I go downstairs. A servant tells me Cassian has come in, but he’s
gone to the Alpha’s study to speak to Donovan. Family business,
apparently.
Maybe it has to do with the plane being sabotaged, or some other
family moving in on one of their businesses.
Maybe Donovan is going to rake Cassian over the coals for bringing Reyna back. That would be nice.
I stop myself from wondering. Once we’re divorced, it won’t
matter.
But Cassian being with Donovan means I’m alone with the rest of
the family.
I shrug, because I’ve decided not to care, and go to sit on the sofa in the formal sitting room where the rest of the family is.
They immediately start whispering again. Except one woman, who
doesn’t bother to whisper. She walks right up to me.
“Nice dress. It’s almost makes you look like you’re good enough to
be one of us.”
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→Lucky Draw
Cassian’s aunt, Adaline Blackwell, smiles a poisonous little smile at me. She’s only in her early forties, and she’s beautiful, just like
all of the Blackwells.
But the beauty of her face can’t hide the ugliness behind her eyes.
Usually, I sit here and take whatever they dish out. I wanted them to think I was a good, dutiful wife to Cassian, because that kind of thing is so important in mafia and werewolf circles.
Wives are supposed to be demure, seen and not heard, and to always defer to their powerful husbands.
In the past, that meant letting Cassian’s family walk all over me just so I could try to fit in.
Even when it didn’t work, I just kept hoping one day they would decide I was good enough for them.
That time is over. I don’t give a shit what they think of me
anymore.
“The person makes the clothes, Adaline, not the other way around. That’s probably why your dresses all look so cheap.”
The room goes silent. Adaline freezes, a look of shock on her face.
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Lucky Draw
I didn’t blame her. These people thought I was small. Boring.
Tamed.
I hate knowing that’s what they made me into. What I made
myself into, to try and please them.
Instead of responding to my words, Adaline straightens her shoulders and tries a different way to insult me. “I heard Reyna is back. I do hope Cassian brings her for a visit. He hasn’t brought
anyone interesting to this thing for at least three years.”
Those words sting. Before I married Cassian, he’d bring Reyna to
family functions all the time. The rest of his pack acted like their
marriage was a given.
It had to have been a shock when he brought me home as his
wife, instead. As far as I know, neither Donovan or Cassian have
explained our marriage. I certainly haven’t.
Not that I really could. I think only Donovan understands his
motivations in bringing me into his family.
I lean back on the plush, spotless white couch and shrug one
shoulder, like I don’t care. “I suspect he brought someone he thought was on par with the rest of the people here.”
Adaline looks shocked again. She sneers, and I can tell she’s
about to go in for the kill. “At least Reyna earned her position as a
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Lucky Draw
business partner. You needed Cassian just to get a job on a smuggling crew.”
She titters. “How long have you been doing that? Three years?
It’s a shame you aren’t showing more brains or talent. If you were, you’d be in a much better position by now.”
“Adaline,” says a cool voice in a chastising tone. It’s Sibille. She’s
a little older than her sister and a little more restrained. “Really?
Show some care.”
The rebuke doesn’t mean Sibille is kinder. It just means she’s
better at hiding her claws.
Sibille smiles at me, and it’s just as toxic as Adaline. “After all, poor
Gemma’s mother is still in the hospital. That must be very wearing
after all these years. The bills just for her stay are astronomical. It
must be hard for her, realizing she costs the pack so much without bringing any benefit at all.”
Ah yes, there it is. The sting in the tail end of her words.
She continues, “I’m sure you’ll make up for it soon enough by
giving Cassian the heir we all need. It would be so embarrassing to go another year without doing the only thing you might actually be good for.”
I give her the same smile back that she’s giving me. “You know, it’s
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so interesting for you to mention children.”
Lucky Draw
I turn to Adaline. “You haven’t had any yet, have you? You should be careful, Adaline. I’ve heard it’s risky for women at your advanced age.”
Before she can recover and snap back, I turn to Sibille and say,
“And you’re right to be worried about who’s helping the pack, Sibille. I heard that your most recent business venture failed, just like the one before that.”
I tap my lips like I’m thinking. “I know managing businesses can be difficult. Maybe you should ask Cassian for advice. He has a head for these things, you know. It would be terrible if you lost the pack any more money.”
Sibille gapes at me, and I know I hit her where it hurts.
She’s supposed to run one of the legitimate businesses that help launder money, but she just can’t help but stick her fingers where she shouldn’t. Blackmail. Fraud. Money skimming.
She’s not as clever as Cassian. Every time she does it, she almost gets caught.
The police have even gotten close enough that they actually interviewed her recently.
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If it wasn’t for the fact that the Smokewind Pack is practically untouchable and owns almost the entire police force, she might
be in prison right now.
I’m so busy basking in the glow of finally getting to snap back at these harpies that I don’t realize until too late that the room has fallen into complete silence.
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