Chapter 493
Chapter 493:
A horrific, suffocating wheeze tore from Jase’s throat. His broken Alpha Inner Wolf let out a final, agonizing howl of absolute defeat within his mind, shattering completely. The tablet slipped from his trembling fingers and crashed onto the floor.
“Jase!” I screamed.
His eyes rolled back. His brain, unable to process the sheer magnitude of his jealousy and failure, simply shut down. His body went completely rigid before collapsing forward, crashing face-first into the shards of broken glass.
I threw myself onto the floor beside him, pressing two fingers to his neck with shaking hands. His pulse was a frantic, erratic flutter. I closed my eyes and slammed my consciousness into the Mind-Link. “Healer! Get to the Tribeca penthouse now! He’s in shock p>
Two hours later, the metallic stench of blood and panic had been replaced by the rich aroma of espresso.
I sat at a wrought-iron table outside a chic French café on the Upper East Side. The morning air was crisp, but I felt entirely numb. I had just watched the paramedics load my cousin into an ambulance, his life hanging by a thread. Yet here I was, forced by Richard to secure the political alliance that would save our dying Pack.
Senator Alistair Hayes sat across from me, wearing a sharp, immaculate suit, his expression completely devoid of the charming spark he had shown during our first meeting. Today, he was all business.
“These are the talking points for our public appearances this month,” Alistair said smoothly, sliding a crisp manila folder across the table. “We need to project absolute unity to counter the negative press surrounding your family’s recent financial volatility p>
I stared at the folder. It was a contract for a cage.
“Of course, Senator,” I murmured, forcing a polite, hollow smile.
My Inner Wolf whined, clawing desperately at the walls of my chest. As I looked at Alistair’s handsome, emotionless face, an unbidden image of Kain Blackwell flashed through my mind. Kain was a terrifying monster, yes — but the absolute, burning devotion he had for Adelina, the way he would reduce the world to ashes just to see her smile, was intoxicating.
𝖶e𝗲kl𝘆 𝗿е𝘭еaѕeѕ 𝘰𝘯
I realized, with a profound and aching sadness, that I was deeply envious of Adelina. I was trading my life for a sterile political transaction while she was drowning in the fiery, chaotic passion of a true Mate-bond.
I let my gaze drift away from Alistair, staring blankly at the passing traffic as the mask of the perfect socialite slipped, revealing the despair beneath.
Alistair stopped talking.
I glanced back. His sharp, calculating eyes were locked onto my face. He wasn’t a wolf, but he possessed the predatory instincts of a man who conquered for a living — and he had caught my detachment. The polite, political facade dropped from his eyes, replaced by a dark, sudden flicker of challenge. I wasn’t submitting to his script, and for the first time that morning, he looked genuinely intrigued.