Chapter 439
Four hundred and forty one
Zachary POV
The phone slammed down onto the mahogany desk, and I swore loudly, breaking into a sweat as I paced the floor of my study.
Alpha Kieran had seen right through me.
I could almost feel his suspicion in how completely unimpressed he was by my assurances. Worse, he was sending that brat, Wesley, here tomorrow morning to conduct a personal inspection of Alexander’s cell.
I buzzed the intercom on my desk. “Get Warden Hayes in my office right now p>
Two minutes later, Hayes walked in, looking at me nervously.
“Alpha?” Hayes muttered.
“You incompetent idiot. I hope you cleaned up the mess from two nights ago.
“Yes, Alpha,” Hayes stammered. “We moved him back to the corner cot, and the medical team patched up his ribs. Nobody’s going to prove anything p>
“It’s not about proof, you fool!” I shouted. “Alpha Wesley isn’t coming to sniff out a cover- up! If that rogue opens his mouth about who ordered the hit, we are finished p>
“Then what do we do?” Hayes asked, his eyes wide. “Do we refuse entry p>
“Are you insane?” I snarled, slamming my fist onto the desk. “If we lock the doors on Wesley, we’re screaming guilty from the rooftops p>
Hayes looked completely thrown. “We… we let them in
“We let them in,” I repeated quietly, my teeth clenched. “But we sanitize the narrative first. We clear out the guards who botched the hit and replace them with loyal men who keep their mouths shut. And we make sure Alexander is too drugged and broken to string coherent words together when Wesley stands in front of his bars p>
“The sedative dosage…” Hayes hesitated. “If we give him too much right before an Alpha inspects him, they’ll know p>
“Then we give him just enough to keep him compliant. If he tries to talk about an assassination attempt, we frame it as prison delirium, psychosis, anything. We turn their inspection into a circus that proves Alexander belongs locked away forever p>
Hayes nodded. “I’ll handle it tonight p>
“Do it quietly,” I warned. “If I go down for this, Hayes, I am taking everything dear to you
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with me. Now get out of my sight p>
Hayes hurried out, the door clicking shut behind him.
I let out a ragged breath, pressing both palms flat against the desk. Before I could catch my composure, the side door opened.
My pregnant wife walked in, her hands resting on her bump as she took in my frantic breathing.
“What’s the matter, darling?” she asked gently, stepping toward me.
“Nothing for you to worry about,” I muttered, brushing my hand down my face.
She ignored my dismissal, stepping around the desk and sitting on the edge of my seat. “You know you can tell me. There is no problem we can’t solve together, Zach p>
I sighed. “It’s Alexander’s case. The rogue has become a bone stuck in my
“A mere rogue is stressing my husband out like this p>
throat p>
“Alpha Kieran is sending Wesley to check on him tomorrow,” I said, rubbing the back of my neck. “I just ordered Hayes to sedate him so he can’t talk p>
“I told you when the first attempt didn’t work that you should have kept trying whatever means you could to kill him. He’s still in your grasp p>
I remained silent.
She shook her head, looking at me like I was missing the obvious. “Are his injuries properly
healed p>
“Hayes said the medical team patched his ribs p>
“Good,” she interrupted, cutting me off. “You don’t need to do any dirty work right now. I was the one who carefully brewed the compound we’ve been mixing into the rogue’s water ration anyway. Alexander is as good as dead already. Even if he wins some foolish appeal or gets transferred, his body will slowly deteriorate from the inside out. And why should you feel a single ounce of guilt about it? He killed your father. This is just justice.” a
The conviction in her voice steadied me. She stepped back, reaching out to slide her fingers into mine.
“Come to bed, love,” she murmured softly. “There is nothing to worry about. By tomorrow, when they come to check on him, everything will look exactly as it should p>
A smile broke across my face. I pulled her into a tight hug, inhaling her scent. “What would I ever do without you p>
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“Absolutely nothing,” she said, resting her chin on my shoulder.
CLANG!
A metallic crash echoed up the basement stairs and down the hall, followed by a muffled
scream.
“Let me out of here! Zachary! Let me out p>
My wife let out an irritated groan, pulling back from my arms with a scowl. “That crazy again? Unbelievable p>
“I’ll handle it,” I said, turning toward the hallway.
bitch
“No, don’t waste your energy,” she said, stopping me. “I’ll deal with her. Go check on her curse of a son p>
She turned and marched toward the basement door down the hall. I stood near my office threshold, watching her pull a leather strap from the wall peg.
Within minutes, the crack of leather against skin cut through the floorboards, accompanied by raw screams from below.
I squeezed my eyes shut, placing a hand over my forehead as the violent noise echoed through the floor. I hated the mess, but my wife was right. Veronica, my first wife, was a curse on this family. The ninety-day isolation and cleansing process was necessary if we were ever going to purge her instability before letting her go for good.
I turned away from the noise and walked down the corridor toward my son’s room.
I pushed the door open just an inch, peeking inside. Jake was fast asleep in his bed, his chest rising and falling evenly, completely oblivious to the chaos downstairs or the curse his mother
carried.
I stood there in the doorway for a long moment, watching him, before quietly clicking the door shut.
My wife always made the best decisions for this family. I trusted her completely, just like I trusted my mother when she was alive, and whatever she instructed me to do tomorrow, I would execute without hesitation.
P
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