*DARK MOON PACK. 2 PM**
Valerie stormed out of the car, her hands clenched into fists as she walked up the steps of the Dark Moon Pack house. Her face was still flushed red, and the faint scars on her arms and legs from King Magnus’ punishment stung with each movement. Despite her outward appearance, the anger simmering beneath her skin was far more painful than any physical wounds.
“How could he?” she muttered to herself, her voice trembling with fury. “How could he choose *her* over me?”
Valerie’s pride was wounded. She was the daughter of Alpha Gregory, the most powerful Alpha in the Dark Moon Pack, and she had a brother who was next in line to take over. Everyone respected her, feared her, and she was used to getting what she wanted. But King Magnus had dismissed her, punished her like a common rogue, all because of *Aria*. A nobody. A weakling. A girl not even from a noble family.
Her blood boiled just thinking about it.
As Valerie pushed the front door open, she found her parents sitting in the living room, her father deep in conversation with her brother, Zane. Both of them stopped mid-sentence when they saw her, their eyes narrowing at her disheveled appearance.
“Valerie,” Alpha Gregory said, standing up. His voice carried authority, but there was an edge of concern in his tone. “What happened?”
Valerie strode into the room, her face a mix of anger and humiliation. She could feel her mother’s eyes scanning her, noting the marks left by Magnus’ punishment.