Chapter 589
Ragnar’s roar dulled to a rumble. Dallas fixed Anson with a look that could stop a heart. “Touch her world, Fowler, and yours ends.” He turned and limped toward the second SUV with Duncan, the doors slamming shut, tires shrieking as it pulled away.
Anson smiled — slow and predatory. “Join me at the Obsidian Lounge? Five minutes. Blackwood business.”
Vance materialized from the shadows, his flint eyes hard and watchful. I gave a measured nod. “We’re listening.”
The Obsidian Lounge’s private booth was dim, its walls lined with runes that blocked all surveillance. The air smelled of whiskey and leather. Anson leaned forward, his eyes gleaming with something between ambition and hunger.
“Dallas can’t Mark you,” he said, his voice low. “The silver took that from him. And you’re pregnant.” His gaze dropped briefly to my stomach. “I know. Marry me. I’ll Mark you, claim the pup as the Silver Creek heir. Secure your future.”
The shock hit me like ice water. How could he possibly know? But fury burned hotter than the surprise. Beyond the bamboo curtain, I felt Vance tense.
I laughed — cold and deliberate. “You think love is a transaction? Dallas took silver blades for me. A so-called cripple who bleeds for his Mate is worth more than a thousand scheming Alphas measuring bonds by bloodlines.”
Anson’s composure cracked, pride splintering beneath the surface. “He’s broken. And Dosha is free — corrupt Elders sprung her from the Vault. She’s coming for him. For you both. Leave now, or drown with your defective King.”
I rose to my feet, my chin high. “Then I’ll drown with him. My pup has one father. I have one Mate.”
His eyes darkened. “You’ll regret—”
“Try me.” I turned, Vance falling into step behind me, and the door sealed shut at our backs like a vow.
Adella POV
Vance shadowed me out of the Obsidian Lounge, his presence a steady anchor in the humid night air. Anson’s parting words — “You’ll regret—” — echoed in my ears, but I shoved them down. I had already hissed the warning back through the closing door: “Dosha’s free. Tell Dallas.”
My burner buzzed before we reached the SUV. Bella Rose’s message chilled me deeper than the wind: Anson failed. She’s en route to The Sanctuary.
Duncan’s voice came through the secure line a moment later. “Alpha’s at hydrotherapy. High-intensity session. Alone.”
I slid into the SUV, my heart pounding. “Drive to the Estate. Fast.”
The sunroom’s glass walls framed the storm-lashed pines beyond, rain hammering the windows like claws. I paced with one hand resting on my belly, trying to steady my breathing — and then a sharp, searing pain lanced through our fractured mate-bond. Dallas’s agony. Raw, silver-scorched fire pouring through the connection between us.
I snatched the secure line. “Duncan, status?”
“He’s pushing his limits in the pool, Luna. The Healer has been locked out per his orders.”
Before I could respond, the door burst open. Vance stormed in, his face ashen. “Disaster. Dosha’s convoy — a Gulfstream just touched down at the Blackwood airfield. She’s heading straight for The Sanctuary’s VIP entrance. Four Warriors. No clearance.”