CHAPTER 55ADRIANNA’S POV“The association?” I asked, glancing at them as I remembered Eric saying that word earlier in a hushed tone. “W…what’s that? Who are they?”“The Association of Alpha Kings,” Coach Steele said, his voice carrying a weight that made the name sound almost foreboding. “They’re the supreme body that governs all Alpha Kings across the kingdoms. Every ruler is registered under them. They oversee everything—from laws, leadership, succession, and even punishment. Nothing happens without their knowledge or approval.”“So… they’re the ones after us?” I said slowly, the puzzle pieces finally clicking into place. “The ones who plastered our faces everywhere and put that bounty on our heads?” The ones those street gangsters were planning to hand us over to? I wanted to include that but remembered Eric had covered up about our encounter with them earlier by telling Coach Steele we went out for an early morning walk.He let out a breath and nodded his head sadly.I looked a
CHAPTER 54ADRIANNA’S POV“He’s like a son,” Coach Steele said, regaining his composure in the blink of an eye as he lifted his gaze back to me. “I don’t mind giving him the world if I had it…”“Don’t you think you’ve said enough, old geezer?” Eric cut in, his voice tinged with forced nonchalance as he handed him the glass of water. His expression gave him away—awkwardly defensive, like he was more worried about cringeworthy feelings or more details that I needed to know spilling out if Coach Steele continued.“Pretty sure I didn’t even say more than three sentences,” Coach Steele said innocently as he accepted the glass of water.Eric ignored the remark and went ahead to ask, “Anything else I can get you?”Eric looked at him with a knowing look, the kind that said he already knew the answer to his question but was trying to be polite, just asking out of necessity.Quickly, Coach Steele sipped the water halfway and let out a satisfying breath, which showed he was really thirsty before
CHAPTER 53ADRIANNA’S POV“Holy fuck Eric!” The man blurted out under heavy breath as he glanced at Eric, me, the broken glass pieces on the floor, and back at Eric. “You want to kill me?…”Eric retrieved his hands and let them down, a look of relief washing over him.“Relax,” Eric said as he went around and quickly looked at other parts of the house to make sure there was no one else in the house. “It’s just a stick… and besides, the former you would have seen it coming and done something to stop it…”“As you said, the former me,” he pointed out with a hint of exasperation. “I’m retired and getting to my late fifties. You seriously can’t expect my senses and reflexes to be as sharp as they were in my thirties and early forties. Not only did you scare the shit out of me, you also made me spill the water I was about to drink.”Exhaustively, Eric rolled his eyes and sighed. “I’ll get you another one and clean the mess up. You don’t have to worry about it. So… what brings you here? Why d
CHAPTER 52ADRIANNA’S POVAs I followed closely behind him, we walked in silence so sharp, it cut through me, making my insides bleed. My mind raced with different thoughts. Conflicting thoughts that threatened to wreck me apart.I wanted to tell him how sorry I was. I wanted to lie to him that I wasn’t trying to escape. That was the real reason I left: to go get that hidden money from my father’s house, and after that, return to the house. I wanted to tell him that Alpha Nolan was dead, and our pictures were flying around the kingdom because they thought we were responsible for it—a puzzle I couldn’t piece together no matter how hard I tried.Maybe he knew from how he reacted—so unbothered when those guys recognized him as the person in the picture and said he'd be coming with them. He wasn’t home almost throughout yesterday, so there was a possibility he was aware of it. But if he was then why didn’t he tell me about it? I wanted to know how Nolan died, who did it, and how on earth
CHAPTER 51 ERIC’S POV “Who is the one smirking now?” I said with a smug grin spreading across my face as I looked down on him. Glancing up, I could see the other one had retreated, screaming for help as he ran for his life out onto the road like he had encountered a hideous monster. I wanted to chase after him and catch him. I wanted them to individually pay for what they did to Adrianna. But time wasn’t on our side; we needed to make it back to the house in the next minute. Nonetheless, I had marked his face, engraved it like a scar in my head. One day, we will cross paths, and that day, I’ll make sure he suffers a fate far worse than what I was doing to his colleague. “Your friend left you,” I said, returning my gaze to the trembling wreck on the ground. “How noble of him.” My voice dripped with sarcasm. “He ran before I could get my hands on him… which means, lucky you—you’ll get to fill in for him and take his share of the pain.” “Please…” he pleaded, pitifully, drag
CHAPTER 50ERIC’S POV“Eric be careful…” Adrianna blurted out on seeing the weapon.I stopped in my tracks, but the raging expression in me was still there, deepening and becoming more intense with each passing moment.“Easy there tough guy,” Kanute said with a smug smile, the giggling noises from his fellow only making him double his effort, making him feel mighty and untouchable. “Take another step forward and I swear, I’ll blow your brains to a fucking pulp,” he said it like he meant it. “Now, get on the floor and put your hands over your head. We’re taking you with us.”“You said it like a fucking cop,” his fellow nudged him playfully and they giggled in unison, their faces lit with juvenile delight—smiles that only pissed me off more. This seemed like a fucking game to them, and they were enjoying it to the point of lunacy, like two kids high on chaos and too far gone to realize they were poking a beast.Normally, when people see me like this, they’re enveloped with a bone-deep f