Author’s POV

The next day, Alpha Astra had already seen everything. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

With a sharp thud, she slammed her phone onto the desk.

"Get Sylvia in here now!" she barked at her assistant, her wolf energy pulsing through the room.

The poor assistant scurried away, his legs practically wobbling beneath him. Alpha Astra’s rage was palpable—the kind that made even seasoned pack members lower their heads in submission. Just a few days as Miss Frost, and Sylvia had managed to create this much chaos.

When the assistant finally found Sylvia, the relief on his face was almost comical.

"Miss Frost," he said, voice slightly trembling, "Alpha Astra requests your presence immediately."

Sylvia caught the nervous way he kept glancing over his shoulder, as if expecting her mother to materialize behind him. She couldn’t help the slight curve of her lips.

"What’s going on? You look terrified," she said, her voice gentle yet confident.

"I’m not entirely sure," he admitted, lowering his voice. "But between us, Alpha’s in a particularly foul mood. Tread carefully."

The memory of Alpha Astra’s rage was still fresh in his mind. If Sylvia didn’t come back with him, he’d be the one facing that fury next.

Sylvia’s wolf instincts picked up on his anxiety, reading the subtle shift in his posture and the slight acrid scent of fear. "I’ll go alone from here," she told him, quickening her pace and leaving the relieved assistant behind.

"Of course, Miss Frost. I’ve delivered the message," he called after her, practically beaming with relief as he hurried away in the opposite direction.

Sylvia approached her mother’s office, the familiar territory now feeling strangely hostile. She knocked firmly on the heavy oak door, her knuckles striking the wood with practiced confidence.

No response.

She waited, counting the seconds that stretched into minutes. Ten minutes passed with nothing but silence from the other side. This wasn’t normal protocol—this was a power play.

Her mother was making her wait, establishing dominance before the conversation even began.

After fifteen excruciating minutes, she heard her mother’s cold voice finally grant permission to enter.

Sylvia stepped inside, where Alpha Astra stood silhouetted against the floor-to-ceiling windows, her back to the door. The powerful female Alpha wasn’t even bothering to face her, another subtle insult that didn’t go unnoticed.

"You wanted to see me, Alpha?" Sylvia kept her tone respectful but didn’t lower her gaze. She refused to show submission when she’d done nothing wrong.

"The files are on the desk. See for yourself."

Sylvia picked up the tablet without hesitation, her eyes scanning the headline and accompanying video. A twisted, edited version of the gala events, painting her as an ambitious social climber who’d used Caesar to undermine pack traditions. She nearly laughed at the absurdity.

"Alpha, I addressed this clearly at the family gathering. Can’t you see this is a targeted attack against me?" Sylvia’s voice remained steady despite the frustration building inside her chest.

Alpha Astra turned, her eyes glacial. "I heard your explanation, but none of this would have happened if you’d just done what was expected of you. If you had accepted Hugo as your mate—"

"As you arranged, without my consent?" Sylvia interjected, her wolf bristling beneath her skin.

"As would benefit the pack," her mother corrected sharply. "And now you’ve tied yourself to a man whose enemies could destroy everything our family has built. If you were truly clean in this situation, no one would have anything to smear you with."

The accusation cut deeper than Sylvia expected. Not just the words, but the complete lack of trust behind them.

"What exactly are you implying?" Sylvia asked, feeling the bond between mother and daughter straining dangerously.

"I’m telling you to fix this mess." Alpha Astra slapped the tablet down between them. "This scandal is already affecting company stock. If this continues, your position as Miss Frost will need to be... reconsidered."

Sylvia took an involuntary step back, feeling as if she’d been physically struck. After everything she’d sacrificed, after burying her Alpha nature for years to please her mother, this was her reward?

"So all the work I’ve done for this company means nothing the moment there’s trouble?"

Alpha Astra turned away again, effectively dismissing the question and the hurt behind it.

"You’ve become quite the expert at burning bridges, Mother." Sylvia said, a cold smile forming on her lips.

"Don’t forget your place," her mother snapped. "Everything this company achieves benefits you too."

"This isn’t about the company," Sylvia countered. "This is about control. You’d rather I marry someone you chose than find my own path. You’d rather I be the perfect, submissive daughter than the Alpha I was born to be."

"Are you really willing to throw away our bond over this?" Sylvia asked, giving her mother one final chance.

Alpha Astra hesitated, looking at her daughter’s face—so much like her own, with that same stubborn determination. For a moment, something like regret flickered in her eyes. But then her expression hardened again.

"You have three days to handle this publicity nightmare. After that, if things haven’t improved, your position as Miss Frost—and your status as heir to the Frostfang pack—will be reconsidered."

The threat hung in the air between them, heavy and final.

"I understand perfectly," Sylvia replied, her voice controlled despite the storm of emotions crashing inside her. Her wolf howled in outrage, demanding she challenge this unfair treatment, but Sylvia held back. This wasn’t the time or place.

She turned and walked out, her posture rigid with pride. Behind her, Alpha Astra watched her daughter leave, a complex mixture of emotions crossing her face before she turned back to the window.

She pulled out her phone, finally reviewing the online situation that had caused such an uproar. The video was expertly edited, showing only carefully selected moments from the gala that painted her in the worst possible light. Next to Caesar, she looked calculating and ambitious, whispering in his ear during key moments, their obvious chemistry twisted into something manipulative.

Her eyes narrowed as understanding dawned. This had Selene written all over it. Her "sister" hadn’t wasted any time trying to discredit her. The timing, the specific angles, the selective editing—only someone intimately familiar with pack dynamics and with access to multiple gala attendees could have orchestrated this so effectively.

"If my dear sister is so bored while ’convalescing’ at home, perhaps I should give her something more productive to focus on," Sylvia murmured, a dangerous smile playing across her lips.