CELINA BEAUMONT POV:

After a long and silent ride, the carriage stopped before the grand, imposing doors of Carlisle Manor. I took a deep breath, handing the mysterious stranger's cloak to Lana.

"Keep this safe," I ordered.

Then, with my spine straight and my head held high, I walked into the gilded cage.

I didn't go to my chambers. I walked directly to the great hall. I knew they would be there.

And they were. Bennett, Daisey, and his mother, Lady Betsey Carlisle, were gathered before the roaring fireplace like a happy family.

Lady Betsey, the former Luna who had driven the Carlisle pack to the brink of ruin through her lavish spending and vanity, now desperately clung to whatever societal power she had left. She viewed my dowry as her personal treasury.She was dangling a silver rattle in front of the baby while Daisey cooed at the infant in her arms. Bennett watched them with a sickeningly fond expression.

The moment I entered, a hush fell over the hall. The servants froze, their eyes darting nervously toward me. The butler bowed, a flicker of pity in his eyes.

Lady Betsey spoke first, her small, calculating eyes sweeping over my damp dress with disdain. "It is unbecoming of a Luna of the Carlisle Pack to return so late. What will people say?"

I ignored her. My steps were silent on the marble floor as I walked directly to Bennett. I met his gaze, my ice-blue eyes locking onto his.

"Bennett," I said, my voice dangerously calm. "Don't you think you owe me an explanation?"

A frown creased his handsome face. "Celina, watch your tone. Daisey and Wyatt have had a long journey. They need to rest."

Wyatt. He had named the child.

He was admitting to it all, right here, and demanding I show his mistress and bastard son consideration.

Daisey immediately adopted a frightened posture, shrinking behind Bennett. "Alpha Bennett, it's all my fault," she whimpered. "I shouldn't have disturbed the Luna..."

A cold, humorless laugh escaped my lips. I turned my gaze on her. "Does a pack's business involve the opinion of an Omega mistress?"

Her face flushed a deep, blotchy red. Tears welled in her eyes, making her look pitiable and wronged.

Bennett's protective instincts flared. "Celina! That's enough! Daisey is Wyatt's mother, and he is my blood! A Carlisle!"

"Is he?" I let my voice rise, carrying across the silent hall to the servants who stood with their heads bowed. "As I recall, according to the laws of the packs and the kingdom, only a child acknowledged by the Luna—by me—can be entered into the family records."

I watched with satisfaction as Bennett's face went blank. He was a warrior, not a scholar. He didn't know the ancient laws as I, a Beaumont, did.

I seized the advantage, turning to the butler. "Arrange a room for our... guest... and her child in the west wing. A guest room."

The butler hesitated, glancing at Bennett, but my authority as Luna was absolute in household matters. "At once, My Luna," he bowed.

Lady Betsey shot to her feet. "Celina Beaumont! How dare you! Wyatt is my grandson! They will stay in the main house!"

"Oh?" I turned to her, my expression one of polite inquiry. "Lady Betsey, you seem to have forgotten who is the mistress of this estate. Are you questioning my authority in my own home?"

Her face tightened. The public threat to her pride worked, as I knew it would. The Carlisle Pack was a hollow shell, propped up by my family's wealth. The truth of it silenced her.

I walked until I stood over Daisey, looking down at the infant she clutched to her chest.

She flinched, pulling the baby closer as if I meant to harm him.

"Remember your place, Omega," I whispered, my voice low enough that only she could hear. "If you remain quiet and cause no trouble, you and your son might be allowed to live in peace. But if you start wanting things that do not belong to you..."

I left the threat hanging in the air. She shuddered.

Bennett had finally had enough. He grabbed my wrist, his Alpha's dominance washing over me in a wave of pressure. "Celina, don't push me."

I ripped my arm from his grasp, unafraid. My own Alpha blood, though I was female, gave me the strength to stand against him. "Push you? To do what? Perform The Rejection? Go ahead. I am waiting."

He was stunned into silence. He couldn't reject me. He wouldn't. Not when he needed my money and the influence of the Beaumont name.

I smoothed my dress, acting as if the entire confrontation had been nothing more than a tiresome interruption.

"Lana, let's go."

I turned my back on them and walked away. Lana hurried to my side, draping a dry cloak over my shoulders.

Behind me, I could feel three sets of venomous eyes boring into my back.

Back in the safety of my chambers, the facade crumbled. I sank onto the sofa, exhaustion washing over me.

Lana brought me a cup of hot tea. "My Luna, you did the right thing. You are a daughter of the Beaumont Pack. You cannot let them walk all over you."

I took her hand, my resolve hardening once more. "Lana, this is only the beginning. Find the contact information for my father's solicitor."

My counterattack would not be fought with shouting matches in the hall.

It would begin with a formal petition for an Annulment of Union.