Seraphina’s POV
Murmurs of agreement rippled through the crowd, feeding my simmering anger.
It became painfully clear why Damon and Althea had made tonight’s banquet so extravagant, inviting every influential figure they could find. They were using public pressure to corner Caden into signing the contract with Crimson Hollow Pack.
“Unless all the investors agree that Crimson Hollow Pack isn’t worth working with, you can’t just walk away,” Althea smirked, her tone saccharine and smug. “So far, all the investors are satisfied. No one has any objections!”
Caden’s green eyes narrowed, his expression turning deadly. A cold, dangerous smile curled on his lips. “Your mistress is the first to threaten me so blatantly, Alpha Damon.”
Damon’s jaw tightened. “There’s no need for us to fall out over her. Let’s just remove Seraphina from the equation.”
The murmurs of agreement from the investors grew louder. They just wanted the project to move forward. It seemed the tide was turning against me.
But then, a loud explosion boomed outside the hall, silencing the chatter.
Panic swept through the room like a wave. “What’s happening?” someone shouted. “Was that a bomb? RUN!”
The crowd surged toward the entrance. However, as they spilled outside, they came to a halt, frozen in shock.
The city had descended into utter chaos.
Garbage trucks barreled through the streets, spilling trash everywhere and filling the air with an unbearable stench. Livestock roamed freely, their cries echoing through the night. Traffic was gridlocked—cars and pedestrians were jammed together with no patrol teams in sight to restore order.
“What the fuck is going on?!” Damon bellowed, his face red with fury. “Where are the guards?”
A breathless guard stumbled forward, his face pale. “Workers went on strike tonight, sir! They deliberately caused chaos in the city! There are too many of them—we’re completely overwhelmed!”
An investor shrieked, “Alpha Damon, is this how you manage Crimson Hollow Pack? How can you build Carnival City in such a messy, chaotic place?”
Humiliation flushed Damon’s face. He grabbed the guard by the collar and snarled, “Why wasn’t this stopped? Where the hell are the patrol teams?”
The guard trembled, glancing nervously at me before speaking in a broken voice. “Ever since Luna Seraphina stopped handling pack affairs, many issues have been left unresolved. The patrol teams haven’t been paid, their schedules are a mess… We couldn’t assemble them in time…”
Damon’s lips twitched as rage overtook him. “Why didn’t you report this to Althea?”
“We tried!” the guard exclaimed desperately. “But we could never find Miss Althea! She’s always out shopping or attending parties…”
Althea staggered back, her face pale with panic. “That’s a lie! I never received any reports!”
I couldn’t help but glance at the chaos outside, then back at Damon and Althea’s panicked faces. A wave of satisfaction coursed through me. Trent and the others had outdone themselves. They showed the investors exactly what Crimson Hollow Pack looked like without me running it—a total, catastrophic mess.
As if on cue, fireworks lit up the night sky, spelling out the bold words: EMERALD HOWL RULES!
“You… this is all your doing!” Althea shrieked, turning on me with wild, furious eyes. She lunged at me like a madwoman. “You tramp! You want to ruin everything I’ve worked so hard for!”
I sidestepped her easily, grabbing her wrist and shoulder. With a swift over-the-shoulder throw, I slammed her onto the ground.
The guests gasped and stepped back. A ripple of laughter began to spread through the crowd.
Damon’s jaw dropped. For a moment, he forgot to help his mistress. “When did you learn to fight?”
“You really don’t know anything about me, Damon,” I said coldly, staring him down. “As you can see, everything in Crimson Hollow Pack depends on me. And now, I can easily plunge your pack into chaos if I want.”
“Stop this madness!” Damon growled, his fists clenched at his sides.
I raised my chin defiantly, my voice steady and resolute. “Free my soldiers, return my 30 million, and acknowledge my status as a partner in this project. Agree to these three demands, and I’ll restore order. If not…” I stepped closer, locking eyes with him.
“…This city will never find peace again. And believe me, Damon—I can make it happen.”
