“If you had ambition and brains, you could rise as high as you wanted.” A bitter chuckle escapes her lips. “But not all the way. Not if you’re female.”

She swirls her drink. The scent is familiar. The whiskey is my father’s favorite year, the bottle he saves for special occasions.

“At the end of the day, we aren’t any better than Quarry Pack with their backwards ways, are we? Why can’t a female be alpha, eh?”

“You think Aunt Dilys should be Alpha?” I can’t believe that. Mother can’t stand her older sister.

“Of course not. Dilys never had the temperament or the interest. It’d have taken time away...