LOGINWith Derek personally handling Lucian's safety, the weight finally lifted from Tabitha's chest. She knew Derek's influence in Seattle; if he wanted to hide someone, even the Lycan's tracking abilities could not sniff them out.
Lucian's wounds remained critical. The through-and-through trauma from silver-tipped rounds was a grueling war of attrition, even for a werewolf with elite regenerative powers.
Tabitha didn't allow herself a moment of rest.
For an entire week, she h
With Derek personally handling Lucian's safety, the weight finally lifted from Tabitha's chest. She knew Derek's influence in Seattle; if he wanted to hide someone, even the Lycan's tracking abilities could not sniff them out.Lucian's wounds remained critical. The through-and-through trauma from silver-tipped rounds was a grueling war of attrition, even for a werewolf with elite regenerative powers.Tabitha didn't allow herself a moment of rest.For an entire week, she hadn't checked on Daphne, but the Amber Eyes Pack had followed her medical orders to the letter: Daphne was to be submerged for hours every day in a scalding, specialized medicinal bath.The treatment was brutal. The caustic ointment caused Daphne's legs to break out in dense clusters of translucent blisters. These were then systematically punctured, and a raw, skin-regenerating paste Tabitha had formulated was applied over the weeping sores. It was a vicious cycle of agony—new wound
"So, from the very start, your goal was to get close to me. You wanted to use me to find Derek's weakness and kill him. That 'sworn enemy' you always talked about... It was him, wasn't it?" Tabitha's voice was clear in the quiet room."Yes," Lucian replied flatly. "Do you regret meeting me? Do you regret letting your pups stay with a calculating assassin?"To his surprise, Tabitha let out a long, heavy sigh. Her tense shoulders finally slumped—not out of defeat, but with the visible ease of someone having a weight lifted off their chest."No. Actually, I've been feeling uneasy for a long time. I couldn't understand why you were so good to me for no reason. In our world, unconditional kindness usually comes with a hidden price tag," Tabitha admitted with a wry smile. "I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, thinking you wanted something from me. But you were so gentle with the kids, and you protected me with everything you had. I couldn't square that wit
At the Rios family's place, Bentley let out a feral roar, sweeping every document and antique ornament off his desk in one violent motion. "How the hell does Lucian just vanish? Are you all idiots? Is your sense of smell broken?!""Please, Alpha, calm down," a man stuttered, head bowed low. "He took multiple silver-tipped rounds. Even if he managed to crawl away, there's no way he would survive those wounds. He's as good as dead. You don't need to worry.""Dead? Then where's the body?!" Bentley grabbed the man by his collar, his eyes bloodshot. "Cyrus is a goddamn bloodhound, and he's already sniffing around me. If he finds Lucian first, I'm finished!"For the time being, he and Derek were only suspects. Lucian was the link—the only witness who could testify that Bentley had plotted the hit on the Lycan. Bentley had sent his men to scour every gutter and shadow in Seattle, but they saw no sign of him at all. This loss of control was a cold knot of dread in
Tabitha had planned on heading back to her own place, but Derek had other ideas. He took her to a hidden estate.Halfway through the trip, they ditched the first car at an abandoned logging camp to shake off any potential tails. As they climbed into a second vehicle, Tabitha watched the man in the driver's seat—cool, collected, and utterly unreadable. She arched an eyebrow, her suspicion peaking. "Alright, Derek. Exactly how many 'surprises' are you hiding from me?""You'll see when we get there," he said.When they finally arrived, he didn't give her a choice, gripping her hand firmly as he led her into a private estate tucked deep within the woods.The second they stepped into the foyer, Tabitha froze. Jasper was sitting right there on the sofa.Her fight-or-flight kicked in instantly. She ripped her hand out of Derek's grasp, her spine going rigid as her voice turned to ice. "What did you do to him? Why did you bring him here? What the hel
"Lycan Algernon, please don't be hard on Michelle," Tabitha said, lowering her lashes to hide the sharp flicker of irony in her eyes. Her voice remained submissive. "I'm not offended, and I certainly don't want my presence causing any more friction. I'll see myself out."Derek didn't hesitate for a heartbeat. His tone was final. "I'll drive you home."The moment the door closed behind them, the room exploded with Michelle's hysterical sobbing. "Cyrus hit me... Even Derek dared to lay his hand on me! It's all because of that bitch! I want her gone! I want to rip her throat out!""Enough!"Algernon's voice boomed, heavy with a suffocating Alpha pressure that seemed to turn the very air to ice.He shot a razor-sharp look at Bonnie. "You need to get her under control. She is making a complete mockery of the family."Bonnie opened her mouth to argue, but under the weight of the Lycan's gaze, she withered. "It's my fault... But Derek isn't the loy
Algernon's voice cut through the air, bone-chillingly cold. "Michelle, I've told you once. You will show the doctor the respect she's earned."Michelle was spiraling. Having just been publicly rejected by Derek, the humiliation had turned into a toxic sludge of resentment. In her mind, Tabitha—a nobody with an unknown past—was the only person in the room she could kick while they were down. Instead of backing off from her usually indulgent father, she doubled down, her voice hitting a glass-shattering pitch."Dad! Why are you taking the side of an outsider? I'm not lying! We're the Royal Family, we're talking about the future of the entire pack, and you're letting some low-life traveling medic hang around to eavesdrop?""Michelle!" Algernon's voice dropped, a terrifying calm that preceded a hurricane. "It seems I've truly failed you by spoiling you this much. To be this disrespectful to the woman who saved my life... It's pathetic."Realizing







