Chapter 519
“Ah, yes. The two-hundred-million-dollar lifeline from The Rogue Syndicate Bank,” I said, a dark, humorless smile touching my lips. “Did your lawyers bother to trace the shell companies, Marcus? If they had, they would have found that I registered that bank in the Cayman Islands five years ago.”
The silence in the chamber was absolute. The champagne in Braydon’s hand suddenly looked like poison.
Duncan calmly pulled a thick, leather-bound document from his jacket and tossed it onto the table. “The original loan agreement,” Duncan stated. “Bound by Pack magic. You owe the Alpha King.”
I watched Adella’s eyes widen in horror as the realization hit her. The Everett Trust—her parents’ sacred legacy that she had mortgaged to save this wretched Pack—was now entirely in my hands. I had handed her the very rope she used to hang herself.
“You set us up!” Braydon yelled, his face flushing with panic.
“You set yourself up, Braydon, when you attempted to force a Marking on my Mate,” I growled, letting the Alpha Command bleed into the microphone. “Which brings us to the Pack Honor Clause buried in page forty-two of your contract.”
Marcus turned ashen on his screen. He knew exactly what that clause meant.
“You have two choices,” I continued, my eyes locking onto Braydon’s terrified face. “Option A: I call in the debt right now. The Hyde Pack goes bankrupt by sunset, and you are exiled as a Rogue for attacking the Alpha King’s Mate.”
“And Option B?” Marcus choked out.
“Option B,” I said softly. “Braydon restores his honor by immediately completing a Marking ceremony with another she-wolf. Today.”
“Who?” Braydon demanded, his voice trembling.
“Chelsi Parrish.”
Braydon stumbled backward, knocking his chair over. “No! She’s a desperate, bankrupt nobody! You can’t force me to bind my soul to that—”
“You have twenty-four hours,” I said, my tone leaving no room for negotiation. “Chelsi has been waiting for this chance since her sister was sent away. She’ll say yes. And you, Braydon, will say yes. Or you lose everything.”
I shifted my gaze to the camera, focusing entirely on Adella. She looked utterly betrayed, suffocating under the weight of my ruthless manipulation. I pushed past the agonizing ache in my chest, forcing my Lycan energy through our fractured mate-bond.
I’m locking two vipers in the same cage, little wolf, I mind-linked her, my voice echoing in her head with dark, possessive finality. So they can never bite you again.
On the screen, Duncan stepped toward Adella and handed her a brand-new smartphone.
I watched as the screen lit up in her trembling hands. I already knew what it said. It was a photo of Chelsi Parrish’s hand, wearing the Hyde Luna ring—the very ring Braydon had tried to offer Adella—with a text: He asked. I said yes. See you at the wedding, darling.
Adella stared at the phone, her chest heaving with a mixture of shock and a brewing, explosive fury. I cut the feed, letting the black screen reflect my own pale, exhausted face. She would come for me now. I was counting on it.