Chapter 3

With Lena's guidance, they stepped onto the wide stone terrace overlooking the estate.

Far beyond the massive iron gates, a convoy of matte-black armored SUVs fired along the highway like an endless serpent.

Each vehicle carried the red crest of a wolf surrounded by a crown and a panther interlaced.

Motorcycles escorted the convoy. Drones hovered silently overhead. And at its center, one enormous armored vehicle moved more slowly than the others.

Unlike the rest, it's windows were completely black. No one could see inside.

Around it walked twelve towering Lycan guards dressed in black uniforms.

Their discipline was unnerving. Not a single head turned and not a single voice spoke. They marched as though protecting something sacred.

Lena's face had gone pale.

"He's here..."

Almost instinctively, people began lowering their heads.

Security officers. Business executives. Politicians. Servants. Even Bernard.

One by one, they bowed. Only Briella remained standing. Not because she was defiant or proud but because she simply didn't understand what was happening.

Even the birds seemed to disappear. A great silence settled over the manor.

"What's happening?" Briella whispered.

Lena answered without lifting her head.

"The Red King. Bow."

At that exact moment, the vehicle stopped and the rear door of the central armored vehicle opened.

Then.... a polished black boot touched the ground. Another followed.

The man who emerged seemed impossibly tall.

He wore an impeccably tailored black suit beneath a dark long overcoat that looked ceremonially made while a crimson wolf insignia gleamed against his breast pocket..

He wore no crown and no medals and no unnecessary display.

He didn't need them. Power surrounded him like another skin.

Without hurrying, he slowly removed his pair of black leather gloves.

Then as if sensing something, he lifted his head and his purple-red eyes traveled across hundreds of bowed figures...

Until it stopped directly on the only woman still standing.

Briella Whitemere.

And neither of them looked away.

****

****

Laszlo noticed immediately. She looked.... shocked and confused.

A young woman stood near the front steps clutching a vase of white lilies against her chest. Her lemon green eyes darted from one kneeling figure to another.

She looked completely lost. Almost frightened. Then.... their eyes held and Laszlo stopped moving.

Just for a heartbeat but he quickly recovered.

It was truly her. The woman beneath him on that bed last night. The woman whose trembling hands had somehow awakened a sensation he had believed impossible. The woman who had disappeared before sunrise without telling him her name.

His heartbeat gave one slow.... unexpected thud and the curse inside him stirred curiously. He watched her but she didn't recognize him.

Of course she didn't. He'd compel her not to.

Good.

His expression remained unreadable. Around them...

Nobody dared lift their head to notice the King's brief pause except one man.

Standing half a step behind Laszlo, his adviser quietly followed his line of sight. His sharp eyes settled on Briella. Then back on his King.

Interesting.

Before he could think further, Lena's horrified whisper reached Briella.

"My Lady.... Kneel!"

Briella blinked.

"What?"

"KNEEL!"

Only then did she look around, drawn from the trance. Her heart dropped.

Every single person.... was on the ground. Even Bernard. Even Queen Natasha. The realization struck her like lightning.

"Oh.... Oh no..."

She hurriedly tried to kneel, nearly dropping the vase in the process. The lilies scattered across the marble steps and one vase shattered.

The sound echoed through the silent courtyard.

CLANG!

A collective gasp rippled through the crowd and Briella's face drained of color.

"I-I'm so so sorry...."

She knelt so quickly she scraped both knees against the stone.

"I-I'm so sorry...."

Her breathing became uneven and she reached for the broken flowers with trembling hands. One white lily had snapped in half but she picked it up anyway.

"I'm sorry...." she whispered. 

Laszlo watched her quietly. Not because she had remained standing but because she was genuinely terrified and so.... hopelessly flustered.

A tiny crease appeared between his brows.

"Enough."

His voice wasn't loud.

Yet it carried effortlessly across the entire estate. Everyone froze. Briella did too. She didn't even dare to look up.

Laszlo glanced once at the broken lilies before calmly walking past her.

As he did, he caught the faint scent. It was almost nonexistent, hidden to many wolves. It was likely suppressed but it still reached Laszlo slightly.

The same scent from that night.

His suspicion became certainty. Without turning back, he spoke.

"Begin the meeting."

He disappeared into Ashcroft Manor. Only after the great doors closed behind him did the courtyard breathe again.

Briella remained kneeling, still clutching the broken white lily, completely unaware that the most feared man in the Wereworld had recognized her the moment he stepped out of his vehicle.

****

****

The conference room was silent long before the meeting began.

It occupied the highest floor of Ashcroft Manor, overlooking the sprawling skyline beyond the estate. Floor-to-ceiling windows flooded the room with morning light, glinting off the polished marble floor and the sleek ebony conference table that stretched through its center.

Everything had been prepared.

Crystal glasses. Leather folders. Fresh coffee. Digital projectors. Nothing was out of place.

Except the chair at the head of the table. It hadn't belonged to Ashcroft Manor.

Earlier that morning, twelve Red Lycan guards had carried it inside themselves.

It was more like a throne. It was not extravagant and was black oak carved with crimson wolves winding around its frame.

The King of House Knight never sat in another man's chair amd no one dared to question it.

The heavy doors slid open.

Every person inside the room immediately rose to their feet.

Laszlo Knight entered without a word. Behind him walked his adviser. Ammond Ridgeway.

Unlike everyone else, Ammond looked almost amused. He carried a single leather folder tucked beneath one arm.

Already waiting, Alpha Heir Bernard Ashcroft forced a smile.

"Your Majesty."

Laszlo acknowledged him with the slightest inclination of his head before taking his seat upon the throne.

Only then.... did everyone else sit. Then, there was silence.

Ammond calmly crossed the room and then, he placed the leather folder in front of Bernard.

Then he gently slid it across the polished table.

"Congratulations, Alpha Heir Bernard."

Bernard frowned. "For what?"

Ammond smiled politely and replied.

"Today is the day your ancestors' debt becomes due."

Bernard's smile vanished and he opened the folder dreadfully.

The first page bore a crimson wax seal. It was the crest of House Knight. His expression slowly hardened as he continued reading.

"What...?" His voice dropped. "...what the hell is this?"

No one answered. 

Bernard's jaw tightened as his eyes raced over the ancient covenant.

Every line made his expression darker. By the final paragraph.... maddened him. And suddenly, he dropped the folder and slammed both hands against the table.

"This agreement is over two centuries old!" He yelled. 

"Correct." Ammond replied.

"It expired generations ago!"

"Incorrect."

"My father signed this!"

Laszlo's violet-red eyes met his dangerously as he spoke. "Now, your blood has inherited it."

The room became painfully quiet. Bernard shoved the document across the table amd snapped.

"I refuse."

For the first time since entering the manor, Laszlo looked directly at him. Not with anger or contempt but with complete certainty that Bernard Ashcroft was only panicking in helplessness.

"You mistake this..." Laszlo began and then paused. "....for a request."

The temperature in the room seemed to drop. Even Bernard's advisers exchanged uneasy glances.

Then, Bernard laughed rudely. It was a very sharp and humorless sound. Then he asked.

"So that's what this is?! The mighty House Knight barges into my territory waving ancient paper around? You people really are unbelievable."

Still, Laszlo remained perfectly calm. Bernard leaned forward and sneered.

"You call yourselves rulers. I call you political parasites." His voice grew louder. "Ancient relics clinging to power because you're terrified the rest of us no longer need you."

One of the Red Lycan guards shifted. Ammond raised a single finger for restraint and the guard immediately became still again.

Bernard pointed toward Laszlo.

"You come into my house.... and think you can steal whatever you want?"

There was silence. Soon, after about many eternities, Laszlo folded his hands.

"No."

Just one quiet word.

"I came..." His gaze never left Bernard's. "...because it already belongs to me."

The sentence struck the room like thunder and Bernard exploded. His chair crashed backward.

"You arrogant beast...!"

The rest of his words dissolved into furious shouting. A crystal glass shattered against the wall.

One of his own advisers instinctively stepped back. Outside the conference room, Briella stopped polishing a silver serving tray. She looked toward the closed doors and another crash echoed from inside. Followed by Bernard's voice, loud and angry.

She frowned, her heart racing in growing terror.

"Are they.... fighting?"

The other servants ignored her. Only Lena answered quietly.

"It isn't our place to ask."

"But...." Briella glanced anxiously toward the doors. "What if Alpha Bernard gets hurt?"

Lena sighed.

"My Lady.... I don't think anyone in that room is capable of hurting the Red King."

"Uhm.... I know. I meant my husband."

****

****

Several minutes later, the conference room doors burst open and Bernard stormed into the hallway.

His face burned red with rage and his tie hung loose around his neck. He barely noticed the servants scrambling out of his way.

Then, his eyes landed on Briella instantly. She offered a timid smile, unsure what to say or do to stay safe.

"Bernard?"

Well, that was a wrong decision.

"You!" He strode toward her. "What are you standing around for?"

"I was only...."

Before she could finish, he snatched the vase of freshly arranged white lilies from her hands.

"B-Bernard...."

He hurled it across the hallway.

CRASH!

Glass exploded against the marble floor and white lilies scattered in every direction.

The entire corridor fell silent. Briella stared at the broken flowers. For a heartbeat, she couldn't move. Then she quietly knelt, carefully gathering even the broken stems.

"I'm sorry, honey...." she whispered. "I'll fix it."

Behind her, the conference room doors opened once more.

Laszlo stepped into the corridor.

His eyes immediately found Briella, still kneeling and quietly apologizing. Still trying to save flowers she hadn't broken.

He said nothing.He simply watched.

Ammond followed his King's gaze again and his eyes settled on the young omega gathering crushed lilies.

Interesting.... Very interesting.