Chapter 51
Chapter 51:
I pushed off the door, legs trembling, and moved toward the massive obsidian desk in the center of the room. This space was just another cage, smelling of old paper, leather, and him.
My phone buzzed in my pocket, startling me so badly I nearly dropped it. I pulled it out, and the blood drained from my face.
Victoria Hyde.
My thumb hovered over the decline button, but a morbid curiosity — or perhaps a deeply ingrained habit of obedience — made me slide it to answer.
“Adella, darling!” Victoria’s voice poured through the speaker, dripping with a sickly sweetness that barely masked the venom underneath. “I was beginning to think you’d forgotten us entirely, tucked away in your ivory tower p>
“What do you want, Victoria?” I asked, my grip tightening on the phone.
“Direct as always. How… quaint,” she purred. “I’m calling to extend a personal invitation. Braydon and Katherine’s engagement party is tomorrow night at The Plaza. It’s going to be the event of the season.” She paused — a beat too long to be theatrical. When she spoke again, her voice lost some of its sharp edge. “I know we haven’t always seen eye to eye, Adella. But… you were part of this family once. Whether you believe it or not p>
𝗔𝗱𝘥𝘪𝗰𝗍𝘪𝗏𝖾 s𝘵𝗼𝘳𝗶𝗲𝗌 𝗼𝗻.со𝘮
My stomach churned. “I’m not coming p>
The silence on the other end stretched. For a moment, I thought she might say something real. But then the mask slid back into place.
“Oh, I expected as much,” she sighed theatrically. “That’s what I told the girls at the club. ‘Poor Adella,’ I said. ‘She’s probably too ashamed to show her face.’ After all, it must be hard being a wolfless charity case hiding in the shadow of the Alpha King. It’s safer for you to stay hidden, isn’t it? Less… embarrassing for everyone p>
Her words were calculated precision strikes, tearing at the scars I had spent years trying to conceal. She wanted me to cower. She wanted me to confirm that I was exactly what they thought — weak, broken, nothing.
“You can bring a guest,” she added, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. “If you can find anyone willing to be seen with you, that is p>
Something inside me snapped. It wasn’t the bond, or a wolf I didn’t possess. It was just me. Adella.
“I’ll be there,” I said, my voice cold and steady.
Another pause — shorter this time, but weighted with something I couldn’t name.
“Good,” Victoria said quietly. Then, almost as an afterthought: “Don’t be late p>
The line went dead.
I lowered the phone, my hand shaking with a mixture of rage and adrenaline. I had just walked into a trap. I knew it. But I couldn’t let them win. Not again.
“Who was it p>
The deep, rumbling voice came from the doorway. I spun around. Dallas was leaning against the frame, arms crossed over his chest. I hadn’t heard him approach. His expression was granite, but his eyes swirled with a storm of gold — he could smell the distress rolling off me in waves.