Semua Bab TRADING MY CHEATING HUSBAND FOR THE LYCAN KING: Bab 51 - Bab 60

EMBER'S POVHe draws his finger across his throat in a slow, deliberate gesture—not bothering to hide it, not caring that people might see. A promise of exactly what's coming if I lose.If I'm sent back to him.Logan stands beside him, and when his eyes meet mine, his expression is cold. He's already planning the next move. Already figuring out how to ensure the hospital verification goes his way.Knox's entire body is poised like a predator about to snap. I grab his arm before he can move, my fingers digging into his bicep hard enough to leave marks."Not here," I breathe. "Not now. We can't afford another incident."For one terrible moment, I think he's not going to listen. I think his rage is going to override everything else and he's going to assault Gale right here in the corridor, in front of witnesses, giving James exactly the excuse he needs to destroy us both.But then something in his eyes clears, and he lets me pul

KNOX'S POVElder James closes the door behind us with the pitch of a sealed coffin.The private chamber is designed with portraits of previous council elders staring down with judgment frozen into oil paint.It's the kind of room where careers are destroyed and reputations are buried, where power brokers come to feast on the carcasses of men who made the mistake of showing weakness.James thinks I'm about to show weakness.He's wrong."Drink?" He moves toward a crystal decanter without waiting for my answer, pouring two glasses of whiskey that probably costs more than most wolves make in a month. "We have matters to discuss. Man to man. Alpha to alpha."I don't take the glass he offers. I don't sit in the leather chair he gestures toward.I stand in the center of his carefully orchestrated stage and I let him see exactly what I think of his performance."Say what you came to say, James."His lips tw

KNOX'S POV She pulls back to look at me, her wide brown eyes searching my face. "Knox... you can't destroy your position for me. You can't sacrifice everything you've built—" "Watch me." I cup her face in my hands, force her to see the truth in my eyes. "You are worth more than the crown. You are worth more than my position. You are worth more than every single person in that council chamber combined, and if they can't see that, they don't deserve the loyalty I've given them." Her eyes fill with tears. "You don't mean that." "I've never meant anything more in my entire life." I kiss her then—soft and desperate and full of everything I can't say out loud. The fear that tomorrow will destroy us. The rage that I couldn't protect her better. The devastating realization that my wolf years for this woman more than my next breath, and in the end, that might not be enough to sa

EMBER'S POV"And did you honor that request?""I honored her request not to report to authorities—protocols were different then, and I believed forcing a report against her wishes would put her in more danger." Dr. Moreau pauses. "But I kept my own records. Personal notes. Backup files that weren't part of the hospital's official system. I kept them because something about her case haunted me. Because I suspected she would need proof someday, when she finally found the courage to leave."She reaches into her bag and produces a folder."I have those records here. Detailed notes from my examination. Photographs of the bruising that I took with her consent. Documentation of everything I observed that night."The gallery explodes.Gale is on his feet before anyone can stop him."She's lying!" His voice cracks with desperation. "This is a setup! Ember must have paid her to fabricate—""Alpha Crawford," James snaps, "you w

EMBER'S POVWe return to the penthouse in a daze.The space feels different now. Lighter, maybe.Like the weight of everything that's been pressing down on us has lifted slightly, leaving room for something that might be hope.Knox disappears into the bedroom to change, and I drift to the window, looking out at the mountain vista that's become so familiar over the past few days.We have one day left, or is it two? What does the new 30-days probation mean for us? For me.The snow is falling gently, coating everything in white, making the world look clean and fresh and full of possibility.I'm free.The words still don't feel real.I'm free and Gale is in custody and my mother's schemes have collapsed and the council has cleared Knox's name and—And none of it matters if I can't figure out what happens next."Hey."Knox's voice pulls me back. He's changed into something casual—dark jeans, a henley that stretches across his shoulders in ways that are probably illegal—and he's looking at