Chapter 46
Chapter 46:
“We need to talk, Adelina,” Jase growled, his voice tight with a sick, twisted hunger. “About what he made you pay to get you p>
I didn’t shrink back. Wrapped in Kain’s armor, my pulse remained dead calm.
“If you have business concerns, Jase, contact my lawyer,” I said smoothly.
Without giving him a second glance, I stepped around him, leaving them both standing in the cold dirt as I walked toward the main cabin. I had won the first round — but as the sun began to dip below the tree line, I knew the real war was waiting in the dark.
Adelina POV
Night fell over The Wolfe Creek Retreat, bringing with it a biting chill that seeped through the towering pines. The bonfire pit sat in a clearing deep in the woods, massive flames licking the dark sky and casting long, dancing shadows across the faces of the Pack executives.
I sat on a cold log at the edge of the circle, pulling Kain’s heavy cashmere jacket tighter around my shoulders. The air was a suffocating cocktail of scents: Vincent Parrish’s sour, alcohol-laced cowardice, Kira’s cloying floral perfume, and the sharp, metallic tang of Jase’s lingering jealousy.
“Let’s play Truth or Dare,” Kira announced, her voice cutting through the crackle of the fire. “A little Pack bonding p>
I immediately stood up. I had no interest in participating in a hostile team-building exercise designed to humiliate me. “I’m tired. Enjoy your night p>
𝖱e𝗰𝗈𝘮𝘮e𝗇𝗱 t𝘰 у𝘰𝗎r 𝖿rie𝗻d𝗌
Before I could take a step, Vincent’s voice cracked through the air. “Sit down, Adelina.” It was laced with a desperate, wavering Alpha command. “Don’t be a killjoy. This is a Pack activity p>
My Inner Wolf bristled at his weak attempt at dominance, but the sheer weight of dozens of hostile stares pinned me in place. Vincent needed to maintain his fragile authority, and he was willing to feed me to Kira to do it. Feeling like a trapped animal, I reluctantly sat back down.
Kira spun an empty beer bottle on a flat rock in the center of the circle. It pointed to Stan, Vincent’s most loyal sycophant.
“Truth,” Stan grunted, puffing out his chest.
Kira smiled, her eyes darting to me. “Stan, what kind of behavior do you despise most in this Pack p>
Stan’s beady eyes locked onto mine like a viper’s. “I despise usurpers,” he spat, his voice loud enough for everyone to hear. “People with no real merit who think they can steal power just because they spread their legs for a powerful Mate p>
Silence fell over the fire, deafening and absolute. Every pair of eyes shifted between Stan and me. I kept my face a mask of stone, though a cold fury ignited in my chest. The war had officially started.
Kira spun the bottle again. It stopped dead on me.
“Truth,” I said evenly.