"Shameless?" I laughed, the sound echoing in the cramped materials room. "That's rich coming from you, Natalie."
Her nostrils flared, and I could see her wolf rising to the surface in those ice-blue eyes. She'd expected me to cower, to apologize. The old Aurelia might have.
"I'm not the one who has spent five years trying to replace another woman's child with my own," I continued, keeping my voice deliberately calm. "I'm not the one who needs expensive gifts and the Alpha King's name to feel important."
"Shut up," she hissed, her perfectly manicured fingers curling into fists.
I stepped closer, ignoring the warning signs of her aggression. "What's wrong, Natalie? Afraid that despite everything, Julian still comes to my room at night?"
The taunt hit its mark. With a snarl, she lunged at me, her hand aiming for my face. I caught her wrist mid-air, my reflexes honed by years of herbal gathering in dangerous territories. The shock in her eyes was almost comical.
