf opened her eyes and looked at Kaden with pure, glacial indifference.

We are done.

"Okay," I said softly.

Kaden blinked, unsettled by my calm. "Okay?"

"Okay."

I wasn't waiting for the lashes. I was leaving tonight.