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He and his brothers had been orphaned as pups, taken in and bounced around clans their whole lives—or so the story went. Kane had settled as a teen with a low-ranking pack of rogue werewolves, working as muscle for hire before overthrowing the leader and taking over. At first, all the old, powerful werewolf alphas had brushed him off—but not my dad. He’d seen potential. And yeah, I wasn’t going to lie. I’d been jealous of the praise my father heaped on Kane. He was everything my father wanted me to be, except Kane had fewer barriers stopping him from achieving his goals.
The dark-haired guy whistled when he got a look at the blond’s phone screen. “So many zeroes.”
“Yeah, well, the guy is a billionaire, so this is nothing to him,” the blond said with a low chuckle.
A billionaire now, huh?Clearly Kane had been busting ass in the three years I’d been gone.
We reached the penthouse floor, and the three men stepped aside to let me out first. The curious thing wasn’t that they’d suddenly started acting like gentlemen, but that as we reached the top floor, each in turn glanced at me with a kind of dawning recognition, like the fact that my destination was the same as theirs meant something—and that had my hackles rising.
They clearly recognized me now.
If they didn’t know who I was before, why all of a sudden did my presence mean something?
I knew I was about to find out when I was only five feet away from the elevator and an entourage came out of my father’s—or rather, Sal’s—office to greet me.
“Right this way, Miss Larsen,” one beefy knucklehead said with a wave of his thick hand.
I bypassed him and the others then headed straight into Sal’s domain.
He was leaning against the edge of a long metal and glass table that hadn’t been there in my father’s time, his ankles crossed and one hand stroking his clean-shaven jaw. His dark hair was slicked back from his face, making him look like a greasy slimeball in an expensive suit.
“Charlotte, so lovely to see you again.” Sal didn’t stand to greet me. He continued to lean like he was super casual when I could practically smell the stench of aggression wafting off him. The vein in his forehead was pulsing, too, which was never a good sign. “To what do I owe this honor?”
“Cut the shit, Sal. You know why I’m here. We have a meeting…family business. Clear the room of your goons so we can talk privately.” I didn’t know what was going on, but I wanted to make the visit short and to the point.
Sal smiled indulgently then waved to the men from the elevator who’d come in behind me. “I assume that’s the paperwork I asked for?”
“Yes, sir.” The blond slunk past me, his eyes averted as he handed Sal the papers. “The asset has been paid for in full.”
Sal quickly skimmed the pages in his hands then nodded. “Very well.” He pushed himself up and approached me, his eyes glinting. “You’re right, Charlotte. We do have things to discuss. It is so good to see you, though, after so many years apart.” He opened his arms like he was going for a hug.
“That’s close enough,” I growled as I took a step back, my fangs dropping and claws poking out through my fingertips. While his goons were not directly behind me, they were close enough to make me uncomfortable. I quickly calculated my exit strategy. Luckily for me, I’d spent a lot of time in this office with my dad. There was a secret tunnel two feet away that would take me to an emergency exit. I needed to keep a tight rein on my beast, because if she came out to play, I wouldn’t fit into the tight space in order to make an escape.
Cool it, sister. I’ve got this.
He chuckled. “Oh, Charlotte, I’m afraid you’re not calling the shots here.”
Wow. Two men in less than twenty-four hours had underestimated me. I cracked my knuckles. I’d taught one guy a lesson he’d never forget, and now I was ready for round two. My beast reared her head, perking up at the rush of adrenaline that coursed through me. I knew I could take out enough of Sal’s guys to get to the side door, but could I do it without my beast bursting out? No idea. And once she was out, all hell would break loose. I tamped her down, forcing a wedge against the cage door that contained her in my subconscious. Not now.
I rolled my neck, satisfied when my spine cracked loud enough for the room to hear.
So much for a civil conversation. “I’ve come to get what I’m owed.”
Sal smirked. “And you will certainly get what you are owed.”
That was a warning.
I revved up, allowing my wolf to bulk me, reining in my beast enough so she didn’t explode and cost me all control over my actions. I focused on a partial shift, sending power to my lower legs so I could launch myself at my stepbrother. His smile deepened, the cocky bastard.
I growled.
“Oh, I don’t think you want to do that, Charlie.”
I sprang, claws out, but was abruptly yanked back as something cold and hard clamped around my neck and pulled me out of the air. It squeezed so hard that my breath stopped. It burned hot enough to make my skin sizzle. I would have screamed if the air in my lungs hadn’t been trapped. Instead, I hit the ground, my knees taking the brunt of the fall as unbidden tears bubbled to my eyes.
Whatthefuck?Whatthefuck?Whatthefuck?
Shock hit like a hammer, over and over as my wolf tried to help me, howling in my mind so loud that my ears rang. I was stuck mid-shift, my claws pulsing painfully, my gums aching to the same tempo. Whatever the collar was made of, it was stopping my wolf from transitioning, and it was making my beast – a separate and even more ferocious entity—silent, not even giving me the pulses of aggression I’d normally expect from her.
