Chapter 76

Victoria’s POV:

My phone rang just as I was standing there, staring at Catherine’s smug face. I glanced down at the screen and saw Matthew’s name flashing.

“Hey,” I answered softly.

“Victoria,” Matthew’s deep voice came through the line, tense with urgency. “That Dominion project I warned you about? It’s completely collapsed. The government has put restrictions on the entire technology. It’s being shut down across the board p>

My wolf, Nora, stirred uneasily inside me. I could feel her agitation mirroring my own as my stomach dropped. This was happening even faster than we’d anticipated.

The Dominion technology was revolutionary – designed for everything from self-driving vehicles to automated factory systems. The testing phases had shown no issues, leading to aggressive promotion. But now, catastrophic flaws had been discovered, forcing federal intervention and complete cessation of its use.

For companies that had just purchased this technology, it was nothing short of devastating.

As I listened to Matthew, I watched Catherine still gloating across from me, clearly oblivious to the bombshell that had just dropped in her professional world. The contract with Peter Morrison had already been signed, and she had no idea of the disaster heading her way.

“I understand. Thanks for letting me know,” I said before ending the call, keeping my expression neutral.

Catherine was still wearing that irritating smile. “Victoria, you’re simply not good enough for Damien. I know exactly what you’re after – trying to climb the social ladder by getting close to him. A powerful Alpha like him would never be interested in someone like you p>

She had no idea I was an Alpha myself – the heir to the Crescent Dawn Pack. My white wolf was one of the strongest in generations. I had concealed my true nature for years, using a witch’s charm bracelet to mask my scent and power while living among ordinary wolves. I’d wanted to find a mate who loved me for myself, not my bloodline.

“Catherine,” I said her name calmly, unable to resist. “I truly admire how you can still smile at a time like this p>

Her brow furrowed. “What are you talking about p>

I leaned forward slightly. “You did manage to sign quite the impressive project. But did you really think Peter Morrison was in such a hurry to partner with you because of your abilities? You couldn’t be more wrong. He was desperate to offload this project before the technology completely collapsed – looking for someone to hold the bag when everything went south p>

Catherine’s body tensed, her wolf clearly agitated beneath the surface. “What are you saying? What collapse? What bag p>

“Seems the Deputy CEO isn’t as well-informed as she should be,” I said with a small shake of my head. “The Dominion technology has failed spectacularly. Feel free to check if you don’t believe me. The amusing part is that even Crescent Dawn Pack rejected this partnership, yet you treated it like some precious trophy. Right now, you look worse than a court jester p>

Catherine’s face paled. “That’s impossible. It can’t be p>

I could see her mind racing. If the Dominion project was indeed compromised, Peter’s company had no viable product to offer. Worse still, she’d mentioned earlier that Peter had requested immediate payment due to “financial constraints.” Catherine had already expedited the funds, which had likely reached Peter’s company by now.

It was a substantial amount of money – enough to sink her career if anything went wrong.

As if on cue, Catherine’s phone began to ring. Her eyes widened when she saw her assistant’s name on the screen. The bond between us as enemies allowed me to feel her sudden panic, her wolf reacting to the threat of professional ruin.

Her hand trembled slightly as she answered. “Hello p>

I could hear the assistant’s voice clearly with my enhanced Alpha hearing, despite Catherine’s attempts to keep the conversation private.

“Ms. Watson, we have a serious problem with the project we just signed!” the assistant’s panicked voice carried even to where I stood.

Despite having some warning from my earlier conversation, Catherine’s face drained of color as the reality of the situation hit her. I could see her legs weakening, her wolf keening inside her at the threat to her position in the pack hierarchy.

“What happened?” she asked, her voice barely controlled.

The assistant confirmed exactly what I’d told her – the Dominion project had been shut down completely by regulatory authorities, all usage halted indefinitely.

“What about the payment?” Catherine asked desperately.

“Finance says it’s already been processed. It’s… it’s probably in their account by now p>

Catherine nearly collapsed. I watched as her earlier arrogance evaporated into sheer panic. Damien had apparently criticized her that very morning, and she’d defended herself passionately about her dedication and skills. He had entrusted her with this project completely, repeatedly warning her to thoroughly investigate the company’s background.

And now this catastrophe.

I knew she was thinking about facing Damien – the intimidating Alpha of Blood Moon Pack – and explaining this disaster. The entire pack would witness her failure.

“How could this happen?” she snapped into the phone, her voice rising with each word. “When I told you to research this, what exactly were you doing? This technology had massive issues and none of you discovered anything? What am I paying you all for? Are you just sitting around doing nothing all day p>

Her voice rose to a shout. “Are you all complete idiots? Did your mothers forget to give you brains? If this project fails, you’re all fired p>

She was desperately trying to shift blame, acting as though she bore no responsibility whatsoever.

A nurse approached from down the hall. “This is a hospital. Please keep it down – you’re disturbing the patients p>

Catherine stopped yelling, then turned her fury toward me, her eyes flashing with accusation. “It was you, wasn’t it? You did this p>

I smirked and lowered my voice. “You know hospitals have rules against excessive noise, right?” Then I leaned closer, keeping my voice just above a whisper. “But thanks for the vote of confidence, thinking I have that kind of power. This was your mistake – you failed to do proper due diligence. How is that my fault p>

My wolf, Nora, was enjoying this far too much, practically purring with satisfaction inside me.

“You completely lack business instincts,” I continued softly. “All your competitors backed out, yet you never questioned why? Did you really think you were just that brilliant and everyone else was afraid of your superior skills? How pathetic. I wonder how Blood Moon Pack ever hired someone like you for a leadership position. They must be on their way to ruin p>

Catherine’s face contorted with rage. I could feel her wolf stirring beneath the surface, clawing to defend against the verbal assault. My words had struck deep, reminding her of childhood taunts about her worthlessness.

She’d worked hard to climb the corporate ladder, to make people respect her. And here I was – someone she perceived as just a secretary – looking down on her, the Deputy CEO of Blood Moon Pack’s business empire.

“Who do you think you are to talk to me like that?” she snarled, her control slipping. “You’re nothing but a secretary. What gives you the right to lecture me p>

Before I could react, Catherine raised her hand and swung it hard toward my face.