Chapter 128

Chapter 128:

If I stepped out now — if I pulled Adella away from Braydon — I would be handing her directly to Augusta. My aunt would see us together. She would see the King brawling in the street over a wolfless girl, the very girl she had already deemed unworthy. She would use her authority as an Elder to detain Adella for “investigation,” finally having the excuse she needed to act on her prejudice. And if she blew Adella’s cover, Braydon would know she was a spy. He would kill her before I could blink.

I looked back at Adella. She had shoved Braydon away. She was shouting something at him, her spine straight, her eyes fierce. She was fighting. She was holding her own.

She wasn’t a victim waiting to be rescued. She was an operative holding her ground. If I intervened, I would ruin her plan and condemn her to Augusta’s wrath in a single move.

The choice tasted like ash and bile.

“Drive,” I choked out, slamming the door shut.

The driver hesitated, sensing the murderous aura radiating from me. “Sir p>

“I said drive!” I roared, the command laced with Alpha power that made the man flinch. “Go — before I kill them all p>

The car peeled away from the curb and merged into traffic just seconds before Augusta’s headlights washed over the spot where we had been. In the rearview mirror, I watched Adella standing alone in the rain with the monster.

𝗨p𝖽a𝗍e𝗌 𝖾𝘷𝖾𝗋𝘆 𝘸𝗲е𝗄 oո

I felt like a coward. I felt like I was tearing my own heart from my chest and leaving it on the wet asphalt.

You have a death wish, Hyde, I vowed silently, the promise etched bone-deep as the distance between us grew. Enjoy your breath while you can. Because when she is done with you, I will burn your world to ash.

Adella’s POV

The rain felt like ice against my skin, but the hand gripping my arm burned like a brand.

“Get off me!” I screamed, the sound tearing through the roar of the downpour.

I didn’t just pull away — I fought. Channeling every ounce of strength I had built since leaving this hellhole, I drove the heel of my boot down onto the arch of Braydon’s expensive leather shoe. He hissed, his grip loosening just enough for me to wrench my arm free. I stumbled back, chest heaving, wiping the rain from my eyes to glare at him.

“I am here for your mother, Braydon. Not you. Never you p>

Braydon didn’t lunge. He didn’t strike. Instead, he straightened his coat with deliberate calm, a slow, venomous smile spreading across his face. It was a look I knew too well — the look of a predator toying with a mouse that believed it had escaped.

“My, my,” he drawled, stepping closer, unbothered by the storm. “The Lycan King has taught his little wolfless pet to show her teeth. Does he let you off the leash often p>

“You’re disgusting,” I spat, though the word pet stung more than I wanted to admit.

Braydon chuckled — a dark sound that vibrated in the wet air. He raised a hand and pointed a long finger toward the end of the street. “Speaking of your master p>

I turned. My heart hammered against my ribs as I caught the distinctive taillights of a black Maybach fading into the gloom at the intersection. It was Dallas’s car. I knew those lights. I knew that silhouette.

He had been here. He had seen us.