CHAPTER 175: _ CASTELLS’ MANOR

She’s on the brink of a war, Heidi knows that much. However, this time, she has allies. Dangerous, gorgeous, chaos-breathing allies.

And maybe... that’s exactly what she needs.

The air in Castell’s manor smells of roses and arrogance. Heidi steps inside and immediately regrets breathing. Her stomach knots. The faint hum of running fountains outside fades behind her as the thick, perfumed air of the manor swallows her whole. Lavender. Vanilla. Something poisonous beneath. Mrs. Castell’s scent.

Heidi’s wolf stirs in disgust. "We should’ve gone with the twins. I’d rather wrestle Morgan’s ego than breathe this woman’s perfume."

Heidi presses her lips together. Behave, she tells herself. Smile if you must. Bite later.

The moment she turns toward the grand parlor, she nearly freezes.

Mrs. Castell is sprawled like a queen in the middle of a conquest, her silken robe draped dramatically around her, a cucumber slice sliding down one cheek. A maid kneels near her feet, polishing her toenails to a gleaming scarlet, while another fans her lazily with a peacock-feather fan. A third woman massages her scalp as a thin golden mask glistens over her skin.

The whole scene looks like a religious ritual to vanity.

Heidi’s jaw tightens. She hates this woman’s kind of power. She loathes the soft, manipulative, sugar-laced cruelty. She wishes the pack hadn’t assigned her to this family. Had she been placed anywhere else, maybe she’d have had peace.

The woman doesn’t look up at first. It’s her voice that drifts to Heidi’s ears first. "I smelled your wretched scent before I heard your filthy voice."

Heidi stiffens. Her wolf growls low. "Filthy? I’d love to show her filthy."

Heidi ignores the voice, schooling her expression into polite indifference. "Good evening, Mrs. Castell," she murmurs. "I didn’t want to disturb your... beauty session."

The cucumber slice drops from Mrs. Castell’s cheek as she lifts her head, her golden mask cracking slightly with the movement. Her eyes are sharp and glossy, like two shards of champagne glass.

"Beauty session?" She laughs. "Sweet girl, this is maintenance. Beauty is inherited. Maintenance is discipline."

And what business of hers is that? Heidi nearly scoffs.

Her wolf mutters, "If discipline means torturing the staff with your voice, then she’s the Moon’s chosen soldier."

"Of course," Heidi says dryly, shifting her backpack higher on her shoulder. "If you’ll excuse me, I’ll just head upstairs..."

"Excuse you? Excuse you, for what, dear?" Mrs. Castell’s tone booms in the air. The maids stop moving instantly, eyes darting nervously.

Heidi’s hand pauses midair. "I was... going to my room."

The woman sits up, mask gleaming, lips curling into a smile too sweet to be sincere. "Your room? Oh, darling, that’s adorable. Just because my husband is kind enough to offer charity doesn’t mean you should get too comfortable."

Here we go, Heidi internally rolls her eyes.

She exhales slowly, willing herself not to react. She’s heard worse. From students. From teachers. From Sierra. From Daphne and most importantly, from the crazy woman before her right now.

"I don’t know what you’re talking about," she says quietly.

Mrs. Castell flips her hair behind her. "Oh, don’t you? Then allow me to enlighten you, since you seem to be losing your memory along with your dignity."

Heidi’s wolf growls. "Punch her. Just once. The Moon would understand."

Not now, Heidi scolds silently. We need information, not homicide.

Mrs. Castell gestures for one of the maids to pour her a drink. Crystal clinks. She takes a dainty sip, eyes fixed on Heidi like a cat about to pounce.

"Where were you three nights ago?" she asks.

Heidi blinks. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me." The woman’s voice sharpens. "You didn’t come home three nights ago. My husband may be too distracted to notice, but I’m not. I keep count of every pest under my roof."

Heidi’s spine stiffens. Of course, she’d bring that up. "D-Da... um... one of the Alpha’s sons called the house," she says carefully. "He explained why. I was helping him with an investigation."

The glass in Mrs. Castell’s hand explodes against the floor before Heidi can finish the sentence.

Shards scatter across the marble, catching the chandelier’s light like tiny knives. The maids gasp. One flinches, spilling polish across Mrs. Castell’s foot.

"Helping an Alpha son?" Mrs. Castell repeats, voice rising in a dangerous lilt. "Helping? Without my permission?"

Heidi steps back instinctively, her wolf seethes. "Oh, she’s lost it. She’s crazy!"

"It was impromptu," Heidi explains quickly. "I just happened to witness—"

"Silence! Do you think I’m stupid? Do you think I don’t know what you’re trying to do?" The woman’s roar cuts her short.

Heidi blinks. "I— what?"

Mrs. Castell stands abruptly, the golden mask glinting, her robe flowing like a villain’s cape. "You think you can seduce your way into the Alpha’s family. That’s what this is, isn’t it? You’re trying to climb up through your skirts!"

Her words echo through the room, making even the maids stare down at the floor.

Heidi feels something in her chest splinter not because she believes the insult, but because she’s so tired of hearing it. So tired of being treated like the stain under someone’s shoe.

"Mrs. Castell," she says softly. "That’s not true."

The woman steps closer, her gold mask cracking fully now. "If you dare make another decision without informing me first," she hisses, "if you so much as breathe in an Alpha’s direction again, I will make sure you’re cast out of this pack and begging in the gutters."

Heidi’s fingers curl into fists at her sides.

Her wolf snarls. "Let her try. One day, she’ll beg us for mercy."

Heidi’s throat tightens. She wants to scream, throw something at the old hag, or let her wolf out, but instead, she picks up her fallen backpack with quiet grace. "May I go now?" she asks, voice steady even as her pulse thrums painfully.

Mrs. Castell’s eyes narrow. "Go? Where?"

"To my room," Heidi replies.

"Not yet. First, answer me this. Where are my children?"

Oh, shit. She was supposed to ride with Lucan and Sierra to and from school daily. It completely skipped her mind when she agreed to come home with Morgan and Grayson.

Argh, those douchebags! They are going to do more harm than good, wouldn’t they?