Chapter 60
Chapter 60:
I sat behind the heavy mahogany desk, watching the live broadcast from the Davenport Tech press room. The screen was a sea of flashing cameras. At the podium stood Jase Davenport, his eyes hollow and his posture rigid. I could practically see his Inner Wolf pacing furiously inside a cage of his own making. In a dead, mechanical monotone, he announced to the human reporters and the werewolf world that Kira Parrish was the love of his life.
Beside him, Kira beamed. She practically shoved her left hand into the camera lenses, showing off the massive diamond ring. I recognized the setting instantly — it was the ring Jase had kept in his safe for me.
Looking at his face, twisted by humiliation and absolute despair, I expected to feel a spark of vindication. Instead, I felt nothing but cold pity. He didn’t look like an Alpha. He looked like a puppet whose strings had been violently tangled.
The heavy office doors suddenly burst open.
The pure scent of pine was instantly suffocated by a foul, acidic stench of sour fear and stale cigars. Vincent Parrish stumbled into the room, his face pale and sheened with sweat.
“The police are in the lobby,” Vincent gasped, slamming the door shut behind him. “Human detectives. They found high-grade wolfsbane powder in a room on the fourth floor — a room booked under Jase Davenport’s corporate account but never checked into p>
My blood ran ice cold. Wolfsbane was a lethal narcotic to our kind. Having it on the premises was a treasonous offense that could get our Pack’s operating license permanently revoked by both the human authorities and the Elders.
“It’s Jase,” I said, the realization hitting me like a physical blow. “It’s a scorched-earth tactic. He’s trying to destroy the hotel’s reputation to break my authority p>
“I don’t care whose tactic it is!” Vincent hissed, pacing frantically. “If the police trace this to the Pack’s management, we are ruined. We need a scapegoat. Immediately p>
𝗠𝗈𝘳e 𝘯o𝘃𝘦𝗅s oո 𝘨𝖺𝗅ոо𝘃e𝘭𝘀.со𝗆
I narrowed my eyes. “What are you talking about p>
“Harvey Hester,” Vincent said, his eyes darting nervously. “He was suspended, but his keycard hasn’t been fully deactivated yet. We tell the police he’s a disgruntled former employee seeking revenge. I already pointed the detectives in his direction p>
My Inner Wolf snarled in absolute disgust. “You framed a member of our own Pack? An Alpha protects their people, Vincent — even the corrupt ones — until they face Pack justice. You don’t feed them to the humans p>
“Oh, spare me the righteous Luna act,” Vincent sneered, his fear making him vicious. “You’re too busy playing house with your Lycan King to care about the family business. I’m saving this hotel p>
He turned on his heel and stormed out, leaving a trail of cowardice in his wake.
Before I could even process his betrayal, my phone vibrated on the desk. An encrypted text message flashed on the screen.
Harvey: He’s framing me. I’m hiding in the server room. I have proof, Adelina. Please.
I stared at the screen. I despised Harvey Hester, but I refused to let Vincent sacrifice a Pack member to cover up Jase’s psychotic revenge. I grabbed my phone and sprinted out the door.
Jase POV
The blinding flashes of the press room finally faded as the heavy backstage doors clicked shut. The moment we were out of the public eye, I violently ripped my arm away from Kira’s grasp.