Chapter 338
Chapter 339
Eldric’s POV
Five days had passed since Orion sent the letters.
Chapter 339
Eldric’s POV
Five days had passed since Orion sent the letters.
Winter had settled into a brittle, watchful silence, and still, nothing-not a single reply. Not even a whisper of acknowledgment from the so-called loyal dogs Cora claimed would stand for her. Not one had come to my door.
I stood on the verge of ending this myself-of handling it the way an Alpha should-when, at last, one of them showed himself.
Orion announced him as Jude Knight of Blackmaw Pack. Not an Alpha. Nor one of those powerful Gods of the tech world I would typically deem worth my time. And yet, he carried weight. The kind forged by his own hand, sharpened through ambition and survival.
It was enough for me to grant him entry.
Dinner was prepared beneath the dim glow of my residence. The finest wine was poured. Every courtesy served. Not that he seemed to notice.
“I still don’t understand the purpose of this invitation, Alpha Eldric,” Jude said, his tone edged with something dangerously close to disdain. “All this effort wasted on me? Surely your time would be better spent elsewhere. Protecting your daughter at that conference, perhaps. Like a proper father p>
My fingers tightened around the silver fork in my hand.
His audacity was almost impressive.
“My daughter has made a regrettable mistake, Sir Knight,” I replied, my voice measured, though it cost me more control than I cared to admit. “One that stains both our family and Ironcrest’s name. As her father, I know what I must do when she crosses the line p>
Beside me, Daia stiffened. She could feel my wolf pressing closer to the surface, restless beneath my skin.
“Sir Knight,” she interjected, her voice gentler, “everything we’ve done, we did out of love for Cora-
“By striking her? By humiliating her before an entire crowd?” Jude’s voice cut clean through the room, sharp as a blade. “That’s not love, that’s how you fracture your own daughter, Luna Dala.” His gaze hardened, something fierce rising beneath it. “And what’s worse, Thane Blackridge, Corvin Vale, standing there like self-appointed gods, passing judgment while tearing her down further p>
A dangerous stillness settled in his posture.
“If none of you are capable
can give Cora a far better life than this p>
My eyes narrowed.
Beneath my skin, my wolf stirred-intrigued rather than enraged. It pressed forward, testing the edges of my control, drawn to the sheer audacity of the male before me.
Such boldness.
It was rare to see this kind of courage in one so young. Rarer still when it came from someone bound to her by nothing more than… loyalty.
Unless-
The realization struck, sudden and sharp.
A faint smile curved my lips, touched with something darker-something pleased.
“You love my daughter p>
“No.” His answer came without hesitation, steady as stone. “What ties me to Cora runs far deeper than that p>
“Then enlighten me, Sir Knight. What could drive you to go to such lengths for her p>
“That isn’t something an outsider would understand,” he replied.
“And we are not outsiders,” I corrected. “We are Cora’s family. Her father. Her mother. Her little brother.” I let my tone soften, just enough to coax rather than command. “So tell me… how deep does your connection to Coraline truly run p>
He hesitated.
I watched the shift in him—the brief flicker of thought, of restraint, as though weighing how much to reveal beneath an Alpha’s gaze. Even my wolf stilled, listening.
Then he spoke.
“What binds me—and the others to her-runs as deep as an oath sworn before the Goddess herself,” he said, his voice steady, carrying a quiet, unshakable conviction. “Loyalty. A debt that can never be repaid p>
The air seemed to thicken.
“To our hero,” he continued. “The one who saved me, Thane, and the others when we were nothing more than helpless pups.” His eyes held mine, unwavering. “Cora’s foster father. Jax Stillward of Whitepine. A warrior who tore us from death’s grasp p>
George Orwell