Chapter 601
“Anson wants something permanent,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “He wants you to become the Blood-sworn Guardian to the first pup I produce.”
A deafening, feral snarl ripped through the room. Azalea lunged forward, her eyes flashing with her wolf’s absolute fury, but I threw my arm out and stopped her inches from the table.
Across from us, Sloane’s face drained of all color. Her breath hitched as the brutal reality settled over her — Anson was publicly reducing her to nothing more than a breeding vessel for his political ambitions.
My blood ran cold. As a wolfless, I had no Inner Wolf to roar in response, but my mind raced with terrifying clarity. A Blood-sworn Guardian wasn’t simply a godparent. In our world, it was an ancient, magically binding vow — one that would permanently tether my future to his bloodline.
Anson didn’t care about the pup. He wanted to forge an unbreakable chain around my neck and drag me into his sphere of influence forever. It was the ultimate insult to Dallas — a test to see if he could spiritually dominate the Alpha King’s Fated Mate.
“You sick, arrogant bastard,” Azalea spat, her claws extending.
“Do we have a deal, Adella?” Sloane asked, echoing Anson’s words with hollow obedience. “Or do you want to go back to your crippled King empty-handed and wait for Dosha to slaughter you both?”
I stared at the glowing crystal. It was the key to Dosha’s execution — the only way to ensure my unborn child would be safe from her poison. If a magical tether to Anson’s ego was the price of my family’s survival, I would pay it.
“I accept your terms,” I said, my voice like ice.
Sloane slid the Memory Crystal across the smooth obsidian surface. I snatched it, feeling the cold stone bite into my palm. I had won the weapon. But I had just willingly stepped into Anson’s snare.
Before Sloane could speak again, a sharp, jarring ring shattered the silence.
Sloane flinched violently, her eyes going wide with terror. She fumbled with her clutch and pulled out a cheap burner phone. The moment she answered, her face mutated into absolute, paralyzing horror.
“No — please, no,” Sloane sobbed, her hands shaking so violently the phone nearly slipped from her grasp. She looked up, tears streaming down her face. “It’s Dosha. She has William. The human. She intercepted me before I could reach the safe house — she’s been holding him. She says if I don’t bring the crystal back to the Crimson Paw border within the hour, her Warriors will tear him to pieces.”
The triumphant atmosphere in the room evaporated instantly.
I rose slowly, my eyes locked on Sloane. “Then we have a problem. Dosha doesn’t get the crystal. But we also don’t let an innocent die.”
I turned to Azalea. “Get Vance. We’re going to need a rescue team.”
The negotiation was over. The war had just begun.