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Home / Werewolf / WICKED PROVIDENCE / Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

All Chapters of WICKED PROVIDENCE: Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

144 Chapters

71

Grant Lawson gave a sharp nod of approval.Together, they navigated the rugged mountain trails to a secluded den-cabin nestled deep within the Silver Ridge peaks, far from the prying eyes of the High Hall. Though the structure was modest, built of rough-hewn stone and ancient timber, it was the perfect sanctuary for a lone wolf. Its primary charm was its isolation; the air here was thick with the scent of pine and fresh snow, untainted by pack politics.Grant revealed that the territory had once belonged to his grandfather, a respected elder of the Hayes bloodline. He and his fated mate had retreated here to escape the brutal hierarchies of the capital. Because the land was humble and yielded no silver ore, the rest of the Hayes lineage had ignored it for decades.Now, it belonged to Grant. Even with Hudson’s superior tracking abilities, the Alpha would find his scent muddled by the ancient wards of the mountain. Avery could find sanctuary here."More importantly," Grant said, his amb

72

Preston Hale’s expression hardened, his amber eyes narrowing as he gripped the physician’s collar. "Watch your tongue, Healer. Do you understand the price of bearing false witness to the Alpha of the Silver Ridge?"Dr. Mercer trembled, the scent of fear rolling off him in waves. "I understand the law. I tried to reach the Alpha sun-cycles ago when the blood-scent first confirmed it. He was... unavailable, locked in the war-den. I realized I could no longer let this secret rot while the Luna is in exile."The healer added, his voice regaining a desperate stability, "If I am found to be lying about the Luna carrying a Montgomery heir, the Alpha may claim my life as a blood-debt. I stand by my words."From within the high-vaulted study, Hudson’s voice cut through the tension like a frost-wind. "Preston. Bring him to me."Preston’s face shifted into a mask of complex emotion. Avery was with child? In the brutal hierarchy of the Silver Ridge, a new heir should have been a cause for a Great

73

As the Hayes heir departed to secure the perimeter, Boris slunk toward the Syndicate manager.The manager, dropping his facade of arrogance, looked at Boris with a sharp edge of urgency. "Is the trap set? Can we truly snare the Black Wolf of the Montgomerys?""Without a doubt," Boris replied, a jagged confidence in his voice. "I’ve sent the scrying-crystals and the scent-markers. Hudson is already on the hunt. Keep your spine straight, and the Montgomerys will grant you the trade lands you crave. Just ensure you remember who handed you the keys to the kingdom."The hour of the parley arrived. Grant had intended to send Sadie and Avery back to the mountain sanctuary before the meeting began, but the docks were in an uproar. The Syndicate manager was being intentionally difficult, stalling with endless bureaucratic demands and territorial disputes.By the time Grant found a moment of stillness, the moon was high. He couldn't risk sending Avery back through the mountain passes alone in t

74

The pack manager clawed desperately at Preston’s cloak, his voice cracking with a coward’s humility. “Please, Beta, I must understand! How have I slighted the Alpha? Today, for this trap, I betrayed my own Syndicate and risked my rank, all for the glory of the Montgomerys!”Preston looked down at him with pure loathing. “Had you kept your muzzle shut tonight, perhaps you would have kept your head. But hearing your filth—calling a high-born mate a plaything—I think you’ve earned the silver. You fail to see your transgression. You’ve insulted someone far more dangerous than the Alpha.”The manager would likely never grasp the truth. The individual Preston referred to was Avery, whom the man had dismissed as a mere concubine.Nearby, Boris watched the manager being dragged toward the pits, his legs wobbling with terror. He couldn't believe a mere slip of the tongue had sparked such a lethal drama. The manager had bent over backward to serve Hudson, yet the Alpha remained merciless. Boris

75

As Avery prepared to climb into the transport, Hudson’s hand shot out, slamming the heavy iron door shut before she could cross the threshold.Stunned, Avery struck the reinforced glass, her amber eyes wide with a silent, frantic demand for an explanation. Hudson didn't even glance her way. He simply barked an order to Preston Hale to find a secondary scout-car for the Luna.Preston cast a fleeting, sympathetic look at Avery before nodding and gunning the engine. The primary transport roared away into the mist.Fortunately, a backup enforcer vehicle pulled up moments later. Once Avery was inside, the driver—a silent Beta—handed her a rough wool blanket and cranked the internal heater. He placed a small vial of moon-herbs on the console. "For the lung-chill, Luna," he murmured.Avery shook her head. She recognized this for what it was: the classic Montgomery duality—the bite of a winter frost followed by the warmth of a hearth. She leaned her head against the cold glass, trying to deci

76

Grant Lawson’s voice cut through the room like a jagged shard of ice. "Sophia, you wail as if you are the only one standing vigil by the Alpha’s bedside. Aside from coming here daily to scent the air with your fake grief and agitate the healers, what have you actually contributed to this pack’s recovery?"The theatrical sobbing stopped instantly. Sophia’s face flushed a deep, embarrassed crimson beneath her hood."Grant!" Jerome croaked, his voice weak but stern. The effort of speaking triggered a harsh coughing fit, his chest heaving under the heavy furs.Sophia lunged forward to steady him, her hands clawing at his blankets, but the old Alpha flinched away from her touch, his eyes cold. He waited until his breath evened out, his gaze hardening into the steel of a retired warlord. "I need a private council with my grandson. Leave us."Reluctantly, Sophia cast a venomous look at Grant before slinking out of the infirmary.Once the heavy oak doors clicked shut, Grant’s iron facade shat

77

With a heavy, lupine sigh, Dr. Mercer went to mix the sedative-salt. Once the draught took effect, the Alpha’s tremors subsided. Still light-headed and clawing at his temple, Hudson’s voice was a ragged growl as he looked at Preston. “Exile them from the chamber. You know the cover story for the Pack Council.”“Yes, Alpha.” Preston nodded, ushering the healers out.Hudson stared out at the jagged peaks of the Silver Ridge, his eyes flat. He had been fighting this venom for two weeks, ever since a low-ranking pregnant omega in the kitchens had "lost" her pup under suspicious circumstances. It was a clear assassination attempt; someone had laced the pack’s communal well with a slow-acting neuro-toxin.For a high-born Alpha to be poisoned in his own den was an embarrassment Hudson refused to voice. He racked his brain, but the source remained a ghost. Over time, the agony had mutated. Now, it felt as though a thousand silver ants were relentlessly gnawing at his brain—a torment that woul

78

Charlotte caught a glimpse of Avery climbing into Hudson’s iron-clad transport, her brow furrowing into a jagged line.She questioned her own heightened senses for a moment. If the scrolls had been altered according to her design, Dr. Mercer should have already informed the Alpha that Avery’s pregnancy was barely a moon along. Hudson, obsessed with the purity of the Montgomery bloodline, would have believed the child was a bastard.Knowing the Alpha's lethal temper, Charlotte was certain he wouldn’t tolerate a tainted mate. How could he possibly keep her within the Stronghold walls? Had the neuro-toxin finally rotted his brain?However, that wasn't the critical point. The danger lay in the passage of time; eventually, the swelling of Avery's womb would prove the pregnancy was much further along than a single moon. Once Hudson noticed the discrepancy, he would trace the scent of the lie back to the healer, and eventually to Charlotte herself. The thought of the Alpha’s clawed retaliati

79

Instead, Avery moved her fingers across the selection tablet with a cold, rebellious precision. She chose items that called to her own spirit—pieces that reflected her preference for understated elegance over Scarlett's gaudy tastes. Surprisingly, the decisiveness came easy. In less than five minutes, she finished the task and slid the tablet back to Hudson.The Alpha scanned the list. He didn't snarl or demand she choose again. He simply motioned to a Montgomery Enforcer to take the digital tally to the checkout.They moved through the bazaar like a high-ranking hunting party, stopping at a shoemaker’s stall and a boutique of fine silks. Avery continued her quiet defiance, picking garments that were the antithesis of Scarlett’s style. Hudson watched her, his expression unreadable, and effortlessly authorized the trade for every item.Avery was baffled. Was this some intricate mind game? It felt beneath an Alpha of his stature. Once the items were bundled, Hudson lingered, his shadow

80

Avery intercepted Preston Hale as he moved to secure the medical perimeter. Her amber eyes were sharp, demanding the truth about Hudson's collapse. Through swift, fluid gestures, she asked why the Beta was masking the Alpha’s true condition.Preston offered a hollow, weary smile. "Peace, Luna. The Alpha is simply drained. Between the border skirmishes and the Pack Council, his wolf is exhausted. It’s a flare-up of the gut-rot he caught in the Southern Marshes. He just needs a few sun-cycles of rest."Avery shook her head, her skepticism radiating like a scent. She had watched Hudson hunt for three days straight without water; he didn't drop from "exhaustion." Her instincts screamed that a deeper, more lethal blight was devouring him from within.She noticed the shadow of grief on Preston’s face but didn't push. If the Lead Enforcer was lying, it was under an Alpha’s blood-oath of silence. She signaled her reluctant acceptance, indicating she would leave him to his duties. She told Pre

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