The next morning brought an unwelcome visitor to the Whitmore estate. Alpha Caroline Blackthorne arrived in a black Mercedes that screamed wealth and power, her perfectly styled silver hair and designer suit projecting the kind of authority that made even Beta Prime families sit up and take notice.

Desi watched from her bedroom window as her parents greeted their unexpected guest with careful diplomatic courtesy. Whatever Alpha Blackthorne wanted, it wasn't a social call.

Twenty minutes ...