Chapter 471
I stepped back and forced myself to breathe. Brute force wouldn’t get me through those doors. I needed a key he couldn’t ignore.
And I knew exactly who that was.
Duncan
Brute force wouldn’t get me through those penthouse doors. But I didn’t need to reach Dallas to save him — I needed his surgeon.
I bypassed the executive elevators and headed straight for the High-Security Trauma Wing at the Blackwood Pack Medical Center. The suite felt like a sterile fortress. Cold blue light from the X-ray boxes illuminated the horrifying scans of a decaying Lycan heart, reflecting off Dr. Alistair Vance’s glasses as he paced behind his desk.
“I can’t do it, Duncan,” Dr. Vance said, his voice tight with panic as I cornered him. “Operating on the Alpha King without his consent is tantamount to murder. If he dies on that table, the Elders will execute me for treason.”
“He is dying right now!” I slammed my hands onto his desk. “His mate-bond is severed, and the silver is eating him alive because he believes his death is the only way to save Adella from the Silver Claws. I will not let my King die for a martyr’s delusion.”
Vance shook his head, backing away. “No consent form, no surgery.”
“Fine,” I growled, my inner wolf surging forward with a desperate, reckless plan. “Call my lawyers. I will sign a Blood Decree right now — I will take full, legally binding responsibility for forcing this surgery. If he dies, or if he wakes up and demands a head, it will be mine. You will be completely absolved.”
Vance froze, his eyes widening.
“And in return,” I continued, lowering my voice to a lethal, persuasive register, “I will use the Alpha King’s proxy to grant you unlimited funding from the Marshall conglomerate. You will have your state-of-the-art medical center dedicated to silver-poison research. Your legacy will be untouchable.”
The silence in the room was deafening. Vance stared at me, weighing the terrifying risk against the irresistible reward. He swallowed hard, his professional detachment cracking under the weight of my offer.
“Have your lawyers draft the decree immediately,” Vance finally breathed out. He turned to the intercom on his desk, his hand trembling slightly before he pressed the button. “Prepare OR 1. Maximum sterile protocols. Notify the cardiac team — we have a Lycan heart to repair.”
Adella POV
The air in Isabelle Thorne’s glass-walled office was suffocating, but I kept my spine rigid. I slid the paperwork across her massive desk.
“A six-month unpaid leave of absence,” Isabelle read aloud, her sharp eyes flicking up to meet mine.
“According to the Pack Employment Codex, since the Alpha King indefinitely suspended funding for the Moonlight Accord Initiative, the project lead is entitled to an immediate, penalty-free sabbatical,” I stated, my voice devoid of the heartbreak tearing me apart inside.