For just a second, Lilith's mask slipped, revealing something vulnerable underneath—loneliness, perhaps, or regret. But then Vanessa touched her arm, and the moment passed.
"Don't delude yourself into thinking your current position means anything," Lilith recovered, her voice hard again. "Enzo may have hit a rough patch, but he has plans. Big plans. And when they come to fruition, you'll wish you'd stayed in your place."
"My place is beside my Alpha," I stated firmly. "Where's yours, Lilith? Still cleaning up Enzo's messes while he gambles away what little remains of my father's legacy?"
Her hand flew up as if to slap me, but I caught her wrist mid-air, surprising both of us with my newfound reflexes.
*Thank you, Ava,* I thought silently.
"Don't," I warned quietly. "Not he
