Chapter 4
ADELINE
Everything happened in a blur after that moment. There was a burial, one I knew I attended, but I couldn’t remember a single detail of it. The numbness of grief swallowed me whole, leaving only fragments behind.
Devon had betrayed me. He had broken my heart, Still, his death had shattered me completely. The worst part of all was that Nicholas did not care for my gret.
His exact words after he pulled me from the burial were, “You made a promise in me, Adeline, and I do not take lightly to people breaking their
promises.
And that was why I found myself seated in his office, my hands trembling as I stared at the paper in front of me. His cold, commanding voice echoed in the vast, intimidating space. “Sign it.”
I snapped my head upwards, wiping away the tear that blurred my vision. “How can you be so cruel? The man I love just died, and you’re really going make me do this?”
Nicholas let out a bored sigh, his icy blue eyes staring right through me. “Tell me you haven’t thought about how much your sister will suffer. Tell me it isn’t satisfying, knowing there will be no father to raise her child. Your parents will hate her because she drove you away from them.”
I blinked, the words leaving my lips in a stutter, “…… wouldn’t. That’s not… Stop Stop putting things in my head.”
A slow, deadly smile spread across his face. He leaned forward, his eyes pinning me in place, his voice like a whisper of ice. “You see, Adeline, you and aren’t so different. You hide what you are while I let the world see it–that evil”
“I am not evil“i gritted out, my hands shaking on my lap. “And my sister deserves everything she’s getting, but that doesn’t change the fact that I loved Devon. And now he is dead, and maybe if I had just-
“Just what?” Nicholas interrupted, raising one perfect brow. I hated how much I hated it as much as I liked it.
“Just forgiven him? Play pretend until they eventually kicked you to the curb?” He leaned back, giving me room to breathe. “That man did not love you. Any man who loved you would never cheat on you.”
A bitter snort escaped me before I could stop it. “I heard that you murdered an entire pack because one person wronged you, and you think you’re in a position to give advice on love?”
He didn’t flinch, only smiled with a wicked curl of his lips. “I’m glad you know what I’m capable of Now stop wasting my time and sign it.”
My eyes slid back to the papers in front of me. This was what happened when I let that part of me buried seep through. I hated how right he was. I hid that part of me one that believed Devon’s death was his punishment for breaking my heart. A part that thrived on the fact that my sister, Rose, was now
But I couldn’t let him mess with my head. I had to stop the spiral. “Why do you even need a Luna in the first place, and why for two years?”
Nicholas rose from his seat, walking away from me toward the corner of his office where a small bar sat. I watched as he poured himself a drink, taking his time like he had all the power in the world–which he did.
He turned to me, taking a sip from his glass. “Don’t look so offended. I never share a drink with anyone. Now…” He walked back, perching himself casually on the edge of his desk, as if the gravity of the situation meant nothing to him. “You’re finally asking the right questions.”
He spoke with the kind of nonchalance that made me feel like a mere speck in his world. My eyes couldn’t help but be drawn to him–how he moved, how
whe commanded attention. He walked like a king without needing to declare it
“You see, I find myself in a bit of a dilemma, Nicholas drawled, his voice laced with amusement. “Someone–perhaps more than one wants me dead.”
My mouth all open, words failing me.
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Chapter 4
Nicholas’s gare darkened. “It’s not a new thing. People in my position are always hunted, but this time, it’s different. The threat is smart, unprediciati
His eyes flashed with an edge of anger. “This time, I’m forced to do something I’ve never cared for–make alliances and
“What does that have to do with me?” Lasked, unable to stop the words from spilling out, “What does that have to do with getting a Luna?”
“Don’t interrupt mo. Adeline.” His tone turned dangerously low, and my heart pounded in response, immediately cast my gaze downward in submission.
Atense silence passed before he continued. “I do not just consider ordinary werewolves beneath me. Many Lycans fall into the same category. But there’s one Lycan i want to align with.”
He looked at me, his gaze intense, as though he could see through to my soul. I sucked in a sharp breath
“I went to him, and his exact words were, “I have much at stake, Nicholas–my wife, my children, my family. You? You only have a throne. That’s not enough. If you want my loyalty, you need to know what it feels like to truly fear loss.“”
The full picture hit me like a wave, and I rose to my feet, backing away in disbelief. “There is no way in hell I am signing that contract. You want me to play pretend Luna and inherit all your enemies?” My hands trembled. The madness of my situation hit me even harder. “You want me to be a pawn? Something to lose?”
“Sit. Back. Down.”
The threat in the command was glaring but there was no way I was signing a death sentence. I shook my head, grabbed my things, and made for the door. “Go to hell”
It happened in a flash, One moment I was at the door; the next, I was slammed against it. My back hit the cold surface, and his hand clamped around my throat. I gasped for air as Nicholas’s dark, predatory eyes bored into mine.
“I have been to hell,” he hissed, his voice low and menacing, “and even the devil knows not to cross me.
“Please, stop it,” I choked out, clawing at his hand but it was no use. My wolf was cowering, completely subdued by his overpowering aura.
“Listen to me carefully, Adeline,” Nicholas whispered darkly. “I’m going to let you go. Then you’re going to sign that contract, or I’ll rip your head off right here. After that, I’ll lay waste to every single person you’ve ever spoken to. Do you understand?”
I nodded, as much as I could with his grip on my throat, and he released me. I collapsed onto the floor, gasping for air, my entire body shaking uncontrollably.
Nicholas was already back in front of me, holding the papers and a pen, like he hadn’t just threatened my life. “Why?” The question tore through because it was the only one I could think of, “Why did you choose me?” I asked, my voice breaking with fear and confusion.
He smiled, cold and calculating. “Like I said, you have a spark, and if I’m forced to play pretend, I needed someone interesting. Someone tolerable. And there you were.”
Tears welled in my eyes as I struggled to stand. “And if I had married Devon? If my sister hadn’t ruined it?”
Nicholas’s expression didn’t change. “I like to think the universe always works in my favor.” He stopped toward me, handing me the pen. “Two years wil be enough for me to destroy whoever is daring to challenge me. You’ll play your part. You’ll help me seal this alliance. You’ll pretend to be happy. You’ll pretend to be in love. Now, sign.”
With trembling hands, I took the pen. “Please… don’t do this to me. Please,” I begged, my voice barely a whisper.
His gaze was unyielding. “Sign. It,”
Tinhaled deeply, trying to summon the strength I had left. Then, with a single, heavy stroke, scribbled my name across the paper
I know I should have run the moment I heard his name. I knew what he was. The whole world knew what he was but in my foolish quest for revenge, I had made the worst decision of my life.
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Chapter 4
Now, I was bound to a monster. A monster that wanted to use me as collateral damage.
Then as if to permanently seal my fate of inevitable death, he uttered his final words, “In two years, you’ll either be free–or you’ll be bur who failed me.”
21:46 Wed, 11 Jun
Chapter 4
Now, I was bound to a monster. A monster that wanted to use me as collateral damage.
Then as if to permanently seal my fate of inevitable death, he uttered his final words, “In two y who failed me.”
two years, y
you’ll either be free or you’ll be buried beside those who failed me.
