VANESSA
Three hours of meticulous planning for the Alpha Ball, and the entire thing might unravel in the next sixty seconds.
I strode through the hotel lobby, clutching my planning binder as if it were armor. The Moonlight Hotel was the crown jewel of neutral territory—all polished marble and crystal chandeliers, perfectly situated for inter-pack gatherings. And today, it would witness yet another power play.
"Well, well, if it isn't the little rogue princess."
Seraphina's voice slithered across the lobby, stopping me mid-stride. I didn't need to turn to recognize the clicking of her designer heels against marble, flanked by the heavier footsteps of her perpetual shadows, Marcus and Annelise.
I exhaled slowly and turned, my face carefully composed.
"Seraphina," I acknowledged with a curt nod. "I'm afraid I'm quite busy with the event preparations."
