Chapter 5

Digby's POV As we headed to the dining area, a couple suddenly rushed toward Kelsey. They shouted at Kelsey, "Kelsey, you ungrateful brat! We took you in when no one wanted you, an orphan. Now you've found rich relatives and plan to ditch us? We're your benefactors!" My brow furrowed as I glanced at Kelsey. Her smile vanished. "Wally, Sky, you dare call yourselves my benefactors? I nearly starved under your roof until Catherine fed me. Later, you dumped me with her." Catherine was stunned. "How did you find me? I didn't tell anyone." Sky sneered. "We're her legal adoptive parents. You can't claim all the credit." "Right. Kelsey's family must be wealthy to afford this posh hotel. They should compensate us." My right hand twitched at my side, Lycan blood surging beneath my skin. The crystal chandelier dimmed three times. My nails pierced my custom gloves, glowing dark gold beneath my suit sleeve. Wally and Sky froze—ordinary humans might not sense my werewolf aura, but they still felt primal fear. Kelsey shielded Catherine, glaring at the couple. "Dream on. I won't give you a cent. Spike's fight was your fault. You dragged him into a crash, didn't repay your debts, and delayed his treatment, leaving him a vegetable in the hospital." Catherine's eyes welled up. Wally seemed uneasy, but Sky acted boldly, lunging at Kelsey. "I'll teach you a lesson, you brat!" "Who dares touch her!" As I strode forward, the marble floor cracked. Lycan royalty's infrasound pressure shattered Sky's earring pearls, the sound like snapping vertebrae. Wolf guards in disguise trailed me. Wally and Sky were terrified, but Sky still snapped, "I'm disciplining my daughter—none of your business!" I smirked. "She's my sister—when did she become yours?" Wally's eyes lit up. He rubbed his hands greedily. "You're Kelsey's family? Raising her wasn't easy. Shouldn't you pay us? Without us, she'd have starved." "How much?" "Just a million." Sky signaled, and Wally upped it to five million. I tsked. "Five million? That's insulting. My sister's worth at least a hundred million!" A mere five million? That's disrespecting everyone involved! This is my sister, Digby's sister! I've spent hundreds of millions searching for her. Finding her is worth every penny of my fortune. Wally and Sky gaped at me. Kelsey snorted. "You want a hundred million? I'd donate before giving you a cent." "When you locked her in the storage room and withheld food, she was near death. Do you have the nerve to ask for money? A hundred million? Shameless!" Kelsey comforted Catherine. "Ignore them." Wally, enraged, swung at her. "You ungrateful wretch!" My suit sleeve concealed my claws. Lycan blood boiled with fury. My right kick, fueled by wolf strength, broke three of Wally's ribs—the crack was masked by the background music. My gloves hid my wolf-claws, which had pierced my palms. I kicked Wally away, coldly stating, "This money is for those who raised my sister—not you." I learned from Catherine how despicable Kelsey's adoptive parents were. As the daughter of my father and a Lycan princess, Kelsey deserved better than this abuse. Kelsey was startled to see Wally motionless on the ground. I quickly retracted my claws, my Lycan healing ability closing the wounds. Softly, I said, "Go with Catherine. I'll handle this." "But..." "Trust me. You were alone before, but now you have me. Be good!" The suppressed pressure eased the chandelier's tremor, leaving only five holes in Wally's suit as proof of my momentary loss of control—a detail no one would notice. Kelsey left without another word, taking Catherine with her. As I turned, a prickling heat flared at my nape—the precursor to a Lycan blood surge. My fingers punctured the glove lining, the sensation of tearing parchment mixed with a faint metallic tang. "You asked for this!" I spat, hearing a guard's tactical boot scuff as he instinctively stepped back—a reflex honed over twelve years at my side.