Chapter 346
Chapter 346:
Charles leaned forward, his oppressive Beta aura pressing down on my fragile frame. “Monday morning, the Hawthorne name will be stripped from you. Your accounts will be frozen. You will learn what it means to be a Rogue p>
My palms were sweating. I stared at the pristine white tablecloth, my heart hammering a frantic, terrified rhythm against my ribs. I had gambled my entire life on a Lycan who owed me absolutely nothing.
The heavy carved mahogany door swung open without a sound.
The atmospheric pressure in the room instantly plummeted to a freezing vacuum. A suffocating, intoxicating storm of rosemary and rain swept in, entirely obliterating Eleanor’s rose scent. Grant Blackwell stepped into the room, flanked by two towering Blackstone Warriors in pitch-black tactical suits.
He moved with the silent, terrifying grace of an apex predator, stopping right beside my chair. His large hand settled possessively on my shoulder as he leaned down and pressed a lingering kiss to my cheek. A violent spark of electricity shot through my skin, making my breath hitch.
“Apologies for my tardiness,” Grant rumbled, his golden eyes pinning my adoptive parents where they sat.
Charles and Eleanor turned ashen. Their arrogant Beta scents instantly curdled into pure, sycophantic terror. Charles practically scrambled out of his chair to offer a trembling handshake, which Grant ignored completely as he took the seat beside me.
During the main course, Grant played the perfect, lethal politician, dominating the conversation with effortless authority. But beneath the crisp white tablecloth, a far more dangerous game was being played.
His large, scorching hand slid over my knee, his fingers interlocking with my trembling ones. His grip was an iron vice, completely inescapable, his thumb rhythmically stroking my knuckles and sending continuous, agonizingly pleasurable sparks up my arm. I tried to subtly pull away, but his grip only tightened—a silent, terrifying reminder of the absolute power imbalance between us. I was a wolfless woman, and he was a Lycan King’s brother.
As the plates were cleared, Charles greedily leaned forward, his eyes gleaming with the prospect of social advancement. “Senator Blackwell, we are incredibly honored. May I ask what your… long-term plans are for our daughter p>
𝗗𝗈ո’𝘵 𝘮𝘪ѕѕ 𝗇e𝘸 𝗿e𝗅𝘦а𝘴𝘦ѕ 𝗈𝗇
Grant set down his crystal glass and turned to look at me, his eyes darkening into a bottomless, midnight abyss.
“Carmella is the woman I will marry,” Grant stated, his voice carrying the absolute, crushing weight of Lycan authority. “We will begin preparations for the Marking shortly. I will tolerate no interference in our future p>
Eleanor gasped in ecstatic delight.
My heart stopped. Marking. Panic clawed at my throat. This was supposed to be a fake arrangement, a temporary shield for one night. He was rewriting the rules right in front of me, and I was entirely powerless to stop him.
The moment we escaped the dining room into the dim, carpeted hallway of the restaurant, I turned to him, desperate to rebuild the boundaries.
“Your acting in there was incredible,” I whispered, forcing a shaky laugh as I hugged my arms around myself. “You really had them convinced p>