Kang Seulgi recalled the reason she had left this comfortable life behind in the stronghold of the clan as she sat rigidly in her comfortable seat. She felt like a specimen that was examined closely by those elders who sat in positions of importance, their gazes openly calculative. Probably scheming to get rid of her as soon as they could.

Her father, who barely looked older than thirty was dressed exactly like a lawyer in court: the bespoke black jacket over white dress shirt tucked into a pair of equally dark trousers. He was cleanly-shaved, his hair so neatly parted on the right as if he had used a ruler. The leader was still as imposing as ever, with solemn brown eyes that darkened under the light. He sat on the stage alone as the esteemed leader of the infamous and powerful Kang clan.

“And thus, you have returned for this matter,” enquired Father smoothly, his voice like molten butter, a fine-tuned instrument to convince even the staunchest protesters to support his view. Growing up, Seulgi had never seen her even-tempered father angry, only annoyed. His brows would creased slightly and his gaze would be full of disdain. “My prodigal child.” He was looking at her with those disdainful eyes, as if she was an ugly stain on his spotless leather shoes.

Once again, Seulgi felt like a little pup who had disappointed her beloved Sire. She could never quite shake off the need to gain parental approval despite leaving the clan. Her father was the only reason she had dared to return, hoping that he would grant her a safe passage as she explained the upcoming crisis.

One of the esteemed elders snorted, a very powerful lawyer who had always succeeded in defending his motely clients, tearing down the arguments of prosecutors so effectively that they sweated under their pristine suit. He had ruined a few passionate young prosecutors totally with his callous and brutal words in court.

None of them had hid their derision to her presence.

“Why else would I return here, father?” Seulgi countered with slightly more heat in her voice, feeling a little petulant. “My stance had never change, only strengthen in the years of my exile. I have returned, with full knowledge of my lukewarm welcome to inform the council of a potential horrifying threat against our clan that could be mitigated. Unfortunately, this threat was caused thoughtlessly by Heir Kang.”

There were unhappy mumbles among the council members, their gazes more unfriendly. She had expected such a wintry reception. She had heard from the vineyard that many of the elders had already supported her elder brother as the next heir. If Father did not have a stellular reputation for running the clan well along with the support of Grandfather, she was afraid that he might have been ousted out of the position.

Father’s eyes darkened visibly, studying her openly. “I know of the threat you speak of. It can be allayed with some reparations.”

Seulgi was horrified. “Allayed with reparations? Father, do you really believe that the disciple and heir-apparent of Grandfather’s bosom friend would simply settle for reparations after Heir Kang’s belligerent actions in hurting her?” She glanced around the hallowed hall slowly, her gaze lingering on every elder that was present in the room. “We should prepare for the very wrath of that powerful and clandestine organisation if we cannot account for Heir Kang’s unprovoked aggression.”

The elders did not seem to be too bothered by her declaration since they only saw her words as simply a part of theatrics. Her desperate gaze fell on Father and she noticed that his face paled very slightly. What she did not understand was why he would remain silent despite understanding the severity of the threat. Father was too cautious and too well-informed to be so impassive.

“Why should we fear the wrath of any organisation, Leader Kang?” One of the oldest elder declared vehemently, glaring lethally at Seulgi. “We have allies that would come to our aid instantly. We should throw our support behind our Heir instead who is alone and away from the clan’s protection.” He shot a dirty look at the female alpha who chose willingly to be in exile.

Father did not speak immediately, surveying the elders that sat before him. He sipped his coffee slowly, allowing the heavy silence to lengthen in the hall. His tone was mild when he spoke. “There are some institutions that exist above the very laws of men. And our Heir has hurt another heir of such an institution.”

Another elder lost his temper completely. “Nonsense! Heir Kang would never put our clan in jeopardy. It could be simply lies. We shouldn’t heed the words of an exile who had turned her back on our clan, destroyed our members publicly and ruined our fine name.” His face was a bright red from anger, pointing his finger at Seulgi. “The exile is obviously trying to besmirch our Heir Kang’s name. We should arrest this exile right now for sowing seeds of discord among the council, destroying the careers of some of our most remarkable members and inciting rebellion.” He slammed his fist on the armrest of his seat.

Someone applauded at the sentiment and others soon joined. “Hear hear!” More and more elders joined in the ovation, supporting the very sentiment of arresting Kang Seulgi for attempting to wreak havoc in the clan.

The youngest daughter of the Leader was a very well-respected and competent lawyer who made a name for herself by betraying and destroying others who were of the same clan. The oratory skills, her comportment and her competence were the very fruits of their strict training and mentoring, yet this ingrate had betrayed them.

Leader Kang looked at his daughter out of the corner of his eyes, studying her countenance to their demands of her arrest. The image of an intelligent, carefree and headstrong young woman had melted away, leaving this more cunning, world-weary and patient woman whose years out of the clan had toughened her. Only her sense of justice remained, along with her conviction, the very foundations of a good leader.

He had always known that she would be a far better heir than his son, an opinion his very father shared. His father had taken interest only in her education, taking her around the world with him even when she was a young pup. His father had only intervened in his parenting when Cloud grew far too bellicose and blood thirsty, enamoured with the primal side of the wolf. Yet, that intervention backfired, allowing his son to learn the remarkable secret of wielding the alpha-pumped aggression whenever he pleased, eradicating his enemies.

Leader Kang raised his hand and the raucous cheering trickled into simply echoes in the hallowed hall. Everyone was holding their breath, wondering how the leader would view this issue.

“That is not the point of the matter,” quipped Leader Kang, slightly amused. He propped his head with a hand. “The issue is the possible wrath of a powerful and secret organisation that the Kangs cannot offend. What do you propose that the clan ought to do?”

“Destroy every evidence so that this incident has never happened,” blurted one of the more vocal elder, the mouthpiece of the most influential elder in the council. If Seulgi remembered the politics of the council, the one call the shot is the oldest of the elders, the very cousin of her father.

“Leader Kang, it is in our very interest.” He spread his hand theatrically. “Our Heir has been seduced by this cunning female alpha into forsaking healthy relationship for her. In my opinion, we should punish this despicable woman, no matter her background,” snarled the elder.

The other elders nodded. “Yes, we can call upon our allies to free our heir from the filthy influence of this female alpha.”

Seulgi nearly seethed in rage as the elders lay the blame on Moon Byulyi’s feet. It was outrageous but she was familiar with this modus operandi—no evidence and witness meant no crime. She forced herself to relax, hoping that her father would still be the voice of reason in this court of irrational fanatics.

Leader Kang remained nonchalant. “Let’s put this matter to a vote. Is there any opposition to this proposal?”

The hallowed hall remained silent.

“Do you support this proposal?”

Instantly, all the hands of the elders shot into the air, their gazes determined.

Leader Kang rose to his feet gracefully and gestured them to lower their hands. “The Kang clan has spoken.”

Seulgi’s heart sank instantly when her father did not put in a few words to convince the other elders. Her stomach knotted at the very thought of the future destruction of the clan. She may not agree with the Kang clan’s methods but she had always seen herself as a part of this clan. She rose to her trembling feet, her face pale.

There was nothing left to say now.

“Leader Kang, we should call upon our allies to hunt this filthy wrench down.”

“I’ll leave the execution fully in your capable hands,” answered Leader Kang mildly and the elder immediately gloated, bowing cursory

Seulgi’s brows furrowed at the audacity of the elders to mock the leader. How dare they? These elders would fall in line if Grandfather was here. From the corner of her eyes, she spotted guards drawing closer to her as if they were trying to trap her.

The barrister spoke. “Leader Kang—"

“—What about Heir Kang who has not return?” Another elder silenced her by interrupting.

Leader Kang simply stopped, looking mildly perplexed. “Why are you asking me this question when you are in close contact with our heir? Why don’t you simply ask him to return?”

“Leader Kang, you can’t possibly leave the execution of the plan fully on us elders,” spoke another elder, pretending to be concerned. “Others might believe that we are trying to usurp your position.”

Leader Kang raised a brow sceptically. “Who would even harbour such a thought when the loyalty of the elders to the welfare of the Kang clan remained unquestionable? I’m heartened by the efforts that the elders are working towards the betterment of the clan. Be reassured that I’m wholly supportive.” He stepped down from the stage, planning to return to his office.

Seulgi could not hold back any further from this sheer madness. “Father!” Seulgi tried again. “Please see reason. This is plain foolishness—”

“—Silenced that upstart. She does not belong here,” another elder ordered calmly. Instantly, the guards that maintain law and order in the hallowed hall obeyed the elder and tried to arrest her.

The barrister dodged and evaded their attacks, desperately trying to get through her father. What had happened to him that he had became a puppet in the clan? “Father, please. You know the truth. I would not put my career on hold and risk my life if they were lies.” She shouted louder, while trying to evade the furious attacks.

Why wouldn’t her father turn back and stop them? When had her father became so weak and allowed the council to run roughshod?

“Shut the wrench up and throw her into the prison now!” The elder screamed, pointing a finger at her. “Leader Kang has already spoken. All evidence must be destroyed. Persuade this betrayer that this incident had never happened with all means.”

Shivers went down Seulgi’s spine at the vicious command. The elders in the council hated her since she was a threat to her brother and she had ruined the careers of many of their favoured disciples. She knew what awaited her if she was taken by the men of the elders.

“Father please!” She begged. She was hoping that he would stand up for her and offer her a safe passage. After all, they were family. She waited with bated breath for her father to turn back but he had simply walked out of the hallowed hall without glancing back.

Her heart broke when she realised that her father had abandoned her with the same callousness as she. She remembered another night, ten years ago, when she was feverishly packing her things, sicked to the core that she allowed a cold-hearted murderer to get away with technicalities. She could not do this anymore.

Her father had come into the room and realised that her mind was made up. Yet, he pleaded for her to remain behind and try to change things from the inside instead of leaving the clan. He was determined to make her his heir and had garnered support from many of the council members due to her unmatchable brilliance.

“Seul, I wanted you to be my heir. You’re the better choice to keep our clan in check. What does your brother know about running a clan besides the thrill of violence? Will you be patient and remain behind? Changes will only happen within the clan if you choose to stay behind and fight for it. The elders would be soon convinced to see your point of view.”

Seulgi understood her Sire’s logic but she was too weary to champion this change in this stalwart clan. She knew that she would disappoint her father but she couldn’t live a life that was against her principles. She was far too weak to deal with sheer agony from the dissonance. She did not look back as she carried her backpack and left the mansion that she grew up in.

Now, she could fully empathise with the pain of her father when she had abandoned him, leaving him to deal with the sharks in the clan. The only difference was that with his abandonment, her life was now in jeopardy.

It was always a risk but it was a risk that she had bore simply because she trusted in the goodness and the wisdom of her father. Now, she had betted wrongly and would have to pay the price.

The elder smiled, triumphant. “Take this traitor away—”

“—I’ll need to show proof of safety in ten minutes otherwise a private armed force will be alerted to rescue me,” snapped Seulgi defiantly, resisting their arrest. She did not show an ounce of fear. “I’m not longer that weakling that you could cower. I’m Barrister Kang Seulgi, a representative that sits on the UN council on matters of Human rights and International Criminal Law. I’m also a respected barrister who is involved in the ongoing revamp of laws to adhere to the UN charter. My presence will be missed.” She gave a lopsided smile

“Stupid ,” snarled another elder as he confronted her with madness in his eyes. “You’re that stupid lawyer that is destroying our clan with all these changes!”

“You should not defend owners of ion rings who are also involve in the illegal trade of children and teenagers as slaves,” snarled Seulgi with sufficient heat, glaring at them.

The elder slapped her so hard that her cheek burnt immediately. “Who are you to spit on our clients? Don’t let that little bit of recognition get into your head, little girl. You live as a Kang and you will die as one.”

Seulgi had expected as much since she was a threat to her brother’s status as heir. She was the only other contender and with her death, her brother’s position would be unchallenged. What she did not understand was why her brother would seek her out and thus meeting Byulyi.

“My brother was away from the clan searching for me. I hope you survive his wrath when he knows that this is how you’re treating me.” She was nonchalant about the whole affair.

Suddenly, the elders tensed, the first sign of uncertainty at her reminder. No matter his reason for hunting for her, her brother hated to be denied of his untouched prey.

The wrath of her brother seemed to be a more effective threat than the wrath of a militant, well-funded organisation as the elders exchanged looks among themselves.

Interesting.

She remained silent, watching how their expressions changed slowly into a strange contorted constipated look. She wanted to chuckle openly but she resisted the urge, keeping a disinterested expression.

“House arrest?” One of the elders spoke up, looking terrified.

The leader of this group remained silent, examining the younger barrister openly. “We’ll let Heir Kang know that his sister is back. There are many ways to punish a person without leaving marks.” His lips curled into a cruel smirk.

Full-bodied shivers went down Seulgi’s spine but she kept up the brave front. “You could but you ought to remember that Grandfather is also around.” She added offhandedly. “My brother takes after Grandfather far too much.” Grandfather was very protective of her since she was his best protégé.

The vicious smile faded from the face of the leader and it hardened visibly. “Put this turncoat under house arrest,” decided the elder, spitting those words through gritted teeth fiercely. He flicked his hand sharply, not wishing to look at her any longer.

Seulgi shook off the hands that were gripping her. “I can walk on my own, thank you very much.” She stalked away, guided by the helpless guards who followed at her heels.

The elder simply pinched his nose, his body taut. “ our heir home now. I don’t care what reason he sprouts, just bring him home.” He swept away, upset that he could not exact revenge on the youngest child of the leader.

Miles away in Korea, an alert flashed on the mobile screen of Irene Bae. It was a reminder that her girlfriend did not produce a proof of life. Her well-sculptured brows furrowed instantly as her stomach knotted.

Now, she needed to kickstart the process of retrieving that headstrong lawyer from her childhood home. She wiped the tears from her red-rimmed eyes sharply, not wishing to show any signs of weakness when Seulgi was in trouble despite being alone in her hotel room.

They had a very emotive row just before Seulgi departed. They were from clans and understood the politics of the clan well. Loyalty was the only trait they prized, not competency or even justice. Her partner would simply be a helpless lamb delivered into the mouth of a wolf.

“Stupid Bear. You put too much trust in your family,” muttered Irene, glaring at the mobile. It was loyalty that drove Seulgi to return to home, loyalty to her childhood friend and loyalty to the clan. She sighed, taking out the folder from the safe. It held a pocket of documents that Seulgi had written beforehand just in case she was held as hostage in her clan.

All she needed to do was to deliver the documents to the relevant parties and to file a missing report with the police. After all, Kang Seulgi was an important member of the society with unparalleled achievements, along with her active involvement in the UN. It meant that she was so important that the government would do anything just to get her back safely.

The fashion mogul took the time to change and dressed up for a very long day, ensuring that her make-up was perfect and her clothes were immaculate. This was what she had always fell back on whenever she was at a loss. The routine of putting on makeup and dressing her best helped to put her in the right mind to deal with her problems instead of pacing mindlessly, allowing the worry to consume her from within.

Irene decided that she would follow Seulgi’s plan to the letter with her own twist as she put on her bright red lipstick. Those red-rimmed eyes were hidden carefully with the magic of make-up and all she could see was a confident and beautiful woman ready to take on the world.

She reached for her mobile and texted Kim Yonghee about her sister. Even before the incident at Kim Inc, she had already decided to leave the familiar lands of Europe and America and settle in her to expand her venture. Yonghee was the first person she thought of employing to be part of her team while she decided on the movement of manpower.

Yonghee wasn’t surprised that she had contacted her regarding her younger sister and simply told her that the married couple would reach home by late afternoon. She tapped her nail on the desk, smiling to herself.

Strangely, her new plan could work.

She could imagine another huge row after her partner realised that she had involved Moon Byulyi, her childhood friend. It was one of those foolish alpha sentiments that she could never quite fully comprehend but knew that it was important to them—the alphas needed to have the might and be trusted to take care of their pack. She was certain that her best friend would also agree on how irrational and frustrating this belief could be.

Yonghee’s next message made her smile. It was an invitation to her to simply hang around in their new home. She had visited the new metropolis several times, marvelling at how quickly they were reshaping the plots of land to their needs.

Jung Wheein was one very talented and smart little cute pup who was the driving force behind the rapid changes. She had no idea if the others were involved in other capacity, but she always felt like they were architects of a brand-new city on the hill, pushing the boundaries of design and functionality to ensure that they were a self-contained little sanctuary. Hwasa provided the massive manpower to go along with the flow, using her connections to speed up processes.

Their very own sandbox, only restrained by their imagination.

Irene was looking forward to exploring the mansion once again and see what strange ideas that this pack had thought of. The safety of her partner came first. She instructed the valet to prepare her car as she took the elevator down to the lobby.

Her first stop was the headquarters of the police and she was ushered into the spacious and fairly well-decorated office of the Police Commissioner who was visibly upset that Barrister Kang Seulgi was missing and might be held against her own will. Instantly, a taskforce was set up within half an hour to plan for the extraction of the female alpha while the president was kept fully updated on the progress.

Irene was pleased that the police treated the issue of the barrister being held against her own will seriously, especially when they were pit against the Kang clan. By the end of the day, the taskforce would have at least had several plans to extract Kang Seulgi after ascertaining her location.

The elfin omega simply expediated the issue by informing the UN council of Human Rights to put pressure on the government in rescuing this important barrister. Her involvement in Seulgi’s extraction plan concluded after the filing. Now, all she needed to do was to monitor their progress and oiled the bureaucracy into working faster.

She departed from the headquarters and made her way into the brand-new metropolis. Some of the security measures had already taken place since there was only one way towards the heart of the place where the mansion was. She was impressed by all the guard post houses, anti-car security as she drove deeper into the very heart of the growing city.

The mansion was largely unchanged as she drove towards the smart hydraulic car parking system built into the foyer. All she needed to do was to leave the car at a normal portico and the car would sink in and be placed into storage.

She shook her head at the sheer convenience of the new mansion, amused. Here, there were no security detail, just a sanctuary for the pack and some old staff. She was greeted by Mrs Cho, the head of the staff that had followed the Kim sisters.

“Ms Bae, it is nice to see you again.” She peered out of the door, surprised that she was alone.

Irene smiled faintly. “Are you getting used to working and living here, Mrs Cho?”

She gave an uneasy smile. “Ms Jung seemed to desire to put us out of our jobs by automating a lot of the tasks. I’ve been learning how to operate the systems.”

Irene smiled faintly. “It must be tough but I’m sure Ms Jung mean well. If you ask me, I think they are also using their new home as a sandbox to test different ideas rather than trying to get rid of the household staff. My partner was the one who worked on your new employment contract and it seemed quiet permanent to me.”

Mrs Cho nodded absently. “It’s just a complain from this old fossil here but we will learn them well.” As alphas, they were groomed to only obey and it was this trait that would help them to overcome these new challenges. Besides, the Kim sister really treated the staff well.

“I’m sure you will do very well, Mrs Cho. Where is Yonghee Unnie by the way?” Irene asked, taking in the well-furnished living room with a critical eye and nodding in approval.

“In her workroom I think, Ms Bae. She had a sudden bout of inspiration and dashed upstairs. You could go right up to the second floor to meet her.”

Irene knew about inspiration and made her way upstairs. There were four suites on the second floor, three were occupied by the pack and the last was a guest room. The walls were still bare as if the owners were still taking their time in furnishing the new home with art. She wondered what sort of style they would opt for given their differing personalities.

She did not have to knock on the door before it opened, revealing Yonghee in the middle of designing. “Irene-ssi, just nice. I had a thought just now when I was strolling to admire the ridge of mountains.” She grabbed her by the hand and dragged her to her messy desk.

Irene grabbed one of the pa