Christina’s POV 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Niall, shocker, actually took the hint and left.

Silence dropped over the room like a heavy curtain.

I knew Hudson had just gone full protector mode for me.

Which was... weirdly touching, considering we were basically strangers who just happened to have a fake engagement contract and three awkward encounters under our belts.

"Thanks for that," I mumbled.

Hudson shrugged, his broad shoulders moving beneath his tailored suit. "Don’t thank me. He was pissing me off."

He stood up, his gaze flicking to my wrist where Niall’s Neanderthal grip had left faint marks. His eyes darkened dangerously.

My phone started screaming.

Franklin’s name lit up the screen like a warning siren.

Yeah, no thanks.

I hit decline without blinking.

Five seconds later, the phone started ringing again. Persistent as a debt collector.

Sighing, I stabbed the answer button and held it to my ear. "What?"

I barely got the word out before a full-on Alpha roar exploded from the speaker.

"Christina! How dare you hit your sister in front of everyone at the party?!"

Ah. Beatrice or one of her cronies must have run to dear daddy with their version of events.

For a second, I thought about explaining. Telling him how Beatrice started it, how she had been stirring the pot.

But then... What was the point? Franklin would believe her over me if she told him the sky was green and wolves had started flying.

So I stayed quiet, just holding the phone to my ear while he shouted.

"Beatrice is barely back in Highrise and trying to reestablish her position in the pack hierarchy, and you humiliated her in front of everyone! She finally got an invitation to a major social gathering with multiple packs, and you wrecked it! There’s video footage, Chrissy, video! It’s circulating through every pack in the region! How do you expect The Crescent to save face now? How’s the Frostpelt Pack supposed to save face? If you’ve got even a shred of pack loyalty left, you’ll drag yourself home, apologize to your sister, then haul yourself over to the Grangers and grovel.You want to throw a tantrum? Fine. But don’t drag our pack’s reputation down with you!"

I glanced at my watch. He managed that two-minute rant without stopping to breathe. A personal best, even for him.

It sounded like he’d been waiting for an excuse to assert dominance over me, like this was his big comeback tour after the last time I refused to submit.

My phone wasn’t even on speaker, but Hudson, sitting not five feet away, must have caught every word with his enhanced hearing. His jaw tightened, eyes flashing with something dangerous.

The Alpha roaring from Franklin’s end was still going strong when my screen lit up with another call.

Louisa Granger.

I cut in mid-rant, "Dad, you’ve been talking for so long you must be parched. Go grab a water bottle before you croak. I’ve got another call. Gotta run."

Then I hung up.

The phone started buzzing again. Louisa.

I stared at it, jaw tight.

Blowing off Niall was easy.

Louisa, not so much.

She was in the hospital recovering from a car accident that I was partially responsible for, and she’d been nothing but kind to me my whole life.

Birthday party, scraped knee, family argument—Aunt Louisa had been there for all of it. The only mother figure who truly cared when my own was too busy doting on Beatrice.

She was probably calling because she’d heard about the mess at the party. Everyone else had.

And I had nothing for her. I didn’t want to lie to her. And it wasn’t my job to cover for her son’s dumpster-fire love life.

The screen went dark. Straight to voicemail.

Hudson shifted next to me, his scent strengthening as he moved closer, looking like he wanted to say something.

His phone went off before he could. He picked up.

"Got it," he said after a minute, then hung up and looked at me with those piercing eyes.

I frowned. "What?"

"That was Dominic. Louisa Granger just collapsed at the hospital. They’re trying to bring her around."

I was on my feet before he finished. I looked at the door, then back at him, frozen for half a beat.

Hudson didn’t miss a thing. "Let’s go."

"But the party—"

"The guests can entertain themselves. They’re adults." His voice held that natural command.

I didn’t argue. Just threw him a quick, grateful smile and we were off.

***

Eldergrove Private loomed up like a ghost I really didn’t want to meet again.

Last time I’d been here... yeah, not the best memory.

I shoved it down and stormed inside, zeroing in on the nurses’ station.

A couple of barked directions later, I found Louisa’s room.

Willow Granger stood posted like a bouncer at the door, arms folded.

Her dad, Clive Granger, was slumped on a chair to the side, staring at the floor, his usually dominant Alpha posture diminished by worry.

I walked straight up. "Aunt Louisa, how is she?"

Willow turned. The second she saw my face, her expression twisted like she’d swallowed wolfsbane.

She didn’t say a word. She just swung.

The slap came fast and ugly, but not fast enough.

I blocked it with my forearm—easy. My wolf reflexes coming through when I needed them most.

Willow staggered back a step, surprised.

I thought about slapping her back. I really did.

But hitting a daughter right outside her mother’s hospital room felt like a bit too much, even for me.

Willow hissed, her voice shaking, "You’ve got some bloody nerve showing up here. What, trying to finish the job? Want to kill her for good this time?"

I folded my arms and stared her down. "I’m not here to fight with you. I asked a simple question."

She wasn’t listening.

"You trashed the Sabreridge pack gathering tonight so bad the videos are blowing up all over the pack networks. Every wolf in the Northern Territories is laughing at us, at the Frostpelts! And you’re telling me you didn’t mean it?" Her voice cracked with fury. "My mother treated you better than she treats me sometimes—hell, she pretty much accepted you into our pack and this is how you pay her back?"

Classic Willow. She’d hated my guts from day one.

Thought I wasn’t good enough for her big brother Niall.Not strong enough. Not dominant enough. My wolf not powerful enough.

According to her, the only thing I brought to the table was my looks.

In her head, I was the pathetic little thing Niall was too soft to reject properly. The hanger-on. The charity case.

But Louisa had made her choice. She liked me. Loved me, even. Treated me like the daughter-in-law she probably wished Willow could emulate.

And now Willow had all the ammo she needed to blame me for Louisa’s condition.

She wasn’t done, either.

The first slap had failed, so she reared back for a second.