Alpha William twirled the pen in his hand, his expression bored and distant.

Halfway through the meeting, his sharp wolf eyes locked onto a child in the corner.

A little girl in a delicate dress, completely absorbed in solving a Rubik's cube.

Alpha William's heart lurched. Something deep in his bloodline stirred—an instinct he couldn't name.

He stared at the child swinging her short legs. Her face was practically a miniature version of his own.

For the Alpha of the Moonlight Pack, this was nothing short of a cruel joke.

Alpha William moved.

He cut across the rows of seats and closed the distance in seconds.

His imposing aura sent the guests and security guards shrinking back. No one dared block him.

He reached out, claws half-extended, and grabbed for the child's collar.

The child didn't flinch. She just looked up—and those eyes, identical to mine, were full of cold disdain.

Just as his fingers were about to close around her, a dark blur shot in from the side like a bolt of lightning.

A hand in black tactical gloves clamped down on Alpha William's wrist.

My wolf, Amy, snarled inside me. I squeezed with everything I had.

The veins on his hand bulged. His bones cracked. He tried to wrench free, but I didn't budge an inch.

His gaze traveled up my arm and crashed into my ice-cold eyes.

Alpha William's pupils shrank to pinpoints.

He stared at my face, stunned, and forced a single word through his teeth: "Scarlett?"

The venue erupted into chaos.

"Scarlett? The former Luna who was kidnapped and killed by Rogues five years ago?"

"Didn't they say even her remains were eaten by fish? How the hell is she still alive?"

"I heard she was carrying some Rogue's bastard—that's why Alpha William never paid the ransom..."

The whispers buzzed around me like flies.

I let go of his hand without expression. He staggered back half a step.

I bent down, straightened the child's bow tie, then stood back up.

I pulled off my glove, revealing a hand roughened by years of handling deep-sea diving gear.

I looked at Alpha William, my voice flat: "You've got the wrong person. I'm this child's mother—not your dead Luna."

Behind him, Tiffany clapped a hand over her mouth and shrieked: "A ghost! She's a ghost!"

She cowered behind Alpha William, trembling, her scent souring with a nauseating wave of terror.

Alpha William instinctively pulled her into his arms—a protective reflex toward his Mate, carved into his very bones.

When he turned back to me, the shock in his eyes had curdled into pure disgust.

Even after five years, that look still cut deep.

Alpha William looked me up and down—work pants, Doc Martens—then his gaze settled on the child.

He sneered. "Not dead, just hiding for five years? Couldn't make it on your own, so you crawled back with some Rogue's bastard to beg for money?"

His eyes dripped with mockery.

"Scarlett, does that whole outfit even cost five hundred bucks? Your man can't afford to keep you anymore?"

A few snickers rippled through the crowd.

I didn't look at him. I took the Rubik's cube from the child's hand and set it on the table.

Then I raised my bidding paddle.

My voice rang out across the venue, cold and clear: "On top of all current bids—fifty million US dollars. Cash."

The entire venue erupted.

That territory was the Moonlight Pack's top acquisition target, with a starting price of just twenty million.

The smirk on Alpha William's face froze solid.

The Packs Alliance representative overseeing the territory auction slammed the gavel down without hesitation.

Staff rushed over with the signing documents.

I rolled up my sleeve, revealing the ugly scar on my wrist.

A Rogue's silver blade had left that mark years ago—proof of five years clawing my way through hell.

I wrote the check and signed the contract in one fluid motion.

"Also—" I tucked the Lycan King's exclusive checkbook back into my pocket and looked straight at Alpha William. "If you're not using those eyes, donate them. You're in my way."

I took the child's hand and walked away.

Alpha William's face went ashen. He signaled the Warriors.

The doors slammed shut with a thunderous boom.

Over a dozen black-clad Warriors blocked the exit.

Alpha William shoved Tiffany aside and stalked toward me, teeth clenched. "Think you can just leave? Tell me—whose bastard is this?"

He jabbed a finger at the child, eyes blazing with hostility. "Did you come back to con me? I'll have the Pack Doctor run a blood test right now—and then I'll make you disappear. Again."

After I Drowned: The Alpha Lost His Mind — Chapter 1

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