Chapter 174
Chapter 174:
A splash. The sound of a cell phone dropping into a footbath, followed by a frantic, hysterical scream. “My lawyer! Call my father! Call Bryan!” Kira shrieked to the spa attendants before the line went dead.
I turned away from the phone, a cold satisfaction settling deep into my bones. She was screaming for a father who couldn’t save her.
By the time I walked out of the precinct and slid into the driver’s seat of my Porsche, the sun was beginning to set, painting the New York skyline in bruised shades of violet and gold. The air was crisp and clean.
I closed my eyes and reached out through the fragile, pulsing mate-bond.
Kain, I linked, my mental voice steady. Zack confessed. The police are arresting Kira right now. It’s done.
𝗨𝘱𝗱𝘢𝘵𝖾𝗌 𝘦𝘷𝘦r𝘺 𝗐е𝘦𝗄 о𝗻
The response was instantaneous. A thick, intoxicating wave of ancient cedar and crackling ozone flooded my mind, carrying the deep, vibrating rumble of the Lycan King.
Good, Kain’s voice echoed, laced with a dark, lethal amusement. While you were winning the battle, I was burning their kingdom to the ground.
I opened my eyes and stared out at the glittering city. For the first time in forty-eight hours, a genuine smile touched my lips.
Bryan POV
The red line on the massive monitor in my Alpha office wasn’t just a stock ticker — it was a flatline. Parrish Holdings had plummeted from forty-five dollars a share to under fifteen in less than twenty-four hours. My Inner Wolf was curled into a pathetic, trembling ball, whining as the sour, rotting stench of my own terror choked the room.
I closed my eyes and reached out through an ancient, encrypted mind-link known only to a few Pack Elders. Almon, I projected, my mental voice shaking with desperation. Almon Blackwell, I need an audience. Please.
The response that echoed in my skull wasn’t the gruff rumble of the former King. It was a voice forged from absolute, glacial ice.
He can’t help you, Parrish.
My blood froze. Kain Blackwell.
Your Majesty, please, I begged, my pride entirely shattered. Call off the attack. We have nothing left.
Your daughter put her hands on what is mine, Kain’s voice vibrated with a lethal, unyielding promise that made my bones ache. Now, you will all burn for it.
The link severed, leaving a deafening silence in my head. My Inner Wolf completely collapsed, submitting to the terrifying reality. It was over.
The heavy mahogany doors burst open. Kira stumbled in, her usually immaculate hair a tangled mess from a night in a holding cell. Her cloying jasmine perfume was soured by the sharp tang of panic.
“Daddy, you have to fix this!” she sobbed, rushing toward my desk. “The police, the bail — you have to use the Pack’s lawyers! Adelina set me up p>
I stared at the girl who had just signed my death warrant. I rounded the desk, raised my hand, and struck her across the face. The sharp crack echoed in the room.
Kira gasped, clutching her cheek in sheer shock.