Chapter 90
Chapter 90:
I picked it up. The metal was cold, heavy with the scent of earth and blood. It bore a crest of a wolf with two heads, crowned by thorns.
“It’s a royal crest,” I whispered, running my thumb over the worn grooves. “But not Alpha lineage — this is Lycan. Specifically, the Valerius bloodline, pre-Great War. You can tell by the number of thorns in the crown. Seven, for the seven original families p>
Silence stretched between us, thick and heavy. Augusta studied me as if I were a puzzle she was reassembling.
“Impressive,” she murmured. “Most scholars believe the Valerius line used a single-headed wolf.” She leaned forward, her aura flaring — a crushing weight that made the air thin. “You have a mind for history, Ms. Everett. A pity your own bloodline is so… uninspired p>
The insult was casual, designed to test my temper. I bit the inside of my cheek and refused to rise to the bait.
“Skill is common, Ms. Everett,” Augusta continued, leaning back. “Loyalty is rare. If you work for S&D, you handle the secrets of the most powerful Packs in the country. You become a vault. You do not belong to Dallas. You do not belong to the Hydes. You belong to S&D p>
The pressure in the room spiked. It was a test — she was trying to make me submit, to bow my head like a good little wolfless girl.
I met her gaze, channeling every ounce of defiance Dallas had sparked in me. “I will protect your secrets, Elder Marshall. I will give you my skill and my dedication. But I do not belong to S&D.” I paused, my voice steady. “I belong to myself p>
For a heartbeat, I thought she might throw me out. Then the corner of her mouth twitched upward — not a smile of approval, but the smirk of a warden who had just locked the cell door.
𝘛𝗁𝗲 𝗯e𝗌𝗍 𝗋е𝘢𝖽𝗂n𝗀 eх𝘱е𝗿𝗶е𝗻ce о𝗻 𝗀a𝘭n𝗼𝗏е𝘭ѕ.𝗰𝗼𝘮
“The only correct answer,” she said, the pressure vanishing instantly. “Welcome to the team, Adella. Your first project is the war archives of the Blackwood Pack. You start tomorrow. And remember — my eyes are everywhere p>
By the time I returned to the penthouse, the sky was a bruised purple. I felt light, untethered, buzzing with an adrenaline high I had never experienced before. I had done it. Me. The wolfless reject.
“You’re glowing p>
Dallas was standing by the kitchen island, a glass of amber liquid in his hand. He looked devastatingly casual in a black t-shirt that clung to his broad shoulders, but his eyes were warm, tracking my every movement.
“I got the job,” I breathed, the reality finally sinking in. “She hired me on the spot p>
“I never doubted it.” He set his glass down and slid a long velvet box across the counter. “Congratulations, Adella p>
I approached it slowly. Inside, nestled in black silk, was a set of restoration tools unlike anything I had ever seen — scalpels, tweezers, and burnishers forged from a dark, rippled metal that seemed to absorb the light. Each one was engraved with my initials: A.E.