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We stared at each other. My shoulders tightened. Vidar's face twisted as if he'd just tasted something sour. There were feelings in the room now. We'd gone too far.

Magnus pinched the bridge of his nose. "Fuck. We are all pussy-whipped by our wives."

I grunted, rolling my shoulders. "For the record, Rosalind's not stupid, either."

I still wasn't ready to tell them just what a mastermind my wife was yet. She'd asked me to trust her. I believed she was going to try to untangle the mess she had made. I planned on being right there beside her as she unraveled the knots. After things were untied, and we'd had a serious heart to heart, then I'd tell my family what an asset we'd acquired with my pink princess.

Vidar let out a dry chuckle, adjusting his cuffs. "Your wife survived Ma, Astrid, and our mates in the same room. Of course she’s not stupid. But she might be dangerous."

More than you fucking know. But I kept that thought to myself.

Magnus reached for the tablet. "We need to warn Valentino."

Vidar nodded. "If that woman at the fight was law enforcement, the Lupettos need to know they've been compromised."

"I'll go," I said.

"We'll all go." Magnus tucked the tablet beneath his arm and headed for the door.

Vidar fell into step beside him. "Good. You can explain to Valentino why your wife identified an undercover cop before any of his people did."

I followed them out of the room. "Maybe his people are stupid."

"Do you need to validate them too?"

"Fuck you."

"Can I come?" Ivar stood at the end of the hall.

Magnus didn't even hesitate. "No."

"Why not?"

"Because we're going to Lupetto territory on pack business."

Ivar lifted his chin. "I'm a Blackwood. Isn't pack business my business? You guys keep saying I'm going to have responsibilities someday, but how am I supposed to learn anything if you keep treating me like a pup and always make me stay home?"

He had a point. I looked at Vidar. Vidar looked at Magnus. Magnus pinched the bridge of his nose and stepped aside, letting Ivar pass through the hall beside us.

CHAPTER FORTY

ROSALIND

The Blackwood town car glided smoothly through the city's high-end shopping district. Inside the plush leather interior, the atmosphere was a mix of protective coaching and lighthearted banter. Nell sat near the window, her heart pounding an erratic rhythm. She commanded boardrooms with some of the world's richest and powerful men. This was her first official appearance among the regional shifter matriarchs since discovering her own panther bloodline. No boardroom could prepare her for these women with claws.

"Those women in there are going to try you today," Mei Ling was saying. "They'll look for a crack in your armor because you're new, because you carry panther blood, and because you locked down my eldest son. Do not let them push you. Keep your cool, but remember who you are: you're a whip-smart, sharp-tongued CEO boss. You own every room you step into."

At Mei Ling's words, the tension went out of Nell. She released a breath. Fabric rustled faintly as her shoulders settled back. When she spoke again, the confidence had returned to her voice, sharp-edged and sure.

"Thanks, Ma."

I sat back in my corner of the leather seat, keeping my face flat behind my dark designer sunglasses, but internally, I was thoroughly surprised. Sorsha had spent my entire life coaching me, but every piece of advice my mother ever gave was wrapped in threat, leverage, or manipulation. Listening to Mei Ling genuinely coach Nell—building her up rather than trying to use or break her to her own advantage—was an alien phenomenon.

"She's right, you know," Addie chimed in from my right. Addie and Nell had known each other for ten years. They’d grown through the corporate trenches together, built a business from the dirt up, and knew each other's rhythm inside out. "You're the smartest woman in the building, Nell. If any of those old-guard matriarchs start running their mouths, tear apart their balance sheets, make them regret ever opening their mouths."

Nell chuckled. "You hear that? I have permission to ruin lives."

"Only if they deserve it," Mei Ling said with a light laugh.