Free Web NovelChapter 145: Chapter 145 Write the Will Before I Write Your Ending
Hudson’s POV
Hudson walked into the study first, heading straight for the leather chair behind his desk.
Without a word, he unlocked his phone and scrolled through Christina’s messages, keeping his eyes down.
Franklin hovered near the center of the room, his hands fidgeting, gaze darting around as if deciding whether to sit. Eventually, he chose to remain standing.
Hudson continued focusing on his screen.
Franklin cleared his throat.
Hudson didn’t respond to him.
"I know Christina has been... distant lately," Franklin finally said, his voice slightly raspy. "She’s probably told you things about us. I won’t deny some of it is true. But we did raise her. Yes, she has quite the temper, but she is our daughter. Seeing her doing well now... I’m truly proud."
Hudson glanced up briefly before returning to his screen.
Encouraged by this small reaction, Franklin continued with a wistful tone, "She rarely comes home these days. I miss her. Her mother does too."
The corner of Hudson’s mouth twitched slightly.
Taking this as a positive sign, Franklin launched into stories about Christina’s childhood, sprinkling in casual regrets and subtle self-praise. freēwēbηovel.c૦m
Pack business and company matters took too much of his time, he explained.
He carried the responsibility of thousands of pack members, but he did what he could.
Now that Christina was married to Hudson, he felt more at ease.
Still, as her father, he wanted to do something for her. Anything.
If only The Crescent Pack wasn’t in such dire straits...
Franklin’s voice trailed off, met only with silence. His throat was getting sore from talking.
He remained standing; Hudson hadn’t invited him to sit.
Franklin shifted his weight and tried again.
"About those projects that Elder Maxwell used to handle... I was wondering who’s in charge of them now—"
Hudson tossed his phone onto the desk with a dull thud.
Franklin stopped mid-sentence.
"So all that touching talk about Christina was just a setup. You didn’t come here for her at all. You came sniffing for contract opportunities."
Franklin froze. "Of course I came for her. She’s my daughter. The projects... that’s secondary."
He smiled ingratiatingly. "Our packs are joined by marriage now, aren’t they? Packs should support each other. Why not give the deal to an ally?"
Hudson let out a short, cold laugh.
"Don’t waste my time. I brought you up here so you wouldn’t embarrass yourself in front of her downstairs. That doesn’t mean I have patience for your bullshit. And the Crescent Pack is not my ally."
As Hudson spoke, he released his Alpha aura, causing Franklin to break into a sweat that trickled down his temples.
"But... but you married my daughter," Franklin stammered, clearly realizing he’d miscalculated.
"She’s an adult. She doesn’t owe you anything. Neither do I. If you have some grand move planned, now would be the time."
Franklin clenched his fists behind his back, trying again.
"I know I wasn’t always the best. But I worked hard to create a good future for her. The house, her schooling, my career—it was all for her. No matter what, she’ll always be my daughter. Family disputes don’t last forever."
"Still using that line?" Hudson said coldly. "I married Christina, not your entire pack. Keep your nephew Preston, your niece Serenna, and your wife’s daughter Beatrice away from her. She forgives too easily. I don’t. Try anything, and I guarantee your entire family won’t last a week anywhere in the Northern territories. You’re all worthless to me. The only reason you’re standing here is because you fathered her."
Hudson uttered those last words with visible contempt, though Franklin missed it.
Franklin stood there blinking, chest rising slightly, fingers clutching the hem of his jacket.
The sight disgusted Hudson. An Alpha father who couldn’t recognize his own child, pouring resources into his nieces and nephews while his daughter got nothing.
Sickening.
Franklin opened his mouth, then closed it.
What else could he say?
Hudson’s position couldn’t be clearer.
Franklin turned to leave.
"Stop."
Franklin froze mid-step.
"Who said you could leave?"
Franklin turned back, more slowly this time. "Something else?"
"Christina is your daughter. You’ve never protected her, never given her anything she didn’t have to fight for herself. That stops now. I don’t care how you ruin your nephew, but Christina will get her rightful inheritance."
Franklin pressed his lips together. "I’m still alive."
"You’ll die eventually. And I don’t trust your conscience to grow a spine before then."
Franklin snorted, abandoning his last pretense of sentiment now that the emotional play had failed. "She has you backing her. She doesn’t need anything from me."
"Need and deserve are different things. Here’s what’s going to happen: you’ll make a new will. Everything in your name, everything in your wife’s name; all of it goes to Christina."
"That’s impossible."
"It’s very possible. Do it, and you can spend that money until your last breath. Or refuse, and I’ll drain you dry before you die. You won’t even need a will then."
Franklin’s mouth twitched. "I have another daughter, Beatrice."
A cold smile played on Hudson’s lips. "Are you sure about that?"
Alpha Franklin frowned.
"This isn’t a negotiation. Don’t bother trying to move assets or secretly give them to Preston. I’m watching. They know who to call. Think about what happened to Alpha Leonard after he got caught evading taxes."
Franklin stared. "That was you?"
"No, that was the Elder Council. But someone gave them a little push."
"I need time."
"Take all you want. Just don’t expect me to wait."
Franklin left without another word.
Hudson pulled out his phone.
"Please deliver the paternity test results. Anonymous delivery. Recipients to include Franklin and Caroline."
Lycaon growled with satisfaction in Hudson’s mind. "It was about time those two faced the truth."
"They won’t see it coming," Hudson agreed silently.
He scrolled back through Christina’s messages, feeling a mix of amusement and pride at her warnings. She knew her father well; the man was exactly the parasite she’d described.
Hudson had just cut off his food supply permanently.
