Chapter 583
He answered. His free hand crushed the crystal glass he was holding, and shards scattered across the stone balustrade, glittering in the dark. He relayed her message in a flat, controlled voice: she was warning him to reject me, calling me a defective wolfless, urging him to marry Seraphina for strong heirs. She would be visiting Marshall Enterprises the following morning. Open war.
Ragnar’s howl shuddered through our bond. Dallas began to pace, his limp heavier than usual. “I’m canceling my meetings. I’ll accompany you to the Pack Healer for the checkup.”
“No.” I stepped directly in front of him, pressing my hand flat against his taut chest. “An Alpha King does not hide. You go to your throne and show them that whispers cannot shake an empire.”
He stilled. His golden eyes searched mine, and Ragnar slowly quieted to a low, protective purr. Dallas’s grip found my waist, pulling me close.
“For you,” he murmured. “For him.”
His hand spread wide over my belly. Our pup gave a faint, answering kick. But even as he held us both, his jaw tightened, his gaze drifting into the darkness beyond the balcony — and I knew he was already standing inside tomorrow’s storm.
Adella POV
The morning air in the Marshall Estate’s private garage was cool and still, thick with the smell of polished concrete. I sat in the back of the armored SUV, waiting for Dallas to finish his security briefing inside. Last night’s resolve had hardened into steel in my veins, but the battlefield was about to shift in a way neither of us had anticipated.
My encrypted burner phone vibrated against my palm. A message from Bella Rose.
I opened the attached file, and the cold, clinical text burned my eyes like a brand: Severe spinal nerve damage. Dire Guard PTSD evaluation. Permanent reproductive trauma due to silver toxicity. Incapable of completing the Marking ritual.
Beneath the stolen medical records was a frantic message from the information broker: Seraphina bought the Zurich files from her assistant. She’s at the Four Seasons executive lounge right now, gathering RogueNet reporters. She’s going to broadcast his medical records to the world, Adella.
My blood ran cold, instantly replaced by a blinding, protective fury. I couldn’t let Dallas walk into a public slaughter of his pride. I wouldn’t let them parade his deepest wounds for cheap entertainment.
“Duncan,” I said, my voice eerily calm as I met the Beta’s eyes in the rearview mirror. “Change of plans. Take me to the Four Seasons. Now.”
Duncan’s expression spiked with sudden anxiety. “Luna, the Alpha King is already moving. Dr. Alistair Vance just reported the breach. Dallas ordered the immediate severing of all magical energy to the Vance family’s Moon-Cress plantations. He’s financially executing them as we speak.”
“Financial ruin won’t stop a press conference,” I replied sharply.
I pulled up Dallas’s encrypted contact and typed a rapid message: I am handling Seraphina. The Four Seasons. Do not interfere. This is a Luna’s domain.
The exact second I hit send, the muted mate-bond in my chest erupted. A tidal wave of primal panic and Ragnar’s deafening, possessive roar slammed into my mind. Dallas wasn’t just angry — he was terrified for me.