Free Web NovelChapter 35: You Can’t Leave
Rhea’s heart hammered so violently against her ribs that the rushing blood roared in her ears, drowning out the distant, victorious howling of the pack outside.
She could barely think. She wanted only one thing. The truth. As she stormed through the torch-lit corridors, the smell of ozone and damp stone filling her nose, she caught sight of Bernard huddled in deep conversation with two elite enforcers.
She broke into their circle without hesitation. "Where is he?" she demanded, her voice a sharp, commanding strike.
Bernard’s thick brows snapped together, his rugged face instantly clouding with irritation. He signaled the enforcers to step back, his broad chest expanding as he met her glare.
"I don’t know why the Alpha continues to protect you, Ironfang, but you will not speak of our King with such disrespect within these walls."
"Just point me in his goddamn direction, Beta," Rhea shot back, her stance turning entirely rigid as she leaned into his space, her scent flaring with a dangerous, untamable dominance. "Do that, and I might just help you get the strategic answers your pack so desperately desires."
Bernard studied her for a long beat, his nostrils flaring as he weighed the gravity of her threat. Finally, he gave a curt nod toward the upper level. "Come with me," he rumbled.
Rhea didn’t offer another word. She fell into step beside him, her hand drifting instinctively beneath her cloak to rest on the cold hilt of her knife. Beneath her ribs, River was hovering just under the surface, her phantom teeth bared, waiting and ready for a slaughter.
As they reached the timber doors of the private solar, Bernard suddenly stopped. He turned his frame to block her path, his eyes narrowing. "Be respectful, she-wolf," he warned in a low, protective purr. "Or this entire pack might turn against you, and you will be left with absolutely nowhere to run."
Rhea watched him walk away without blinking, and then, without knocking, she shoved the door open. Inside the dimly lit room, the scent of cedarwood, rich ink, and Adam’s suffocating, dark alpha warmth enveloped her.
He sat behind a mahogany desk, the scratch of his quill loud in the quiet as he scribbled on a piece of heavy parchment.
"Come in," Adam said, his deep baritone cutting through the silence without him even lifting his gaze from the paper.
Rhea marched closer, her boots clicking rigidly against the floorboards, her fists clenching so hard her fingers threatened to pierce her skin. "I need to know exactly what you are hiding," she said, her voice trembling with a quiet rage. "Tell me what you know about everything that happened to my son. And to me."
Adam’s fingers froze on the quill. For a fraction of a second, his breathing hitched. Then, he smoothly resumed scribbling. "I have no idea what you are talking about, Rhea." fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com
Rhea blurred forward, the distance between them vanishing as she slammed her palm flat against the mahogany. The desk rattled violently, the sudden impact smudging the wet ink beneath Adam’s hand.
Her chest heaved in ragged patterns. "I knew you were keeping secrets, and Kat just confirmed it."
Adam’s jaw hardened into iron, a muscle ticking visibly beneath his dark stubble. He slowly laid the quill down and tilted his head up, his dark amber eyes burning into hers with a dangerous intensity. "And you are choosing to believe a backstabbing traitor?"
Rhea’s anger faltered for a moment. She shook it off, leaning closer until she could feel the heat radiating from him. "Stop deflecting, Adam. Kat said you knew exactly what they were planning. Is that why you saved me? Is this redemption for you?"
Adam stared at her, his expression a fortress. But deep within his eyes, a flicker of something haunted and fiercely guarded danced in the shadows, the look of a wolf bound by oaths he wasn’t allowed to break.
"You are letting yourself be manipulated, Rhea," he said, his tone maddeningly calm, anchoring her like a weight. "How can you take the word of the very parasite who poisoned you?"
"Because that makes two of you!" Rhea shot back, her voice cracking as the pain of betrayal sliced through her. "You betrayed me, Adam! You took that boy out of his bed without my knowledge, right after I placed my trust in your hands."
"I stopped you from committing an atrocity that would have brought the Grand Council’s executioners to your neck," Adam countered, his voice finally rising, a low growl vibrating through his words. "There is a big difference between betrayal and protection."
"Oh, spare me your alpha noble routine! Just tell me where the boy is," Rhea hissed, her silver eyes flashing a blinding moonlight. "Let me decide what is a mistake and what isn’t."
"Well, that is not going to happen," Adam said, leaning back in his chair, an immovable wall of absolute authority.
"Then our alliance is dead. And I am leaving tonight," Rhea declared, her voice turning completely cold. "I am done playing your games, Alpha Thorne." She turned on her heel, her cloak billowing around her as she strode toward the exit.
"You cannot leave," Adam said, his voice dropping. "Not until you fulfill your end of our bargain."
Rhea snapped around, her silver hair whipping across her face as she bared her fangs. "And who is going to stop me?" she asked, a dangerous, mocking challenge bleeding into her scent. "You?"
Adam looked at her, a slow, heavy sigh expanding his chest. He shook his head, a dark, fascinated gleam waking in his amber eyes. "You are so stubborn," he murmured, pushing his chair back as he rose to his full, towering height.
Rhea whirled back around and lunged for the exit, but just as her fingertips brushed the brass doorknob, Adam appeared behind her. His massive, calloused hand clamped firmly around her wrist, his touch sending a violent jolt of pure lightning straight up her spine.
Rhea jolted against the door, trapped between the hardwood and his searing, possessive heat. "Get your hands off me," she snapped, her breath hitching as his dark, cedarwood musk completely overwhelmed her senses, making her wolf whimper in confusing submission.
"Or what, little wolf?" Adam murmured, leaning down until his lips were inches from the shell of her ear, his massive frame completely enveloping her shadow. His demeanor was entirely calm, but his grip was unyielding.
Rhea opened her mouth to spit another curse, but the sheer proximity choked the words right out of her throat. Her chest heaved against the wood, her pulse drumming a frantic rhythm against his palm. fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm
She swallowed hard, forcing her voice into calm. "I will get that boy back, Adam. One way or another. And for your sake, I just hope you aren’t playing me for a fool."
Adam’s expression darkened. "You think I’m hiding the truth from you?" His thumb loosened on her wrist. "The truth is the only reason you’re still alive."
Rhea froze. Before she could demand an explanation, Adam stepped back.
"Get some rest, little wolf." His amber eyes locked onto hers. "Before I tell you something neither of us can take back."
