Chapter 404
Chapter 404:
“You should have seen him at Harvard,” I boasted to a group of young, wide-eyed Blackstone Warriors, gesturing grandly with my free hand. “Kain lived like a monk. We thought his Inner Wolf was broken, but he was just waiting for a goddess p>
I laughed, turning on my heel to grab another cigar from the humidor table.
I didn’t even see the man standing directly behind me.
My elbow collided hard with a solid chest. The dark red wine sloshed over the rim of my glass, splashing violently across the pristine lapel of a custom white Tom Ford suit.
“Damn it, I’m sor p>
The apology died in my throat. A freezing, aggressively dominant Alpha scent hit me like a physical blow — crisp winter air laced with the sharp tang of expensive gin. My Lycan instantly bristled, the hair on the back of my neck rising as I recognized the sharp jawline and cold, calculating eyes of the man I hadn’t seen since law school.
Preston Pierce.
𝖲𝘢𝘃𝘦 𝘆o𝗎r 𝘧𝗮𝘃о𝗋𝗂𝗍е 𝗻𝘰𝘃els 𝗈ո.с𝗈m
“Your Inner Wolf is still faster than your brain, Shaw,” Preston drawled, his voice a smooth, mocking baritone that grated against my every nerve. He casually pulled a silk handkerchief from his pocket and dabbed at the ruined white fabric.
“And you’re still standing too close to people who don’t want you around, Pierce,” I fired back, my chest puffing out instinctively.
Preston stepped into my personal space, completely unbothered by my Lycan aura. His Alpha Inner Wolf pushed back against mine — a heavy, suffocating wave of dominance that demanded submission. But beneath the hostility, our clashing scents ignited a sudden, undeniable crackle of electricity in the air. The tension between us was thick, dangerous, and infuriatingly magnetic.
“Careful, Carter,” Preston murmured, his gaze dropping to my lips for a fraction of a second before meeting my eyes with a predatory smirk. “You’re making a mess p>
Jase POV
The gravel crunched beneath the heavy tires of my Maybach as I parked on the dark, secluded shoulder of the highway overlooking the Blackstone Estate.
I gripped the leather steering wheel, my knuckles stark white. I had lost my company, my Pack status, and my dignity. Yet, driven by a sick, masochistic compulsion, I couldn’t stay away. I had to see the exact moment my world officially ended.
High above the estate, the night sky erupted.
Massive, magically infused fireworks exploded in blinding bursts of brilliant gold and pure white-gold — the ancient colors of the Lycan and the White Wolf. The sparks rained down, forming a colossal, glittering “A & K” against the darkness.
My broken Alpha Inner Wolf let out a pathetic, agonizing howl deep within my chest.
Staring at the sky, the phantom scent of wild roses and storm filled my lungs. I remembered Adelina as the fragile, wolfless Omega who used to look at me with such pure devotion. Then the memory shifted violently to the freezing parking garage — her eyes devoid of mercy, the massive pink diamond flashing as she whispered: He destroyed you because I asked him to.
The realization crushed the last breath from my lungs. I hadn’t simply lost her. I had forged the very Queen who orchestrated my annihilation.