Chapter 82: You Aren’t Replaceable, Mother

Alpha of the Grey Moon Pack. Not just any Alpha, but the one who holds the power in the pack. The ruler of this backwater territory. He wanted to see me? Was I already that famous?

Bradford and Valerie both gasped, their faces instantly draining of all color.

"The... the Alpha?" Bradford stammered, his eyes wide with absolute disbelief. "There must be some kind of mistake, Enforcer. The Alpha would never ask for us. We’ve done nothing wrong—"

"That’s not for you to decide," Steve cut in coldly, raising a hand to silence him. "He specifically asked for Brianna Wells to be brought to him. You were not invited."

Panic surged through Bradford. He immediately shifted, placing his body partially in front of mine. There was no way in hell my family was going to let me go alone into the lion’s den.

"I’m not going anywhere unless my parents come along," I stated, my tone smooth, immovable, and completely devoid of fear.

I had no idea why the Grey Moon Alpha was suddenly summoning me, but knowing the underlying threat, I wasn’t letting my family out of my sight for a single second. Leaving them defenseless while I was hauled off was a luxury I couldn’t afford.

Steve’s brow furrowed, his jaw clenching in annoyance. "You are in no position to make demands, Omega."

I smirked, leaning slightly forward, my eyes glinting with dangerous resolve. "Well, try me. I’m not taking a single step with you. And if you try to force me, you’ll be abusing your official authority in broad daylight. I will scream, I will fight, and I will make it so damn hard for you to drag me through these streets without the entire territory finding out about your little enforcement stunt."

You wanna oppress me? I’ll make sure your name never leave the mouths of the territory wolves for a month.

Steve’s face went dark with anger. How dare a wolfless Omega put on airs with him? How dare she talk to a territorial enforcer like this? Well, I did. What was he gonna do about it?

He looked ready to snap, but then the strict orders he had received directly from the Alpha echoed in his mind: "Escort Brianna Wells here, and do not make a scene."

Creating a loud, chaotic public spectacle was the last thing he could afford to do.

Steve let out a harsh, defeated sigh, rubbing the back of his neck as he glared at me.

"Fine," he growled, turning on his heel. "All of you, come with me."

As we walked behind Steve through the winding streets leading toward the higher-tier district, I tore a strip of clean fabric from the inner lining of my jacket.

"Hold still, Mother," I murmured softly, stepping up beside Valerie.

Valerie flinched slightly as I brought the cloth up to her forehead, but she quickly relaxed under my touch. Gently, I dabbed away the fresh line of blood that had trickled down to her eyebrow, pressing the folded fabric firmly against the cut to stem the bleeding.

"Brianna, sweetheart... you don’t have to ruin your jacket," Valerie whispered, her voice still trembling from the ordeal in the market. "I’m fine, really. It’s just a small scratch."

"It’s not just a scratch," I replied, my tone flat but laced with quiet warmth as I adjusted the pressure. "And a jacket is replaceable. You aren’t."

Something seemed to flash through her eyes at my words, and it made her go quiet, go soft with a smile curling at the corner of her lips.

"I see,"

Bradford walked closely on Valerie’s other side, his arm wrapped around her waist to support her. His eyes kept darting back and forth between the back of Steve’s enforcement uniform and my calm face.

"Brianna," Bradford muttered in a hushed, anxious tone, lowering his head so Steve wouldn’t overhear. "Why would the Alpha of our pack want to see you? We’ve never had any interactions with the main pack house... Could this be about the loan? Or... or the Tournament of Power?"

"Don’t worry about it, Father," I said, keeping my hand steady on Valerie’s head until the bleeding finally slowed. "Whatever it is, we’ll handle it when we get there. Just stay close to me and let me do the talking."

Steve led us across the district boundary line, where the dirty cobblestones and cramped slums gradually gave way to manicured lawns, wide stone paved avenues, and high wrought-iron gates. The Grey Moon Pack estate loomed ahead—a massive, imposing manor built of pale stone, surrounded by tall security barriers and guarded by elite pack warriors.

I pulled my hand back from Valerie’s forehead, checking the cloth. The bleeding had stopped, though a dark, angry bruise was already forming near her hairline. I’ll administer better treatment when we get back. I should pick up silver grass on the way too. It helps heal small wounds.

"All done," I whispered.

Valerie gave me a small, grateful squeeze of my hand. "Thank you, my sweet girl."

I tucked the blood-stained cloth into my pocket, my eyes narrowing as the heavy iron gates of the estate slowly swung open to let us in.

Whoever the Alpha of Grey Moon was, and whatever game he was playing by summoning an Omega to his manor, he was about to realize I wasn’t some helpless girl he could intimidate.

As we crossed the threshold of the iron gates and stepped onto the long, pristine driveway leading to the manor, I slowed my pace just enough to put a couple of feet between Steve and myself.

With Steve’s back turned and my parents walking nervously on my right, I slid my phone smoothly out of my jacket pocket. Keeping the screen low and hidden against my side, my thumb slowly typed across the glass in silent taps. Someone even the Grey Moon Pack Alpha couldn’t handle.

I didn’t know what they were up to, or why I had been summoned, but it was not bad to prepare

—This investee has been summoned to Grey Moon Alpha’s estate right now by Enforcer Steve. Heading inside.

I hit send. Before Steve could glance back, I dropped the phone back into my inner pocket, my expression slipping back into an unbothered, stone-cold mask.

Even if the Morningstar Pack wasn’t one of the four great packs, it was still high ranking according to my research and so the Alpha of this territory would not dare go against him. I had zero qualms about leveraging Edgar’s influence if things got messy.

"Keep up," Steve growled over his shoulder, not noticing a thing as he led us up the grand stone steps toward the double mahogany doors of the estate.

The heavy doors groaned open, revealing a towering foyer with marble floors, grand chandeliers, and uniformed guards posted along the perimeter.

I kept my chin held high, my hand resting gently on Valerie’s back to keep her steady as we stepped into the heart of the Grey Moon Pack’s power.