Lahat ng Kabanata ng The Lycan's daughter: His to ruin: Kabanata 61 - Kabanata 70

Ronan's POV The Third OptionI sat with it a long moment, the club's bass thudding low through the booth's velvet padding, Ethan watching me with the patient, amused stillness of a man who already knew he'd won something."Citizenship isn't mine to grant," I said finally, choosing my words with more care than I'd managed all night. "Even if I wanted to give it to you, pack law requires council ratification for any addition to territory rolls. I can't simply declare it and have it stick.""Convenient excuse.""It's not an excuse. It's how the system works.""Then find a way around the system." Ethan leaned back, unbothered, swirling the untouched drink in front of him without lifting it. "You're an Alpha, Ronan. Alphas find ways around inconvenient rules constantly. I imagine you've done it before, given the current state of your marriage."Something in me flared hot at that, but I kept my face still. "What if I offered something else. Land, instead of citizenship. A negotiated buffer

Vanessa The first thing I learned about living at my father's estate was that peace had a schedule, and like everything else here, it had to be practiced.Every morning Maren woke me before sunrise, every morning I complained, and every morning she simply ignored me, holding out a small glass vial."Open your mouth," she said.I stared at it. "No."Her eyebrow lifted. "Vanessa.""It smells like something died.""That is because your senses are finally working properly again.""That's not reassuring."She pushed the vial closer. I leaned away. "You promised your father," she sighed."I promised to take the potions. I didn't promise to like it.""You also promised to stop arguing.""I don't remember that part.""You were unconscious when he said it."I narrowed my eyes. "That's cheating.""Drink."I took the potion, swallowed, and my entire face twisted at the immediate, bitter bite. Maren smiled faintly. "Better?""No.""Good." She took the empty vial back. "Your next dose is after br

Vanessa's POV The sound of small, bare feet slapping rapidly against polished mahogany was my alarm clock these days."Ethan, I am not going to say it again!" I called out, my voice echoing down the long, sunlit corridor of the estate.A loud, mischievous giggle bounced off the high ceilings. He wasn't stopping. If anything, he was speeding up.I blew a stray strand of hair out of my face and broke into a jog, my socks sliding slightly on the hardwood floor. Five years. Five years of peace, of healing, of building a life that finally felt like my own, and it was entirely ruled by a five-year-old boy who had somehow inherited the stamina of a full-grown warrior and the stubbornness of a stone wall.I rounded the corner just in time to see his little legs disappearing behind the heavy velvet drapes near the grand staircase. He thought he was being stealthy, but the bottom of the curtain was shaking violently, and a small, muffled snort gave him away entirely.I slowed my pace, creeping

Vanessa The fabric of the tailored charcoal suit felt entirely too crisp, too structured against skin that still remembered the ghost-weight of chains. I stood in front of the full-length mirror in my dressing room, smoothing down the lapels for the fourth time. The trousers were sleek, pooling slightly over black leather heels, and the silk blouse underneath buttoned high up to my collarbone, effectively hiding the faint, pale scars that lingered near my throat. I looked like a CEO. I looked untouchable.Inside, my stomach was a knot of ice and razor blades."We are marching into a den of wolves," my wolf paced restlessly along the edges of my mind, her claws clicking against bone. "They do not know our teeth. They will test us.""I know," I muttered under my breath, grabbing a heavy silver ring from the vanity and sliding it onto my index finger. Just something solid to anchor myself.When I walked down the grand staircase and entered the formal dining room, my father was already s

Vanessa's POVThe air inside the estate’s private sunroom always smelled of jasmine and warm oak. Today, it smelled like pine needles, ozone, and sheer, unadulterated audacity.I stopped dead in the arched doorway, my breath hitching as the mug of tea in my hand nearly slipped through my fingers.Abel was sitting in my father’s plush leather wingback chair. One leg was crossed casually over the other, his tailored coat draped over the armrest, revealing the crisp, dark lines of his dress shirt. He held a delicate china cup in one hand, taking a slow, leisurely sip while my father sat across from him, looking more relaxed than he had in five years."What is he doing here?" My voice hit a screeching, high-pitched register that completely betrayed the icy corporate composure I’d spent the entire drive home building. I looked like a frantic, ruffled bird standing on the threshold, but I was too furious to care. "Did you follow me home? Is there nowhere in this city where I don't have to l