Chapter 490
Dying?
The word sent an involuntary, phantom ache through my chest—a cruel echo of a severed mate-bond. But the sharp pain was instantly swallowed by a tidal wave of bitter realization. Dallas hadn’t just abandoned me for Yara; he had left my parents’ memory completely defenseless. He was so consumed by his new life that he had let my family’s legacy fall into the hands of a monster.
“What do you want, Braydon?” I whispered, the fight draining out of me.
“Get in the car,” he commanded softly. “We’re going to have a civilized dinner at The Lighthouse. Just like old times.”
Thirty minutes later, I was sitting in a plush booth at The Lighthouse, an upscale seafood restaurant perched on the edge of the East River. The city lights flickered across the dark, freezing water outside the window.
The waiter had placed a crystal flute of expensive champagne in front of Braydon and a simple glass of ice water in front of me. It was a perfect, sickening metaphor for the power dynamic between us.
“Do you remember our first anniversary here?” Braydon murmured, taking a slow sip of his champagne. “You wore that blue dress. You looked like a Queen even back then.”
“Cut the nostalgic bullshit,” I snapped, my voice low and trembling with suppressed rage. “You didn’t hijack my parents’ blood-debt to reminisce. Tell me what you want.”
Braydon’s fake smile vanished, replaced by the cold, calculating stare of an Alpha accustomed to taking whatever he desired. He reached into the inner pocket of his tailored suit jacket and pulled out a thick manila folder, dropping it onto the table with a heavy thud.
“I want to merge our bloodlines, Adella,” he said, his voice dropping to a deadly serious register. “The Hyde Pack will absorb all the debt. I will pour millions into the Everett lands, restoring them to their former glory. Your parents’ legacy will be untouchable.”
I stared at the folder, my heart hammering against my ribs. “And in exchange?”
Braydon leaned across the table, his eyes locking onto mine with a sickening possessiveness. “In exchange, you accept my Marking. You become my Luna. You belong to me—permanently.”
The word permanently hung in the air between us, thick and suffocating. Braydon’s eyes were dark with predatory hunger. For a fraction of a second, the sheer weight of his offer paralyzed me. My parents’ legacy—the sprawling Everett lands, the ancient forests, the manor I grew up in—dangled right in front of me. All I had to do was bare my neck and let a monster sink his teeth into my flesh.
Disgust clawed violently up my throat.
“I am not a piece of property to be traded, Braydon,” I hissed, my voice trembling with rage and revulsion. “And despite everything, my bond with Dallas isn’t completely severed. I would never accept your Marking.”
Braydon’s confident smirk shattered, replaced by a vicious sneer. He leaned back, swirling the expensive champagne in his glass. “Your bond? Don’t make me laugh, Adella. Dallas bought you with a cold, sterile contract. And the second he got bored, he threw you away for a warrior whore.”