Chapter67
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I was on the upstairs balcony when I heard Mom and Grandma arguing-Mom’s eyes glistening with tears, Grandma’s face set in a stern line.
I headed down, slipping between them to loop an arm around each.
“How about I whip up lunch? I’ve got this killer beef recipe I’ve been dying to try.”
“Sounds good-let’s see what you’ve got,” Grandma Eleanor said, cupping my cheek gently.
Mom Agatha chuckled, pinching my nose.
“You little foodie, always messing around in the kitchen. Watch it, or you’ll turn into a chubby pup.”
“Chubby pups are adorable-all soft and cuddly. I’d just charm my way into staying here forever,” I teased.
“Like you haven’t already?” Mom laughed.
“When you were a pup, your dad and I had to bribe you for hours to leave. You always kept pestering Snow
and Rain.”
Mom started reminiscing about my childhood antics-Snow, the pointy-eared stray cat, and Rain, the
stubby-legged dog Uncle Jake had gotten me to play with in the pack.
When I’d moved to the main pack for school, Mom wouldn’t let me take them. I only saw them on holidays, where they’d wait for me on the porch, tails thumping, no matter if I was arriving or leaving.
Then one visit, they were gone.
I knew they’d passed-cried for days.
Uncle Jake had teased me, saying cats and dogs only live a decade, that I should just get new ones. But I’d
refused.
I couldn’t bear that kind of heartbreak again.
Not with Snow and Rain. Not with Alpha Adrian.
Truth was, I was just a coward.
At lunch, I laid out a feast.
Dad and Uncle Jake had come back from fishing with a haul of seafood, so I’d thrown that in too. As the
meal wound down, I told them my news.
“I’m breaking the bond. Barring any surprises, I’ll finalize it when I get back.”
“I’m the one who wanted out. I’m done.”
“Don’t think of me as a victim. A bond takes two. I chose to bind with him, and now I’m choosing to sever it. And don’t worry about me getting pushed around-I’d never let that happen. Anyone who tries gets it back
twice as hard.”
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I kept my tone light, like it was no big deal.
The four of them played along, saying as long as I was happy, they’d back me up, no matter what.
They were in sync, acting like they knew nothing, taking my word as gospel.
But with the internet these days, and the scandal blowing up online? How could they not know?
A she-wolf betrayed by her mate, provoked by his side piece, slandered by his mother-how much pain was I hiding? No way I was shrugging it off this easily.
But they couldn’t help.
Not really.
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All they could do was not add to my burdens.
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I saw through their careful, clumsy acting, and my heart stung like a crushed lemon.
I was grown, and they were still playing pretend to comfort me.
What a lousy daughter I was.
I swore I’d never let myself sink this low again.
I stayed for three days. I’d only wrangled five days off from Alpha Gideon, and that was by pushing my luck. If
I didn’t get back to work, he’d probably fire me.
I had to return, but I asked my parents to stay a bit longer until my business with Alpha Adrian was settled.
Dad and Grandma agreed.
Before heading out, I powered on my phone to check how the online storm had brewed. I hadn’t won, but
neither had they.
As expected. Still, they’d taken the bigger hit.
They represented the Blackwood and Quinn packs. Me? Just myself.
I skimmed messages, brushing off the fake concern from nosy wolves.
But a text from Erin, my old pal at Helixon, stopped me cold.
Sent three days ago.
Erin said the Helixon project was in trouble-Quinnvale’s loan had been frozen by Hartley.
Hartley
My heart skipped a beat. I called Erin immediately. “Tell me about it.”
Erin slipped into a stairwell, keeping her voice low.
“Quinnvale says it was Alpha Gideon himself who ordered the hold. Something about the scandal risking the project’s repayment. They’re re-auditing it. I know I’m with Helixon, so it’s weird to say, but Alpha Gideon’s a badass.”
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“Word is, that day at lunch, Alpha Adrian went to the Quinns’, and it got ugly. The Quinns threatened to kill the project if he didn’t bind with Vanessa. Alpha Adrian shot back that he only loves…”
Erin’s voice dropped to a whisper.
“He only loves his mate. You, Vivian. He said he’d never bind with Vanessa.”
“Right when the fight blew up, Damien’s secretary rushed in to tell him about the loan freeze. It’s like Alpha Gideon’s got a crystal ball or something.”
I grinned.
“Badass.”
I paused, then pressed, “So, the project’s toast?”
Erin said, “Damien’s been camped out in Alpha Adrian’s office every day. No one knows if it’s about his sister or the project. They went to Hartley twice, but Alpha Gideon wouldn’t see them.”
Alpha Gideon had stepped up for me the second the scandal broke.
и
Not only did he make the Blackwoods and Quinns squirm, but he’d keep them squirming.
The Quinns probably wanted to lock Vanessa in a cage by now.
The Quinns’ threats to tank the project were just hot air-Alpha Adrian knew it.
But Alpha Gideon’s loan freeze? That was real.
PANELLS
Hanging up, I stood in the yard, staring at the endless blue sea under a bright sky, soft clouds drifting lazily. I had to admit, having someone in my corner felt damn good.
The drive to Cloud Pack was seven hours.
I’d hit the pack around nine p.m.
I was in high spirits the whole way, feeling lighter than ever, swearing I’d pour my all into Hartley -give it
everything I had.
I stepped out of a rest stop bathroom and headed to the parking lot.
A wolf on the grassy edge, talking on his phone, made me pause.
I’d seen him at the first rest stop.
A faint unease had stirred then, and now I knew why.
Three nights ago, at a convenience store along the way, he’d been there too.
My pulse quickened.
I slipped my hand into my coat pocket, keeping my face neutral, and got into my car.
I locked the doors, put on an eye mask, and reclined my seat, pretending to nap.
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Through a gap under the mask, I could see everything ahead.
The wolf, maybe in his thirties, average height, tanned, in a T-shirt, jacket, and jeans-forgettable.
He was smoking, laughing into his phone, but his eyes flicked toward my car now and then.
