Início / Werewolf / Alpha's Claim, Omega's Surrender / Capítulo 51 - Capítulo 60

Todos os capítulos de Alpha's Claim, Omega's Surrender: Capítulo 51 - Capítulo 60

80 Capítulos

51

"Brooke Caldwell is beyond obsessed. She’s completely unhinged! Do you think our facial structures are some kind of tactical choice we made? It’s pure genetic chance, Mars. If I ever crossed paths with a wolf who shared my scent and my face but wasn't my kin, I’d be howling with joy, not trying to bury them in a shallow grave. I’d call them a brother, right?""Blood ties... the very thing that binds a pack can be the thing that strangulates it.""Mars? You’ve gone pale. What’s that look for?""It’s nothing, Jessa. Just a shadow passing over the moon.""Mars, give it to me straight. I need the full sequence of events if we’re going to find a way out of this trap. I’ve been analyzing the board. Brooke Caldwell isn't just a lawyer; she’s an institution within Westline Holdings. No matter how deep her claws are in this frame-up, you have to realize that the Council won't just take the word of a stray against a decorated Enforcer. Your proof has to be ironclad—silver-plated and undeniable.

52

"If you keep snarling at us like that, Howard, you’re going to lose your voice before the Council even arrives. Mars, tell him. Tell him we need more than seventy-two hours.""Jessa is right. I need ten days to track the digital scent back to the Shadow Pack’s server. If I can find the entry point, I can prove Brooke was the one who opened the gates.""Ten days? Are you hallucinating? Victor Lang is already demanding someone’s head on a pike for the Silverwood leak. If I don't give them a culprit, they’ll take mine. I’m giving you three days, Mars. If you don't have a name and a trail by the third sunset, I’m formally announcing to the entire Westline Holdings that you betrayed the blood-seal and sold our technicals.""Three days is an execution sentence, Howard. You’re handing me to the rogues.""Then you better start hunting. Our battalion has been failing every ritual this year, and the High Alphas are already looking for an excuse to purge the ranks. I’m not going to the pits beca

53

I can’t keep relying on you, Tyler. I’ve got nothing left to offer in return for this kind of loyalty.""Mars, stop. You don't have to give me anything.""Let go of his arm, Tyler.""Grant? What are you doing out here?""I’ll be the one taking him from here. You have duties at the Tower, don't you?""Are you his partner, then? Is that who you are to Mars?""No, he isn't. He’s my Alpha, nothing more. Grant, why are you here?""Get in the car, Mars. We’re going to the Ridge.""You can let me out at the next trail crossing. I don't need an escort to my own exile.""I’ve already ordered a full internal audit of the Silverwood files. I want you to stay at the Ridge Estate for a few days. Step away from the Tower.""The pack’s audit is a formality to satisfy the elders. I’m out here actually hunting for the truth. I’m not going to sit in your mansion like a prisoner while Brooke writes my death warrant.""I spoke with Brooke this morning. She’s adamant. She says she never touched those file

54

I’ve spent enough time around you to know that when you catch a scent, you won't stop running until you hit a cliff. But you're shaking, Mars. Let’s get some meat into your system before you collapse. If you don't eat, your focus will slip, and Brooke will have your head on a silver platter.""I'm not hungry, Grant. I want to be at the Tower. I want to find the breach.""The bond-contract we signed doesn't state you have to be an officer of Westline Holdings, but it does mandate that you are available when the Alpha requires your presence. Consider this a summons.""Demanding I sit through a meal isn't exactly a high-priority pack requirement.""Fine. If you won't eat, then we’re heading straight back to the Walker Ridge Estate. I have needs that require your attention there, and I don't mean tactical ones.""Don't even finish that sentence. Fine. I'll eat. Just keep the car moving.""Brooke, have you seen the internal frequency? The Alpha just authorized a Tier-One investigation into

55

Are you even listening to me, Mars? I swear, you get a scent in your head and the rest of the world just fades out. I'm trying to tell you that the Westline audit isn't a suggestion, it's a mandate.""I heard you, Grant. I'm just busy trying to keep my head from hitting the chopping block while you're making dinner plans.""Dinner isn't a suggestion either. You haven't eaten since the sun was at its peak. Your wolf is going to start pacing if you don't get some protein in your system. We’re stopping at the Ridge Courtyard. You’re eating, then I’m dropping you back at Jessa’s for the night. But don't get comfortable. You’re moving back to the Walker Ridge Estate tomorrow. I want you behind the silver-shielding.""The contract doesn't say I have to live in your shadow, Alpha.""It says you're mine to protect. And right now, the Tower is a den of snakes. Eat your venison.""You're back from the border already? I thought the Silverwood patrol was supposed to last until the new moon.""I c

56

"Grant rushed back to Havencrest the second he caught the scent of your distress, Mars. Things were reaching a breaking point at the Pacific Crest Resort, but he didn't care. He told me he'd be back at the border in a few days, but for now, his focus is entirely on getting this disaster untangled. It’s clear as mountain water—Grant wants this cleared just as much as you do."I stared at the glowing monitor in the VTN ROOM, my chest tightening. I couldn't decide if Grant was doing this to scrub the stain from his own name or if he was terrified that a real investigation would leave Brooke’s reputation in tatters. And that phrase... I want to protect you. What kind of game was the Alpha playing? I didn't have the luxury of time to decode his heart. I stood up, my jaw set, and walked out of the Westline Holdings executive suite. I took the elevator down to the legal den, the air growing colder as the doors opened."Is Brooke Caldwell at her desk?" I asked a scout stationed near the entra

57

"I wasn't playing games, Jeffrey. My word in this pack is law, and if I say there is an inquiry, there is an inquiry.""But Grant, you cannot take Mars this seriously. Victor Lang has always envisioned Brooke as the future Luna of the West Coast. Aren't you terrified of inciting the Elder's rage again? Even if Brooke’s feelings are nothing to you, what about Victor? She is your own mother, the matriarch of this lineage. You're risking the stability of Silverwood for a stray."I watched from the shadows of the corridor as Grant remained silent, his jaw tightening until the muscle pulsed. His massive frame seemed to swallow the dim light of the emergency wing. Suddenly, the crimson warning light above the surgery doors flickered out. Howard Pierce stepped through, pulling his surgical mask down to his neck, his scent heavy with the smell of antiseptic and old blood."Who here represents the Caldwell bloodline?"Jeffrey lunged forward. "I do. Tell me she’s still breathing.""The patient

58

"My son has always been a territorial creature, especially about his private den. He never allowed a single soul inside this estate before. It seems the years away have softened his edges more than I anticipated.""Victor, you shouldn't have come without a warning. The Ridge is under high-security protocol right now because of the investigation.""Security protocols? I simply walked in. After I changed my boots, I took a walk through the halls. I have to say, the place is immaculate. I was nearly caught off guard by the sight of that boy.""Boy? You saw him?""The help, Grant. Don't look so alarmed. I didn't go into your private chambers. I know you value your isolation. Though I must say, he seemed quite startled to see me. He nearly dropped the water glass he was bringing me.""He was bringing you water?""Naturally. He’s quite efficient. He used to be a logistics scout, didn't he? Serving refreshments and managing the household seems second nature to him. He’s a polite one, I’ll gi

59

"Victor Lang has always been a force of nature, hasn’t she, Grant? If Brooke Caldwell hadn’t been there to beg for more time, to convince her that your focus was solely on the Silverwood expansion, your mother would have forced the mating ritual months ago. Since you’ve chosen to keep your jaw locked tight, she’s decided to play the Alpha. She told me flat out—you two are to be bound by the next full moon. She said if you’re too busy with Westline Holdings to organize a ceremony, she’ll handle the blood-oaths and the invitations herself.""I told Jessa everything before I clicked off the link. After cycles of running through the brush, it felt strange to just sit in this resort room and be still. I stared at the ceiling, replaying the vitriol Brooke spat in that office. I remembered the twisted mask of her face. It was as if Brooke, not me, was the one who had been denied a father’s scent since the day she was born. It’s funny how the wolf who steals the kill is always the loudest to

60

"So, you're telling me the moon-fever didn't cloud your mind at all?"The question hung between us like a silver mist. Grant didn't just laugh; he gave a hollow, self-deprecating chuckle that vibrated through the floorboards of the Walker Ridge Estate. I watched his chest rise and fall, wondering if he could feel my pulse racing from across the room."You really don't see it, do you, Mars? You don't smell the truth on me?""I saw the broadcast from the Westline Holdings summit," I whispered, my voice cracking like dry wood. "Jessa showed it to me. You told the whole council there was a wolf who held your interest. You spoke of a partner you cherished in silence.""And your first instinct was to assume it was Brooke Caldwell? After everything?""Who else fits the pedigree of an Alpha's consort?""I planned every second of that night, Mars. From the moment I intercepted your encrypted signal to the second I knocked on that door at the Pacific Crest Resort. I didn't stumble into that con

ANTERIOR

...

PRÓXIMO

ESCANEIE O CÓDIGO PARA LER NO APP

DMCA.com Protection Status