Chapter 177
Chapter 177:
I clutched the card as I headed toward the elevators, telling myself it was just a Mating Contract, a business arrangement to secure my Pack. But as the phantom heat of Kain’s molten gold eyes flashed through my memory, a terrifying realization settled deep in my chest.
This game we were playing was getting very real, and incredibly dangerous.
Adelina POV
I left the hotel with the phantom heat of Kain’s velvet roses still burning my skin, seeking the only sanctuary that could ground my racing heart.
The Elder Sanctum of the Silvermoon Pack was quiet, the air thick with the scent of dry herbs, old parchment, and the comforting, ancient presence of my grandmother’s Inner Wolf. Elder Maeve Wolfe sat in her wheelchair by the window, a cashmere blanket draped over her legs as she gazed out at the ancient forest.
I stood before her, hands clasped tightly together, and explained the Council meeting. I braced myself for a reprimand. Banishing a blood relative was a severe violation of the old ways, and part of me feared I had gone too far.
Instead, Maeve’s cloudy, cataract-veiled eyes gleamed with a sudden, razor-sharp light. A slow, wolfish smile spread across her wrinkled face.
“You did well, Adelina,” she rasped, her voice surprisingly strong. “Vincent’s Inner Wolf was never that of a true leader. He was nothing but a cowardly coyote scavenging in the trash. You excised the rotting flesh from our Pack p>
I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding, my shoulders dropping. “I was afraid I was being too ruthless p>
Maeve reached out, her frail hand gripping my wrist with surprising strength. “Power is not built on love, little wolf. It is built on fear and respect. You did what you had to do p>
𝖣𝗂s𝖼𝗼𝘷𝗲𝘳 ոе𝘄 𝘀t𝘰𝗋𝗶𝘦𝘴 𝗼𝗇 𝗴𝘢𝘭𝘯𝗼𝗏е𝗹ѕ.𝗰o𝗺
She paused, her nose twitching slightly as she took in the air around me. The lingering, heavy warmth of Kain’s roses was still clinging to my clothes.
“That Lycan King…” Maeve murmured, her tone shifting into something deeply knowing. “His Inner Wolf screams Mine! every time he looks at you p>
My chest tightened. I pulled my hand back slightly, my mind instantly flashing to the A.W. tattoo over Kain’s heart and his undeniable closeness with Fletcher Banks. She’s just old, I told myself, desperately trying to reinforce my fragile walls. She doesn’t know about the contract. She doesn’t know he loves his Beta.
I kissed her forehead and stepped out of the room, needing to clear my head.
The Laurel Garden outside the Sanctum was bathed in the golden light of the late afternoon. The crisp scent of blooming evening primrose filled the air, and in the distance, Pack Warriors moved silently along the perimeter.
My cell phone buzzed in my pocket, shattering the peace.
“Adelina Wolfe,” I answered.
“Ms. Wolfe, this is Richard Vance, legal counsel for Vincent Parrish,” a sterile, human voice stated. “I am formally notifying you that we are filing an immediate appeal with the Continental Pack Council for illegal banishment and the unlawful seizure of personal assets p>