tina'

l wives. The kind of man who would definitely make headlines in the human world as

rvived to 24 without being

nd. You're pimping me off to a man who pr

brate. "Leonard Shaw is a shipping magnate who controls three major port terminals in Hi

all and suddenly you're throwing me at the

-four years, Christina. Elite education. Social training. That lav

ck every penny, but I'm not selling myself to the hi

isn't a negotiation. The pack needs stability after your litt

ng to create a whirlpool to escape into. Supportive in the way that meant she'd watch hi

id, redirecting. "Why the hell did

"You don't get to disrespect the pack's arrangements and w

any other creep you drag ou

the room temperature seemed to drop.

n't even live at home anymore. There

pha. "Don't be so sure. You like your apartment, don't you? Shame if your

faster than an elev

still depends on our supplier network and territory protection. The Carlisle p

im, stunned.

be willing

me certain that he mea

. The kind of man who turned networking into an art form, building alliances that stretched from pack politics to boardroom deals. If he

eraged, or liquidated for the right price. He was basically running a high-end escort serv

t let Ysolde get caught in the crossfire of my family's twiste

on the o

iction of someone who just bet their life savings on a ho

froze midway to hi

like I wasn't making this up on the spot. "Met someone incred

up at that, her eyes

That's not possible. You were engaged to N

ashing my most deranged pageant smile. "Turns o

?" Mom fin

door. "I'll bring him home for dinner sometime. And I promise, he'll make yo

ce filling the room. "Christina Vance, yo

threaten more of my friends? Go ahead. But then I'll make sure my new mate knows exactly

al pull. But the mention of the Elder Council, where Alphas sett

ion isn't ove

and walked out before he cou

apsed onto the sofa like a h

creamed int

avellian maneuvering which earned him a top-tier s

telling myself I was immune to his manipulations... he stil

ral rom-com, minus the romance, the comedy, or the actual mate. My father would sniff out the

in my mind. "We need t

know," I mu

ce to make my father think twice about his precious Leonard Shaw alliance. Someone untouchable. Im

fit the bill was either mated, morally b

I groaned, burying my

ral into a full-blown panic atta

and shar

r who had proposed t