Chapter 283
Chapter 283:
The silence that followed was deafening. Braydon stared at me, searching for a lie, for hesitation. He found none. The hope in his eyes died, replaced by a cold, hollow darkness that sent a shiver down my spine.
He straightened his jacket, his face settling into a politician’s blank slate.
“Fine,” Braydon said, his voice devoid of emotion. He looked at Dallas, a sneer curling his lip. “A King who can’t protect his Queen is no King at all. If you let her get hurt again, Marshall, I will make sure every Pack knows it p>
With one last lingering look at me — a look that promised this wasn’t truly over — he turned and walked out.
As the door clicked shut, the tension drained from Dallas’s shoulders, though the dangerous glint in his eyes remained. He turned back to me, his thumb tracing soothing circles on my skin.
“He’s gone,” Dallas promised.
I nodded, but my mind was already racing to the next threat. “My family — Silas and Maeve. They’ll come for me. Or they’ll sell everything my mother left behind. The debt p>
“Handled,” Dallas cut in, his tone final.
𝖫𝖺tе𝘀t c𝗁а𝗉𝘵еr𝘀 𝗼𝘯.с𝗈m
I blinked. “What p>
“I acquired the debt,” Dallas said calmly, as if discussing the weather. “I bought the Mistwood Hollow Pack’s liabilities this morning. They have been absorbed into Blackwood. Your cousin and his wife answer to me now p>
My heart stopped. The cold feeling of being a commodity rushed back. “You… bought them?” I pulled my hand away from his, panic rising in my chest. “What’s the difference between you buying their Pack and Braydon paying my ransom? Am I just property to be traded between Alphas? Is that all I am p>
Dallas’s expression shattered. He moved instantly, capturing my face in his large, warm hands and forcing me to look into his obsidian eyes. “No,” he growled, the sound vibrating against my skin. “Never property, Adella. Never p>
“Then why?” I choked out, tears stinging my eyes.
“I didn’t buy your past, little wolf. I eliminated the threat,” he said fiercely. “Mistwood Hollow is now yours. Do with it as you please — burn it to the ground, evict them, enslave them. I don’t care. But they will never hurt you again.” He leaned his forehead against mine, his breath mingling with mine. “I am your shield, Adella. Not your cage p>
The sincerity in his voice broke the dam. He wasn’t controlling me; he was handing me the sword I needed to cut my own chains.
“Mine?” I whispered.
“Yours,” he vowed. “Everything I have is yours p>
I let out a shaky breath and leaned into his touch, finally believing him. The ghosts of my past were still there, but for the first time, I wasn’t facing them alone.
Adella
The silence in the room wasn’t empty — it was heavy with the weight of unsaid things. Early morning light began to bleed through the blinds, painting stripes of pale grey and rose across the sterile white floor tiles. It felt like a new beginning, but I knew I couldn’t step into it until I buried the ghost of the last one.