Lily lounged in the dim glow of her penthouse screening room, long legs stretched across a plush velvet chaise, orange curls spilling wild over one shoulder like a fiery halo.
The massive screen flickered with her latest blockbuster—a sleek thriller where she played the icy operative, doe-brown eyes commanding every frame. Her every movie was a masterpiece. Call her narcissist, but her movies were perfect, and she was perfect.
A crystal glass of fresh orange juice rested in her hand, tart sweetness cutting the late-night quiet as she sipped slow, lips pursing around the rim.
The city skyline twinkled endless beyond floor-to-ceiling glass walls, but her focus stayed glued—her own silhouette dodging bullets, voice husky in dubbed tension. Her hidden alpha strength coiled beneath the role—but media myth kept her 'omega' status intact.
The door banged open hard, shattering the hush. Faye stormed in—Lily's cousin, fellow alpha unmasked and unapologetic. Tall like Lily but broader, with cropped black hair razor-sharp, leather jacket slung over ripped jeans, combat boots thudding carpet aggressive.
Faye's hazel eyes blazed fury, tablet clutched white-knuckled, surveillance feeds glowing damning. "Lily, what the fuck are you doing?!"
Lily paused the film mid-explosion, screen freezing her perfect profile in blue light. She turned slow, doe eyes narrowing cool, juice glass twirling lazy in long fingers. "What do you mean?" Her voice was flat. "Can't you see that I am watching a movie?"
"You are fucking narcissist, aren't you? Watching your own movie?"
"Tell me, Faye—what happened? If you have no business, then don't disturb me."
Faye threw the tablet on the coffee table, graphs spiking red—ten million burned on PIs, drones, hacks. "You've dumped almost ten million on surveillance for Emily Leonhart? Seriously? Her? The tabloid stalker chick? Have you gone mad?"
Lily arched a brow, setting juice aside with deliberate clink. "Why do you care?" Before this, Faye never meddled in her business. So, what changed now?
Faye paced, boots scuffing Persian rug, alpha pheromones spiking faint despite blockers. "Because the world thinks you're some fragile omega, and now you're obsessed with her? Do you like her or something?!"
Disgust flashed raw in Lily's eyes, lips curling snarl—alpha fangs peeking. "I'd never like her." Voice dropped ice-low, venom dripping. Emily's face flickered memory—drenched woman in her arms as she gave her a bridal carry, petite curves yielding soft against her chest, emerald fire dulled to vulnerable plea.
No.
What was she thinking?
It was irritation, not intrigue.
Faye halted, hands fisting hips. "Good. Then why blow millions tracking her? Drones over Willowbrook? Hacked traffic cams? PI reports on her baking binges?" She didn't like Emily, but that didn't mean she would let her cousin invade her privacy. The poor woman didn't even know that she was watched.
Lily leaned forward, elbows on knees, silk robe slipping to bare a shoulder. Pinching her nose, she closed her eyes for a moment before opening them.
"I want her actions read. No more stalking me. Galas, malls—she's trouble. And I hate troublesome creatures." It was the truth. Or at least, she convinced herself that she was telling the truth.
Faye snorted, dropping onto the chaise beside her, leather creaking. "That woman's drowning in debt because you saved her ass. Those men were beaten bloody by your fists. She thinks some miracle dropped her safe."
Lily's jaw tightened, doe eyes darkening storm. "You saying I should've left her to rot?"
"No! But you never care about anyone. Heroics aren't your vibe. Why her?" Faye's gaze probed sharp, cousin-bond cutting pretence.
"Because I wanted to." It was simple. Her feral instinct that night—alpha protecting... what? Forget that. Emily owed a debt now, and she held the leverage. Suddenly, a memory flashed inside her head—Emily's soft frame in her clothes, sleeping innocent—it was a subtle unwanted pull, which Lily ignored blatantly.
Faye shook her head, grabbing the forgotten juice for a swig. "I don't even know what you want anymore. Why play omega? You have lot of suitors. Lily, just ditch the act, will you?"
"I'm not acting." Lily's tone sharpened blade. "They assumed that I was an omega. I was never asked. But having suitors make everything easy, right? They do a lot of things for me."
Faye leaned in, voice dropping conspiratorial. "Suitors? For what? What are you using them for?
Lily scoffed, waving dismissive. "Don't care. Using them is a different game—pawns for Warren Foods, and my other businesses. As for what happens next? I don't give a damn."
"What if they hurt her—the one you protected? Does she know you pulped those thugs single-handed?" Faye's probe hit a nerve.
Lily's glare iced lethal, alpha pheromones leaking faintly. "Saved her to make her leave me alone. Debt binds her; she'll back off."
Faye smirked sceptically as she shook her head. "Really? You're tabbing her every breath—Willowbrook gates, grocery runs, that Hellen Jacksen meet."
"Emily is an idiotic woman." Lily ignored, rising fluid to pace, robe whispering thighs, tall frame casting shadow. "She's gullible. Hid a month, then invites unknown alpha? Fool. What if that person was a fraud? What would she have done to save herself?"
Faye stretched arms overhead, boots propped table. "Honestly? Alphas peg her omega—small, yielding. Omegas clock her alpha fire. Official registry says alpha, sure."
"Tch." Lily snarled softly, fists clenching. "She invites random people while she hid. Scared? Then why? She knew nothing of Hellen—that desperate fool." If someone was that scared, why invite unknown people? Did she know that she was putting herself at risk? Whatever. Why should she care about her actions?
Faye chuckled darkly. She said, "Desperate times call for desperate actions. The blacklists are choking her, and she's grasping to save herself."
"She could've met neutral—café, park. Why call a stranger to her home?" Honestly, she had herself this question countless times, but there was no answer. Then she remembered the interview in which she disclosed her ideas even before the production. Okay, that woman... was utterly gullible.
"True. But stop the tabs. It's really creepy."
Lily froze at her words. After a minute, she said, "Prevention's best care. I don't want her to ruin my image. That kind of woman is useless." Apart from her face, and her 'edible' nape—she was an idiot, if someone ignored her fashion and business prowess.
"Fine, if you say so. But seriously, Lily—stop that."
"I will, Faye. Give me a week, Faye—I need to be reassured completely that she wasn't going to stalk me anymore."