The Reckoning Novel Novels & Stories

But what about me? I shift uncomfortably on the bench, tugging the edge of my scarf closer around me, even though the fire’s warmth reaches me. Insecurity weighs heavy on my shoulders, dragging me down. I know people are watching. Whispering. I’ve been gone for years, and now here I am, back in the heart of a pack that once hurt me. I squeeze my eyes shut for a moment, trying to block out the memories of Ronan the promises he broke, the trust he shattered. I’m not that naive girl anymore, but being back here, it’s hard to remember that.

The ninth time I tried to divorce my husband, Don Louis Romano, my best friend Jenny Parker, who had always talked me out of it, handed me the papers herself. Every time before, she'd done everything in her power to stop me. She'd even taken over the Family's day-to-day affairs just to create chances for us to see each other and reconcile. I took the papers and couldn't help but ask. Years of pent-up exhaustion showed in Jenny's eyes, and to my shock, her voice was edged with resentment. "You got Vivian shot this time. She nearly didn't make it. How long are you going to keep this up?!" Vivian Hale was the woman Louis had been seeing. I stared at her in disbelief. "Vivian's had a hard life.

Or was Rebecca the real target? “Nothing is certain yet,” Dash replied. “Noah is digging deeper into their system and intentions.” At the mention of their best investigator, Gideon gave a sharp nod. “Tell him to finish it within this week.” He set his empty glass aside and stood up with determined features. “Where are you going?” Dash asked, watching him carefully. Gideon paused at the doorway, a slow, dangerous smirk spreading across his face. “Wrath…” he said quietly, his voice laced with something feral, “…wants something.”

Victor screamed, half-rising from his seat. "No," Jane shot back, her voice flat and lethal. "You lost the city because you’re bad at math. Sit down before you hurt yourself." Kenji slammed his glass onto the table. Thud. "Enough. The past is a corpse—stop digging it up. I’m paying, which means Jane is the boss on the ground. Deal with it." Victor sank back, teeth grinding. "Fine. But I want results." Victor choked back a curse and nodded. "Fine. We have a rat. A former Moretti soldier is in a precinct holding room. He’s talking to Rachel Moss at six tomorrow. If he opens his mouth, we’re all dead."

Where was all that now? Death poisoned the land as screams filled the air. I couldn't bear to look at my family's lifeless bodies. Nothing remained of one of the top ten packs in the territories, a pack that I would have one day grown to lead, except ashes. Aslan, the monster who had done all this, wore a smug smile on his face, a delighted look in his eyes as he took a step toward me, reveling in my agony of rejection.

Becca looked at me expectantly waiting to hear what I had to say, while the girls just watched me, Maya playing with her hair and Naya playing with her dress. "When Becca was styling my hair for the ball, I heard Elder Renfrew maltreating his mate," I started, my face darkening at the memory of her painful scream as Elder Renfrew struck her as though she were an animal or slave. I doubt I would ever be able to forget the pain laced in her scream. She must feel unlucky everyday when she wakes up to see that she was married to a breast. Unlike beauty and the beast, this one would never love her.

"The king has arrived! Let's all welcome with a round of applause our newest and original CEO of Thompson Jewelry and Clothing Empire, Mr. Hendrake Jeiz Thompson!" Then my mind completely went black. I felt like I lost my hearing and all I knew was that he was here. He is back again. I suspected correctly. I can't hear anything anymore and it's like it's dark around me and I can only see him. He is in front of me. I'm not dreaming. What I see is true. He's here. The CEO is back. Our eyes met, and he grinned. His eyes were full of hatred and anger staring at me. Even though we are far apart, I feel that he is very close to me. "I'm back."

The little rat seeing that it has done its job, ran away and the woman in red, terrified of rats already collapsed to the ground and started laughing hysterically, realizing that her life was doomed at this point. She had never thought that a simple job she had done so many times would result in her own death. She had laughed and mocked those people who got sabotaged and killed in the past few months. She never expected that the same fortune will fall on her, and now her life was about to end in the hands of a woman with power she didn’t understand. “Do you think that after killing us, you will get what you want?” she spat with spite as she angrily looked at Elowyn who was looking at her as

“This is your last game, Reynolds.” “Maybe,” I replied. “But it’s a damn good one.” Kelly narrowed his eyes. “Why call us here? Why not run?” “Because I’m tired of running. Of pretending like this world is something I want to fix.” Kane’s voice dropped. “Then what is this?” “This,” I said, arms wide, “is our reckoning. I’m giving you what you wanted—a shot. One chance to kill the man who ruined your lives.” He smiled faintly. “Catch is?”

I could feel Amy moving, restless and uneasy, beneath my skin. I sat on the edge of the bed and swallowed, trying to make sense of the fear, the pull, the anger. Something was coming. Something bigger than Reuben, bigger than Success. The feeling pressed against the walls, seeped through the floorboards, and it carried a promise. Not just danger, but a reckoning. I ran my hands over my face and shook my head. This isn’t over. It hasn’t even started properly yet. I could feel it in my blood, in my pulse, in the way the house seemed to hold its breath.