Chapter 145
Chapter 145:
“He doesn’t care about your gossip!” I shook her, the sour stench of my fear flooding the room. “He gave me an ultimatum. If you ever go near Adelina again, he will take it to the Pack Council. He will strip us of our titles and exile the entire Parrish family as Rogues p>
The word Rogues made her flinch as though I had struck her with a silver blade.
“You will text her right now,” I commanded, my voice trembling with desperate rage. “You will apologize. If you don’t, I will throw you out of this estate myself. I will not die in the wild for your pathetic pride p>
Her fragile Inner Wolf shattered completely under the weight of my threat. Trembling, Carolyn reached for her phone, tears of absolute defeat ruining her makeup as she typed the first apology of her life.
Adelina POV
The soft chime of my cell phone broke the heavy silence of the penthouse den. I pulled the device from my pocket, my fingers grazing the swollen, throbbing bruise on my left cheek.
𝖳h𝖾 𝗯𝘦𝗌𝘁 r𝗲v𝗶𝖾𝗐𝗌 о𝗻 𝘨𝗮𝗅𝗇𝗼𝘷е𝘭𝗌.сom
The screen lit up with a message from an unblocked number. Carolyn.
I let my temper get the better of me today. It was a misunderstanding. I apologize.
I stared at the glowing text. It was a pathetic, sanitized excuse for physical assault — but it was still the first time in twenty-six years my mother had ever apologized to me. And I knew exactly why she had done it.
I looked across the dimly lit room. Kain stood at the floor-to-ceiling windows, his broad silhouette framed by the glittering Manhattan skyline. The air around him was thick with the scent of ancient cedar and pure, unyielding power — a fortress built entirely for me.
I walked over and stopped a few feet behind him. “Did you do this p>
Kain didn’t turn around. He kept his gaze fixed on the city below. “I simply had a conversation with Bryan Parrish. I clarified the consequences of touching what is mine p>
His deep, rumbling voice sent a violent, electric thrill straight to my core. My dormant wild rose scent flared involuntarily. “Thank you,” I whispered, the sincerity burning in my throat. “No one has ever protected me like that before p>
Kain finally turned. The lethal, pitch-black void that usually occupied his storm-gray eyes was gone. In its place was a raw, breathtaking softness that made my breath hitch. He took a half-step toward me, his massive hand twitching as though fighting the gravitational pull to touch my uninjured cheek.
But he stopped. His jaw clenched, and he forced his hand back to his side, burying the instinct beneath his iron will. “Get used to it, Adelina p>
My heart hammered a frantic rhythm against my ribs. For one terrifying second, I wanted to close the distance and bury my face in his chest. But the cold, rational part of my brain slammed the brakes. He loves Fletcher Banks, I reminded myself, the thought a bitter pill to swallow. This is just an Alpha protecting a valuable asset.
I nodded and forced a polite, distant smile — entirely unaware of the storm brewing behind his eyes.
Jase POV
The Apex Office at Blackstone Tower felt less like a boardroom and more like the altar of a dark god.