Velvet Haven

Nadia

The plastic receiver slammed down onto the cradle under my palm. The harsh dial tone died instantly, leaving Dad's study in dead silence. My chest heaved as adrenaline surged through my veins.

Dad remained frozen behind his heavy oak desk. Lamplight fell across his lined forehead, carving deep shadows into his exhausted face. His mouth hung open, his hands suspended over the blotter as if he still expected the phone to be in his grasp.

Footsteps hurried along the floorboards outside, and Mom appeared in the doorway. She clutched her knit shawl around her shoulders, her chest rising and falling from the sprint down the hall. Her gaze darted between Dad’s pale expression and my clenched fists.

Mom pressed a trembling hand against her collarbone, letting out a scandalized cry. "Nadia, mind your tongue! Did you just curse at an alpha over the phone?"

I smoothed down the sleeves of my flannel pajamas and took a steady breath. "It is what it is, Mom. Do not call him back, Dad. Stop giving that asshole any unearned respect. I will marry the next candidate you present without a single complaint, but this tyrant can rot in hell."

Dad sank into his leather chair, rubbing his face with both hands. "You have no idea what you just did, Nadia."

"I stood up for our family. Someone had to do it." I turned toward the doorway and walked out into the corridor.

My parents remained in the study, stunned into silence. In all my twenty-two years, they had never heard me use such language. But the numbness that had weighed on me since Corbin left was finally gone, replaced by clean fury. Giving that arrogant stranger a piece of my mind felt right. He had kept us waiting for six humiliating hours, treating our pack like dirt. For the first time in a week, Corbin did not haunt my thoughts as I drifted to sleep.

That peace lasted for twelve hours.

Breakfast the next morning felt like a wake. Sunlight filtered through the lace curtains, illuminating the oak table and porcelain plates, but the room stayed cold. Mom and Dad ate in silence, the only sound being the scrape of butter knives against toast.

Mom shifted scrambled eggs across her plate without eating. Dad gripped his coffee mug, staring into the dark brew. Neither of them met my eyes, communicating only through stiff glances.

I set my fork down against the ceramic rim.

I leaned forward against the table, tapping my fingers on the wood. "Alright, what is wrong? Neither of you has spoken a word since I sat down."

Mom looked at Dad, silently begging him to answer. Dad kept his gaze lowered, refusing to speak.

Mom folded her linen napkin into a tight square. "We have a peculiar problem on our hands."

"What kind of peculiar problem?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.

Mom glanced at Dad again before meeting my gaze. "The alpha wants another meeting with you at a diner in the city. I forwarded the address to your phone."

I stared at her in disbelief. "Why would he want that after what I said?"

"Because he claims he was occupied last night." Mom kept her voice soft and cautious.

"Just ignore the summon. We do not owe him another second of our time." I picked up my fork again, trying to brush it off.

Dad set his mug down with a clatter. "The world does not work that way, Nadia. A weak pack like ours cannot simply ignore a summon from an alpha of his stature. Angering him will ruin what little stability we have left. Our borders are vulnerable, our treasury is depleted, and our standing is fragile. If he retaliates, we lose everything."

The weight of his words hit me hard. The audacity of this stranger made my blood simmer. He broke his word, wasted our night, and now used our survival to force me to face him.

I shoved my chair back, the legs scraping across the floorboards. "This is extortion. He broke his word, and now he threatens our survival because his ego is bruised?"

Mom reached across the table, touching my wrist. "He claims he wants to mend things, sweetie. If one hour of your time saves our pack from ruin, it is worth the effort."

I chewed my bottom lip, torn between anger and guilt. Dad looked ten years older, the strain visible in every line of his posture.

Dad waved a weary hand toward the hall. "I will handle it, Nadia. There is no need for you to go if you cannot bear it."

I heard the warning beneath his words. He did not trust me to keep my temper. But I refused to let my family pay for my reckless tongue.

I drew a deep breath to steady my racing pulse. "No. I created this mess, so I will clear it."

"Are you sure, sweetheart?" Mom asked with an anxious frown.

"I will be on my best behavior. I promise I will not do anything to hurt our pack." I gave her a firm nod before heading upstairs.

"Please do not mess it up any further." Mom called after me.

I took a quick shower to wash away the tension. When I stepped back into my bedroom with a towel around my hair, Mom was waiting. Two elegant silk dresses lay across the duvet, one lavender and the other dusty rose.

Mom picked up the lavender dress, smoothing the fabric. "You should wear this one. It makes you look approachable."

"There is no need for dresses, Mom. This is not a date. It is damage control with an arrogant bully." I walked past her, pulling open my closet door.

Mom frowned, holding the dress against her chest. "Nadia, you must show respect. An alpha expects proper decorum."

"This man hates me, and I have zero respect for him. He wants to flex his authority over the girl who yelled at him. I will not play dress-up to stroke his ego. I am giving him one hour, and then I am coming home." I pulled on my favorite faded jeans, a white tank top, and my black leather jacket.

Mom gave up with a heavy sigh. "Just stay safe."

I laced up my combat boots. My eyes drifted to the silver hunting knife resting on my dresser. I was walking into the den of an unpredictable wolf, and I refused to go unarmed. I tucked the sheathed blade into the waistband at the small of my back, letting the leather jacket hide the hilt.

A yellow cab dropped me off outside Velvet Haven an hour later.

I stepped onto the curb and stared at the towering brass facade. The restaurant was an opulent retreat for wealthy elites and powerful wolves. Luxury cars lined the street, and patrons in bespoke suits and designer gowns walked through the revolving doors.

I looked down at my worn combat boots and faded denim. A flicker of unease hit me, but I forced my shoulders back. I had not come here to win a beauty contest.

I walked inside, and the hostess approached me from behind her marble podium with a practiced smile. "Are you Miss Nadia Mercer?"

"I am. I am here to meet—" The words died on my tongue as heat rushed to my face. In my rush, I had forgotten to ask for the alpha's name.

The hostess nodded politely. "Please follow me, Miss Mercer."

She led me past the main dining floor. Tables draped in white linen sat beneath crystal chandeliers, crowded with elites sipping vintage champagne. The hostess bypassed the public seating and directed me toward a private staircase covered in crimson velvet carpet.

"Wait, are we not meeting downstairs?" I asked, stopping near the stairs.

"No, miss. The alpha reserved the private VIP suite on the top floor for you." The hostess answered smoothly.

My unease deepened. Spending this kind of money on a private suite for a girl he wanted to scold felt like intimidation.

We reached the top floor, where thick velvet wallpaper and dark paneling muted every sound. The hostess stopped outside a pair of heavy mahogany doors and gestured forward. "The alpha is waiting inside."

"Thank you." I murmured, bracing myself.

I raised my hand to knock, but before my knuckles reached the wood, a terrifying roar exploded from within the room.

"Do not show me your face again!"

The savage fury rattled the heavy wood and sent a shockwave down my spine. The raw power in that voice turned the air freezing cold.

Before I could take a step back, the door was wrenched open.

A young woman in a designer dress stumbled out, weeping hysterically. Black mascara ran down her cheeks, and she clutched her clutch to her chest. She sprinted past me down the corridor, her heels clattering frantically against the floorboards until she vanished down the stairs.

My heart hammered against my ribs. My hand twitched toward the hidden knife beneath my jacket.

I took a slow breath, squared my shoulders, and stepped into the open doorway.

Across the dimly lit suite, standing beside a mahogany bar cart under the amber chandeliers, a tall man was pouring amber liquor into a crystal tumbler.

My breath caught in my throat.

He was, without a doubt, the most breathtakingly handsome man I had ever seen in my life.