Chapter 9 – Blackmail

“I know who you are.”

The words stop me mid-step.

My heart skips once.

Slowly, I turn.

Lucien Southwell stands a few feet away, watching me with calm, unreadable eyes. His expression carries that same quiet curiosity he always wears, but tonight something else hides beneath it.

Certainty.

Danger.

I keep my voice steady.

“Do you?” I ask.

Lucien walks forward slowly. His movements are relaxed, but every step feels deliberate, controlled.

“Yes,” he replies softly.

He lifts a folder in his hand.

“For example, I know your name isn’t Hayley Viremont.”

My wolf stiffens.

I feel the trap closing.

But my face remains calm.

“That is my name,” I answered quietly.

Lucien tilts his head.

“No.”

He opens the folder.

“Your name,” he continues, “is Hayley Arden.”

The sound of that name hits me like a blade.

For a moment

Just one moment

My heart forgets how to beat.

Lucien notices.

Of course he does.

His smile grows slightly.

“I thought so,” he murmurs.

I step closer.

Slow. Careful.

“Where did you get that name?” I ask.

Lucien removes several documents from the folder and spreads them on the table between us.

Photographs.

Records.

Bloodline files.

Ancient pack archives.

My wolf growls softly inside me.

Too much evidence.

Lucien taps one document gently.

“Arden Royal Pack,” he says. “One of the strongest Alpha bloodlines in this region.”

He glances at me again.

“Until the massacre.”

The word hangs in the air.

Massacre.

Fire flashes across my memory.

Screams.

Blood.

My father’s voice shouting orders.

My mother pushed me toward the forest.

Run.

Hide.

Survive.

Lucien watches my face carefully.

“You remember,” he says.

I take a slow breath.

Then I lift my gaze to his.

Calm again.

“You dug very deep,” I say.

Lucien chuckles quietly.

“You’re a fascinating mystery.”

He leans slightly closer.

“And I love solving mysteries.”

I glance at the documents again.

Photos of my family.

Records of my father’s reign.

The Arden crest.

Things that should have disappeared years ago.

“Relax, Alpha Viremont,” Lucien says softly.

The title makes my wolf bare her teeth.

Alpha.

He said it openly.

I look at him.

“You shouldn’t use that word carelessly.”

Lucien’s smile widens.

“Oh, but I enjoy dangerous words.”

Silence stretches between us.

Then he leans back casually.

“I must say, I admire you.”

“For what?”

“For hiding in plain sight.”

He gestures toward the estate around us.

“You chose the Southwell house.”

“A bold decision.”

I shrug slightly.

“I needed a place to survive.”

Lucien nods slowly.

“Yes. After Victor Kane destroyed your family.”

My chest tightens.

His eyes sharpen instantly.

“Ah,” he murmurs. “That name still hurts.”

I remain silent.

Lucien studies me again.

“Do the others know?” I ask.

His smile fades.

“No.”

“Alexander?”

“No.”

“Ethan?”

“No.”

“Damien?”

Lucien chuckles.

“He would have challenged you already.”

I breathe slowly.

“So this conversation is just between us.”

“For now.”

I cross my arms.

“And what do you want?”

Lucien’s eyes glow with quiet ambition.

“That is the interesting part.”

He walks around the table slowly.

“Your identity is valuable.”

I frown slightly.

“Explain.”

He smiles again.

“The last heir of the Arden bloodline.”

“A royal Alpha.”

“Hidden inside the Southwell estate.”

He tilts his head.

“That information could destroy you.”

I nod once.

“Yes.”

“Or it could destroy my brothers.”

My eyes narrow.

“You plan to expose me.”

Lucien shakes his head slowly.

“No.”

Then he steps closer.

“I plan to use you.”

My wolf growls louder now.

I remain calm.

“How?”

Lucien speaks quietly.

“Alexander will become the next Alpha King.”

The title carries weight.

The Southwell heir who will rule multiple packs.

Lucien continues.

“But he is not the only candidate.”

“You want the throne,” I say.

Lucien smiles.

“Of course.”

“And you think I can help you?”

“I know you can.”

I stare at him silently.

Lucien gestures toward the documents again.

“Your bloodline commands respect.”

“Your name carries power.”

“If the truth comes out… many packs will support you.”

I understand his plan instantly.

“You want an alliance.”

“Yes.”

I shake my head slowly.

“You’re insane.”

Lucien laughs softly.

“Ambitious.”

“Dangerous.”

“Same difference.”

I step closer.

Our eyes lock.

“You’re blackmailing me.”

Lucien doesn’t deny it.

“Yes.”

“And you think I’ll obey?”

He shrugs lightly.

“You will consider it.”

I cross my arms.

“Why?”

Lucien’s voice becomes colder.

“Because if you refuse…”

He taps the documents again.

“…every Alpha in this region will know that the last Arden heir is alive.”

My wolf snarls.

“And Victor Kane will come for you.”

The name burns in the air.

Lucien watches my reaction carefully.

“You’re still his greatest threat,” he says quietly.

“Your bloodline gives you the right to challenge him.”

I stare at him.

“You think fear will make me obey.”

Lucien’s smile returns.

“No.”

He leans closer.

“I think survival will come.”

For a moment we stood there in silence.

Two predators studying each other.

Two minds calculating.

Finally I step closer again.

So close that Lucien’s smile fades slightly.

“You are making a mistake,” I say quietly.

His eyes narrow.

“How?”

“You assume I’m weak.”

Lucien chuckles.

“You collapsed yesterday.”

“That was acting.”

His eyebrows lift slightly.

“I suspected.”

I tilt my head.

“You want my support.”

“Yes.”

“You want my power.”

“Yes.”

“You want my name to strengthen your claim.”

Lucien nods once.

“Exactly.”

I smile faintly.

“And if I refuse?”

Lucien’s voice drops to a whisper.

“Then I destroy your secret.”

I hold his gaze for a long moment.

Then I speak softly.

“You’re forgetting something.”

“What?”

“I am still an Alpha.”

Lucien smirks.

“And I am still the one holding your secret.”

For a moment, neither of us moves.

The tension between us becomes sharp.

Dangerous.

Finally Lucien picks up the folder and closes it slowly.

“Think carefully,” he says.

“Your survival depends on this decision.”

I turn away.

But before I leave, I speak quietly.

“You don’t understand the game you’re playing.”

Lucien chuckles.

“Oh, I understand it very well.”

His voice becomes colder.

“And I intend to win.”

As I walk away, Lucien’s voice follows me.

Soft.

Certain.

Dangerous.

“You will help me become king.”

I stop walking.

My wolf stirs.

My mind races.

Because Lucien Southwell just made a deadly mistake.

He thinks I’m trapped.

But he doesn’t know the truth yet.

He doesn’t know what I came here to do.

And if he pushes me too far

He might be the first Southwell to discover exactly how dangerous the last Arden Alpha truly is.