Chapter 194
Chapter 194:
Adelina POV
The torrential rain hammering against Kain’s Rolls-Royce Phantom did nothing to wash away the suffocating tension. The moment I stepped into Grant Blackwell’s Beacon Street townhouse, a heavy, overwhelming wave of rosemary and rain hit me — the scent of a Lycan drowning in absolute, agonizing grief.
I hurried down the hallway toward the heavy oak bathroom door. Kain stepped in front of me, his jaw tight, silently warning me to step back. I ignored him.
Placing my palm flat against the cold wood, I kept my voice incredibly soft yet steady enough to pierce through the pup’s panic. “Jaxon, it’s Adelina. I believe you. Open the door, and we’ll figure this out together p>
For one agonizing moment, there was only the sound of muffled sobs. Then the lock clicked.
The door flew open, and Jaxon crashed into my legs, his small fingers digging into my soaked coat. “He’s a liar!” he wailed, burying his face in my stomach. “Take me away, Auntie Adelina! Please p>
I knelt and wrapped my arms around his trembling frame. Over his shoulder, I saw Grant standing at the end of the hall. The formidable Alpha looked utterly defeated, his eyes hollow and haunted. Kain didn’t say a word to his brother. He simply placed a heavy hand on my shoulder, his decision made. We were taking Jaxon to the Penthouse Den.
An hour later, the rhythmic swish of the windshield wipers was the only sound inside the Phantom. Jaxon had exhausted himself and fallen into a deep sleep, his head resting on my lap.
I stared out at the blurred city lights, my mind racing. Jaxon’s absolute certainty that his mother smelled like home collided violently with the memory of the woman I had seen at the mall — Carmella Golden, and that unmistakable birthmark.
“Kain,” I whispered, breaking the heavy silence. “Is Jaxon’s mother really dead p>
Kain’s fingers tightened instantly around the steering wheel, his knuckles turning stark white. The temperature in the car seemed to drop as his ancient cedar scent turned icy and distant.
𝗧𝗋e𝘯𝘥𝗂n 𝗼𝗻
He didn’t look at me. “As far as the Pack Council is concerned, she died in a Rogue ambush in Italy seven years ago. The fire was… extensive. The use of silver made identification impossible. The case is closed p>
A chill ran down my spine. As far as the Pack Council is concerned. It was a politician’s answer — carefully constructed and entirely devoid of a direct confirmation. He was hiding something massive, and the realization made my heart pound hard against my ribs.
The moment the private elevator doors opened into the Penthouse Den at Blackstone Tower, the smell of drywall dust and industrial plastic assaulted my nose.
Half of the sprawling apartment was sealed off behind massive sheets of thick plastic. A ladder stood in the middle of the hallway leading to the guest wing. Mrs. Higgins hovered near the foyer, wringing her hands with a perfectly rehearsed look of distress.
“I am so sorry, Alpha Kain,” she fretted. “The engineers found a severe structural issue with the support beams in the guest wing. It cannot withstand a Lycan shift. They have mandated a month-long emergency reinforcement p>