Chapter 248
Chapter 248:
I shoved the unlocked door open. The usually pristine, minimalist apartment was a war zone. A shattered crystal vase lay on the hardwood, water and bruised lilies bleeding across the floor. A dining chair was overturned, and the sliding glass door to the balcony was wide open, the white curtains thrashing wildly in the night wind.
But it was the war of scents that hit me first.
The air was thick with Quentin’s sour, acidic stench of pure terror. Beneath it lingered the cloying, cheap sweetness of another she-wolf’s perfume. And drowning them both was Carmella’s signature scent—rosemary and rain—now soured by a devastating, suffocating grief.
Carmella was curled into a tight ball on the velvet sofa, violently trembling.
“It was a mistake, Carm! I swear, she meant nothing!” Quentin was pleading, his dress shirt unbuttoned, his face pale and pathetic.
Carmella didn’t look at him. She just pointed a shaking finger toward their shared bedroom, her eyes as hollow and dead as an abandoned den.
A fierce, protective fire ignited in my White Wolf blood. I stepped between them. “You’re trash, Quentin,” I spat, my voice dripping with venom.
Quentin opened his mouth to argue, but the words died in his throat. Kain stepped fully into the room. He didn’t say a word, but he didn’t have to. He stood by the door like a silent, oppressive god, his Lycan aura flooding the room. Quentin choked on his own breath, shrinking back against the wall, utterly paralyzed by the Alpha King’s presence.
I knelt beside the sofa, grabbing Carmella’s cold hands. “We are not just going to sit here and cry,” I told her fiercely.
A spark of raw, unadulterated rage flickered in her hollow eyes. She nodded once.
𝗜𝗇𝘵𝗲ոѕ𝗲 r𝘰ma𝘯c𝗲 оn ѕ.𝘤о𝗆
Together, we marched into the master closet. Quentin watched in muted horror as we dragged out armfuls of his expensive, custom-tailored suits and imported silk shirts. We hauled them to the balcony and, one by one, hurled them into the New York night. They fluttered down like pathetic ghosts, snagging on the branches of the trees lining the street below.
While Quentin stared at his ruined wardrobe, I pulled out my phone. I typed out a cold, clinical email canceling the wedding and hit Send All to their entire guest list.
It was over.
The adrenaline finally crashed. Carmella collapsed against my chest, sobbing so hard her knees gave out. “I’m alone, Addie,” she choked out, terrified of the void stretching before her.
“You’re never alone,” I promised, holding her tight.
I couldn’t leave her here. She needed the safest place in the city. I glanced at Kain, who was still guarding the door, and reached out through our private bond.
Kain, I’m bringing Carmella back to the den. She needs a safe place.
His deep, rumbling voice echoed instantly in my mind, wrapping around my frantic thoughts with absolute support. Of course, my little wolf. The den is yours to command.
I let out a breath of relief, but before I could move, his tone shifted, laced with a subtle, heavy warning.
Just be aware—Grant is here. He’s in the study, dealing with some Senate security protocols.
My heart violently skipped a beat.
Grant.