"I've covered everyone's share—except yours."
"Forty thousand. Will you pay in trade goods or have it drawn from your personal stores?"
Garrick Pineward stepped forward quickly, attempting to interject.
"My lady, regarding tonight's accounting—"
I raised a hand and gently pulled Garrick behind me, then leaned closer to Selene.
"You've decided to make an enemy of me tonight, haven't you?"
Selene nodded without hesitation, her words cutting like fangs.
"Absolutely."
"I actually considered honoring our past connection by letting you experience a taste of how the upper ranks feast. But you've proven yourself incapable of accepting such grace."
"Since that's how it is, I'll teach you a lesson tonight—help you understand exactly what kind of creature you truly are."
Her words didn't anger me. Instead, I found myself laughing.
"My apologies, but unlike you, I know precisely where I stand in the hierarchy. You're the one who's lost all sense of her own rank."
The moment those words left my lips, the wolves around the table erupted into hostile murmurs.