Chapter 400
Chapter 400:
He slipped back out into the night, leaving my skin burning and my heart full. I walked toward the bedroom to prepare for the morning — knowing tomorrow would be the most beautiful day of my life, even as the dark storm of Carmella’s stolen past gathered silently on the horizon.
Adelina POV
The morning sun flooded the bedroom of the penthouse den, catching the thousands of crushed Swarovski crystals hand-stitched into my custom gown. My dormant White Wolf stirred beneath my skin, humming with a nervous, overwhelming joy that deepened my scent of wild roses and storm.
Outside the heavy oak door, the distinct, predatory footsteps of my Lycan King echoed in the foyer. Kain hadn’t waited at the altar. His ancient cedar scent bled through the wood, heavy with feral impatience.
“Halt, Your Majesty,” Blake Davenport’s voice rang out, sharp and unyielding.
𝘔𝘰𝘀𝘵 𝗋𝗲a𝗱 t𝗵𝗶s 𝗐𝘦𝖾k o𝘯
I pressed my ear against the cool wood and held my breath.
“Step aside, Blake,” Kain rumbled, a dark, subsonic warning vibrating in his chest.
“Not a chance. By ancient Pack law, as Maid of Honor, I invoke the Luna’s Trial,” Blake declared. “You don’t get to claim her just because the Moon Goddess tied your souls together. You have to prove you actually know the woman you’re Marking p>
A heavy silence fell. Kain’s Lycan was undoubtedly snarling at the delay, but for my sake, he reined it in. “Ask p>
“When Adelina was a pup, which oak tree did she hide under to escape the Parrish siblings’ bullying p>
“The ancient red oak near the eastern border of the Silvermoon estate,” Kain answered without a moment’s hesitation. “She would climb to the third branch because Brent was too clumsy to follow, and she would read architectural magazines until sunset p>
I gasped softly, a tear slipping down my cheek. He knew.
“Three years ago,” Blake continued, her tone softening slightly, “after Jase Davenport publicly humiliated her at the Pack gala, how long did she sit alone on that bench in Central Park p>
“Four hours and twenty-two minutes,” Kain’s voice dropped to a lethal, freezing frequency. “It started raining at minute forty. I stood in the shadows of the tree line the entire time, fighting every instinct to tear Jase’s head from his shoulders p>
Through the door, I heard the bridesmaids collectively catch their breath. He hadn’t merely watched me — he had guarded my most vulnerable, isolated moments from the dark.
“Final test,” Blake said, her voice trembling slightly under the weight of his devotion. “A King takes, but a true Mate provides. What are you willing to surrender for her p>
There was no verbal answer. The atmospheric pressure in the foyer simply plummeted. I felt the dark, crushing weight of Kain’s Alpha’s Command as he tapped into the Pack Mind-Link, issuing a silent directive to his legal team.
Seconds later, a sharp ping echoed from Blake’s phone.
“Holy Goddess,” Blake whispered. “Twenty percent of The Wolfe Hotel Group — transferred directly into Adelina’s personal trust. You just handed her a controlling stake in a Wall Street empire p>
“I am handing her my life,” Kain corrected, his voice a low, vibrating vow. “Now get out of my way p>
“Trial passed,” Blake announced, her voice thick with genuine awe. “She’s all yours, Kain p>
The heavy oak door swung open.