Third POV

The silence that followed Nigel’s words was deafening. Asher’s jaw tightened as he processed what his brother-in-law had just said. An apology. Estelle wanted an apology from his mother and sister.

“She wants what?” Jessie’s voice rose to a screech. “She wants ME to apologize to HER?”

Asher turned slowly to face his mother. “Yes. And you’re going to do it.”

“Like hell I am!” Jessie’s hands flew to her hips. “I am her mother-in-law! I am her elder! She should be apologizing to me for hanging up on me, for ignoring my calls, and for being disrespectful!”

Ashley bounced her fussing baby more aggressively. “This is ridiculous, Asher. We’ve done nothing wrong. We needed help with the twins, and she refused to provide it. If anything, she owes us an apology for abandoning family when we needed her most.”

“Family?” Asher’s voice dropped to a dangerous low. “You want to talk about family? Because of your constant harassment, this pack has lost partnerships worth millions of dollars. Three major alliances, gone.”

Jessie waved her hand dismissively. “Those partnerships wouldn’t have been lost if she had done her job properly. A competent Luna would have managed both her pack duties and her family obligations.”

“Her family obligations?” Asher stepped closer. “What family obligations? To drop everything every time you call because you can’t figure out how to change a diaper?”

“Those babies are family!” Ashley snapped. “They’re your nephew and niece. She should want to help with them instead of running around pretending to be important.”

Asher’s hands clenched into fists. “Then what? Are you planning to cover all the losses the pack has sustained thus far?”

The question hung in the air like a challenge. Jessie’s mouth opened and closed like a fish.

“What do you mean, cover the losses?” she asked slowly.

“I mean exactly what I said.” Asher’s voice was deadly calm. “The Firemoon Pack provided sixty percent of our medical supplies. That contract is worth two hundred thousand dollars annually. The Riverside Pack controlled our northern hunting grounds. That’s another hundred and fifty thousand in hunting rights. The Oakwood Pack was our primary defense ally. Without them, we will need to find another pack willing to partner with us! Do you really think we have enough warriors to defend us if the bigger packs chose to attack?”

Ashley’s face had gone pale. “You’re exaggerating.”

“Am I?” Asher pulled out his phone and scrolled through his messages. “I have the termination notices right here. Three hundred and fifty thousand dollars in annual revenue, gone, in addition to the safety of the pack. Because you two couldn’t stop calling Estelle long enough for her to answer important pack business.”

Jessie’s bravado began to crumble. “Well... surely they’ll reconsider. These things can be worked out.”

“They can be,” Asher agreed. “If Estelle is willing to reach out to them and rebuild those relationships. But she won’t do that until you two apologize.”

“This is blackmail,” Ashley protested. “She’s holding the pack hostage because her feelings got hurt.”

“Her feelings got hurt?” Asher’s voice rose again. “You called her forty-seven times in one week. Forty-seven times, Ashley. For things like not knowing how to warm a bottle or because one of the twins had hiccups.”

Jessie crossed her arms defensively. “We needed help. That’s what daughters-in-law are for.”

“Daughters-in-law are not personal servants,” Asher shot back. “And they’re certainly not on-call babysitters for every minor inconvenience.”

Ashley’s baby began crying louder, and she looked frazzled trying to calm him down. “Fine! So maybe we called a lot. But that doesn’t justify her abandoning the pack over some hurt feelings.”

“Some hurt feelings?” Asher stared at his sister in disbelief. “She hasn’t abandoned the pack. She’s working harder than ever. She’s just not answering your calls anymore because you’ve proven you’ll abuse that access.”

“I will not apologize to that wench!” Jessie declared, lifting her chin defiantly.

Asher’s expression turned cold. “Then I’ll stop your credit cards.”

The threat hit like a physical blow. Jessie’s face went white. “You wouldn’t dare.”

“Try me.” Asher’s voice was ice. “Every dollar you spend comes from pack funds. Funds that are now severely limited because of your actions. If you’re not willing to help fix the problem you created, then you can figure out how to pay for your own expenses.”

Ashley’s mouth dropped open. “Asher! You can’t be serious. You’d cut off your own mother and sister?”

“I’m completely serious.” He crossed his arms. “You want to act like spoiled children? Then you can live with the consequences.”

Jessie’s voice turned vicious. “That outsider has turned you against your own blood!”

“I’m choosing the pack’s survival over your selfishness,” Asher corrected.

Ashley was crying now, the stress of the argument and the screaming baby overwhelming her. “Nigel! Say something! Tell him he can’t do this to us!”

Nigel looked uncomfortable but resolute. “This concerns the pack’s well-being. You need to stop being so narcissistic and selfish.”

“Narcissistic?” Ashley’s tears turned to fury. “How dare you call me narcissistic! I just gave birth to twins! Your children! I need help!”

“You need reasonable help,” Nigel corrected. “Not round-the-clock personal assistance that interferes with pack business.”

Jessie and Ashley exchanged desperate looks. The reality of potentially being cut off from their comfortable lifestyle was sinking in.

“Fine,” Jessie said through gritted teeth. “We’ll apologize. But she won’t pick up our calls anymore, so even if we call her, she won’t answer.”

Ashley nodded reluctantly, still bouncing her crying baby. “She blocked our numbers. How are we supposed to apologize if she won’t talk to us?”

Nigel sighed and pulled out his phone. “I’ll call her.”

***

Estelle’s POV

The council meeting had ended more smoothly than I’d expected. Without Benedict and Helena there to stir up trouble, the elders had been surprisingly cooperative. Even those who looked like they had something to say smartly remained silent. Killian’s presence certainly helped establish my legitimacy.

Now I was walking through the neutral territory market with Caleb, enjoying the bustling atmosphere. This particular neutral zone was closer to Blackmoon territory, giving it a more prosperous feel than some of the others I’d visited.

“The restaurant up ahead has excellent seafood,” Caleb said, gesturing to a building with warm yellow lights spilling from its windows. “They source directly from the coastal packs.”

I smiled at his enthusiasm. “Sounds perfect. I haven’t had good seafood in months.”

We’d just entered the restaurant when my phone buzzed with a text message. I glanced at the screen and saw Nigel’s name.