Chapter 192
Chapter 192:
“Open it,” Dallas rasped.
He sat at the head of the table, his skin pale and clammy, dark circles bruising the skin beneath his eyes. He hadn’t touched his breakfast.
I flipped the folder open. It was a deed — a transfer of ownership for the Parrish Pack’s ancestral hunting lodge. A property worth millions, nestled in the mountains.
“Compensation,” Dallas said, his voice devoid of warmth. “For the inconvenience Katherine caused you. I seized their assets this morning. The lodge is yours p>
My stomach twisted. “Inconvenience? Is that what you call being kidnapped and nearly drowned?” I pushed the folder back toward him. “I don’t want their scraps, Dallas. I don’t want a trophy from the people who tried to kill me p>
𝘋ow𝗇𝗅𝘰𝘢𝖽𝘢𝘣𝗅𝗲 𝗣𝖣𝗙𝘴 𝗈ո
“It is not a request, Adella.” His eyes flashed, the Lycan within him pacing just beneath the surface. “It is an asset. Security. You will take it p>
“I am not a charity case,” I snapped, my voice trembling with anger and humiliation. “You can’t buy my peace of mind with real estate p>
Dallas leaned forward, his jaw tight. “Sign the papers, or I will have Duncan burn the lodge to the ground by noon. I will turn a million-dollar asset into a pile of ash just to prove a point. Is that what you want p>
I stared at him, horrified. He meant it. He would destroy a piece of history just to force his protection onto me. It wasn’t a gift — it was a golden collar.
Defeated, I snatched the pen and scrawled my name. The ink felt heavy, binding me tighter to him, to this world of violence and transactions.
As Dallas reached for the signed folder, his tablet lit up on the table. I caught a glimpse of a Mind-Link transcription from Duncan: Unusual Rogue movements reported near the southern border. Coordinated?
Dallas saw me looking and swiped the notification away with a sharp, jerky motion. The movement cost him. He flinched, a hiss of pain escaping through his teeth, and his hand flew to his left side.
That was when I saw it.
A dark, wet stain was blooming on his crisp white shirt, just above his ribs — spreading fast, the crimson center bordered by a sickly black edge.
“You’re bleeding,” I said, rising to my feet.
“It’s nothing,” he growled, reaching for the folder. “Duncan, take the files and p>
“Duncan, get out,” I said, my voice cutting clean through the room.
The Beta hesitated, glancing between his Alpha and me.
“Leave us,” Dallas commanded quietly, his breathing labored. Duncan nodded and disappeared into the hallway.
I walked around the table to Dallas. “Take off your shirt p>
“Adella, I said it’s p>
“Take it off, Dallas!” The fear in my chest overrode every other instinct.
He glared at me, but his hands shook as he worked the buttons. When he peeled the fabric away, I gasped.