Chapter 29 - Her Pureblood Alpha

Why did I say that? Things had just started to get better between us.

“Ms. Wiley? Ms. Wiley?” Kylie’s voice jolted me out of my thoughts.

“Hmm? What is it?”

She handed me a cup of hot coffee and lowered her voice.

“Ms. Pope said this store isn’t performing well. It’s dragging down the mall’s numbers. She wants to know if headquarters is willing to end the contract instead of renewing it.”

I looked at the storefront of Muses. It was a brand selling women’s apparel.

I remembered this brand.

When Cloudview Mall first opened twenty years ago, they were one of the very first tenants.

Because of the rise of online shopping, this women’s clothing brand had slipped into a gray area – not well-known, but not obscure either.

Their prices were high, and the customer base was small. Inevitably, sales had dropped year after year.

I pulled my eyes from the storefront and turned to Trina Pope. My voice stayed calm. “Ms. Pope, what’s your personal view?”

She cleared her throat. “Their contract ends at the end of this year. Even though Muses’ distributor says they want to renew, their revenue keeps falling. They’re dragging the whole mall down. My advice? Cut them.”

I lifted my gaze, letting it rest on her with meaning.

“Ms. Pope, as the operations director of Cloudview Mall, did you try to help them through this slump? For example, did the mall promote Muses during events?”

Her eyes flickered.

“We did, but there are so many stores in the mall. The effect probably wasn’t as strong as expected.”

I knew right away it was a lie.

I had started as a sales associate and climbed step by step to regional manager. I knew mall operations inside out.

Every mall had funds set aside to help stores boost visibility and sales.

But those funds always went first to the big brands that were already successful.

Muses clearly hadn’t been a priority. To Trina, investing in them probably seemed like a waste.

My tone turned cold as I cut straight through her excuse.

“Ms. Pope, before you ask me to terminate a store, I expect you to at least try to help them recover their sales. Not just kick them out to make your numbers look better.”

I swept the room with my gaze. “Muses has partnered with us for twenty years. When we were still a small mall, they helped us build our reputation. Now that their brand is slipping, we owe it to them – not just for our credibility, but for simple decency – to give them support.”

The room fell silent. The managers around me exchanged uneasy glances, but not one of them spoke.

Trina’s POV:

Being called out by Deanna in front of so many employees made my face burn red.

I had worked at Cloudview Mall for years. I was her senior, her elder.

And yet, this little Omega dared to question my abilities as a Beta director.

I frowned so hard my forehead ached, my voice sharp with irritation.

“Ms. Wiley, how do you know we haven’t put in the effort? If every store kept failing and the mall kept bailing them out, how could we stay in business? You’re the one who sits in an office working on desk jobs. Leave the floor management to veterans who know what we’re doing.”

Deanna only gave a cold laugh. “Fine. Then please prepare a full breakdown of this year’s mall promotions for every store, Ms. Pope. I want that report on my desk tomorrow morning.”

Her demand shut me up instantly.

Because the truth was – our mall barely gave Muses any promotions this year.

Not just this year. Honestly, never.

Those prime event slots? I sold them to the brands that slipped me cash under the table.

If Deanna saw that report, she’d know right away the resources were unfairly handed out.

She was targeting me on purpose.

And she hadn’t officially taken over the pack, but she was already acting like she owned the place.

If she really took over one day, would any of us veterans still have a place here?

No. I couldn’t let Deanna become the next Alpha.

Deanna’s POV:

After saying that, I ignored Trina and kept walking with the other supervisors toward the next section of the mall.

The managers behind me continued reporting their numbers.

Maybe it was just my imagination, but their voices sounded stronger now, more energized than before.

One of the managers stepped forward. “Ms. Wiley, up ahead is Lassandra Shoes. It’s a top luxury brand. Every pair is custom-made, and it’s become a favorite among wealthy women from major packs. It’s one of the strongest performing stores in the mall this year.”

I took the report he handed me, glanced down, and flipped through the pages casually.

Then a sharp, commanding female voice suddenly rang out from inside the boutique.

“Deanna, get in here.”

That voice was all too familiar – it was Jake’s mother, Barbara Olson.

I looked up and saw her in an haute couture Chanel suit, carrying a limited-edition Hermès bag. Her hair was perfectly styled, every strand in place. She looked elegant and wealthy, but her arrogance made it clear she didn’t want anyone getting too close.

Her tone was sharp, like she was ordering around some low-ranked werewolf in her pack.

I wanted to ignore her, but then I remembered her temper. Barbara was unreasonable and loved to cause a scene. If she made a fuss in public, it would only hurt the mall’s image.

So I handed the report to Kylie and told the team, “That’s it for today. Put the mall’s numbers in your report and send them to me tomorrow.”

Then I walked over to Barbara unhurriedly and asked casually, “What can I help you with?”

Barbara clearly hated that attitude.

She didn’t get a chance to explode before a woman wearing a lot of jewelry beside her leaned in with a laugh.

“Well, if it isn’t Deanna. Barbara, your daughter-in-law is so sweet. She knew you had custom shoes ready today and came here early just to wait for you.”

The voice belonged to Robert’s mom, Valda Scott. Next to her sat Terence’s mother, Karen Quinn, and another older she-wolf – all from the Olson Pack.

Back then, Barbara loved dragging me along with them on shopping trips. She called it “getting me ready for Luna life,” but really, she just treated me like a servant. I poured their tea, carried their bags, and ran around doing errands while they laughed.

To her, I was always the bastard who only rejoined the pack twenty years too late. In her eyes, I could never match her “golden boy” of a son. Her arrogance found every way possible to put me down.

I’ll never forget her sixtieth birthday. She demanded I cook 101 dishes all by myself, saying it was a pack tradition.

I stayed in the kitchen for a full day and night until my hands shook so badly I couldn’t even hold silverware.

People thought I was sick or something.

When Jake found out, he only frowned and muttered, “Why are you so stupid? Couldn’t you ask for help?”

He had no idea.

Barbara had forced me to do it alone.

I swallowed every insult back then, all because I still loved Jake.

But now, I’m no longer the Deanna who bent over backwards for him.

Barbara gave a sharp snort. “Valda, enough. My son hadn’t made Deanna the Luna yet. Calling her daughter-in-law is far too early. Currently, she’s still on probation.”

I looked at her, standing there with that superior attitude, and couldn’t hold back a laugh.

“You’re right, Mrs. Olson. I’m not your daughter-in-law. And here’s the truth – I broke up with Jake. I’ll never be his Luna. Haven’t you noticed you can’t reach me anymore? That’s because I blocked every single one of you.”

Barbara’s POV:

Deanna’s words made my face burn with anger.

No wonder! When my back hurt a few days ago, I tried calling her to come over and give me a massage, but her phone was always off.

And now she dares to say she broke up with Jake? Haha! I don’t believe it for a second. That girl has loved him to the moon for years. No way she’d let go so easily.

She’d cling to him forever if she could.

I’ve seen these little games before – pretending to leave just to get attention.

“Deanna,” I snapped, “do you even know your place? My son picked you, and that makes you lucky. Don’t you dare bring up breaking up with him. When Jake finally throws you aside, you’ll be the one crying your eyes out.”

But instead of getting angry, she only smiled.

“Mrs. Olson, I don’t need that luck. I won’t be your pack’s Luna. Someone else can have that title.”

She humiliated me before everyone; my chest tightened with rage.

Valda leaned close and whispered in my ear. “I heard from Robert that Deanna’s been jealous of Peggie. She’s using this breakup talk to pressure Jake into choosing only her.”

Peggie.

The very name made my stomach twist with annoyance.

Five years ago, I hated her for being half-blooded and sent her away. Later she was diagnosed with heart failure, and somehow the blame fell on me.

They all said I had pushed her too hard, that I’d made her sick.

Because of that, Jake has felt guilty ever since. Peggie’s been using it to keep a hold on him.

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