Chapter 279

Chapter 279
“Who sent you?” I snarled.
He laughed.
It was wet and broken, blood bubbling at the corner of his mouth. “Too late,” he gasped.
Rage exploded through me.
I drove my fist into his jaw, feeling bone shift beneath my knuckles. He went limp, consciousness slipping.
Strong hands were on me a second later.
“Nolan!” Cassian’s voice cut through the noise. He was there, crouched at my side, weapon already trained on the fallen man. “I’ve got him.”
I pushed myself up on one knee, breath coming hard, vision tunneling as adrenaline roared through my veins. My side burned, warm blood seeping through my shirt.
I didn’t care.
I looked up.
The balcony.
Ellie was standing now, terror etched across her face, arms wrapped tightly around both boys. I heard her scream my name-raw, breaking—and it tore something deep in my chest wide open.
Lance was already moving, his body angled protectively as he ushered them toward the reinforced exit at the rear of the balcony. His face was grim, focused, every inch the warrior beneath the charm.
The boys were crying now, high and frightened, clinging to Ellie as she stumbled forward under Lance’s guidance.
They were alive.
They were moving.
They were getting out.
My knees nearly gave out with the relief of it.
Security swarmed the aisle, weapons trained, medics already pushing through the chaos toward me. Cassian stayed close, one hand braced against my shoulder.
“You’re hit,” he said sharply.
“It’s nothing,” I snapped. “Get him out of here.”
They hauled the attacker to his feet, cuffs snapping into place, his head lolling as he
was dragged away. Even unconscious, he looked satisfied.
That terrified me more than the gun had
Chapter 279
+25 Bonus
I staggered upright, ignoring the protests of the medic who grabbed my arm.
“Nolan, sit down-”
“No,” I growled. “Where’s my family?”
“Evacuated,” Cassian said firmly. “They’re secure.”
If the words had come from anyone but Cassian, they wouldn’t have been enough.
My wolf finally eased back, the immediate threat neutralized, but the tremor beneath my skin didn’t fade. It only sharpened.
Because this hadn’t been random.
This hadn’t been desperation.
This had been planned.
I looked back toward the stage.
The other alphas were gone, ushered away under heavy guard. The moderator was nowhere to be seen. Cameras were still rolling-somehow-and I knew with chilling certainty that every second of this would be replayed across the kingdom by morning.
Kieran’s podium stood empty.
I scanned the edge of the stage, heart hammering.
Then I saw him.
He stood just beyond the curtain line, partially obscured, his face pale-not with fear, but with shock. Real shock. His eyes were locked on the balcony exit, his hands clenched at his sides.
He must have sensed that he was being watched. His head turned, a sharp jerking motion.
Our gazes met.
Something passed between us then. Something raw and unfiltered. An
understanding that cut through the animosity that had always existed between us.
This wasn’t his plan.
But that didn’t make him innocent.
I turned away before he could say anything.
The medics finally forced me to sit, cutting away fabric to assess the wound. It was
shallow, painful but manageable. I barely noticed their hands.
All I could see was Ellie’s face when she’d screamed my name.
All I could hear was the boys crying.
I bowed my head, breath shuddering once despite my efforts to control it.
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Chapter 279
+25 Bonus
I had stood on that stage thinking about words. About optics. About the future I wanted to promise and how I could convince strangers to rely on me. All the while the people who mattered to me most stood to the side, sitting targets for those who would see me suffer.
And someone had tried to take everything from me in a single heartbeat. This wasn’t politics anymore.
This was war. It was a battle that I hadn’t wanted and one that had already crossed too many lines. A war with an enemy who hid their face and their goals. Somewhere deep in my chest, my wolf bared its teeth-not in rage, but in vow. No one touches my family.
I wouldn’t allow my mate and my boys to suffer because of my ambitions. They deserved better than that. They deserved peace.
I wouldn’t let anyone take that from them. Not for any reason, least of all my own ego.
Not today.
Not ever.