Free Web NovelChapter 198: Chapter 198 The Forged Will
Hudson’s POV
When I woke up the next morning, Christina was gone.
I sat alone at the table, going over the CroftTech acquisition contract while finishing the last of my eggs. They were cooked perfectly, exactly what I’d expect from Carmen.
I received a mind-link request from Beta Dominic and accepted it without hesitation.
"Alpha Hudson, I just sent over the footage," Dominic said right away.
It was security video from last night, timestamped just after eight, right outside The Atlas Room. The clip showed our whole group walking in. Rowan was standing two people away from me with clear space between us. Nothing even close to intimate.
"Took you long enough," I said, though Christina already believed me. Watching this footage now hardly mattered.
Lycaon stirred inside me. "Our mate trusts us. That’s what counts."
Beta Dominic apologized, "Took me a while to track down the manager. I’ll be faster next time."
"Someone got a weird shot of me and Rowan last night," I said, my voice getting lower. "I want the original source. Who took it. Where they were standing. Everything—especially if Rowan set it up."
"Got it, Alpha."
"Also check if she’s been making calls to kill the photo."
"On it. I’ll look into everything." Dominic paused. "One more thing, Alpha Franklin has been asking for a meeting. He reached out while you were in Riverbend. Can you see him this week?"
"I’ll see him today." I wasn’t in the mood to wait.
"I’ll set it up."
I hung up, my jaw clenching. Franklin Vance better show up with a signed will and every penny going to Christina. At this point, he and Caroline had no excuses left. They knew Beatrice wasn’t their biological daughter.
My patience had run out; if he continued to play dumb, he wouldn’t leave Sabreridge territory intact.
Geoffrey was hovering near me uncomfortably.
Without looking up, I said, "What is it?"
"Yes, Alpha." Geoffrey cleared his throat. "About dinner last night. It wasn’t from Carmen. Luna Christina made it."
The egg on my fork slid off and dropped back onto my plate.
I turned slowly. "Say that again."
"She cooked the whole meal. The cake too. She’d ordered it specially." Geoffrey looked nervous. "She asked us not to say anything. Wanted to surprise you. But then you didn’t show up on time, and when you finally did..."
He trailed off, but I remembered exactly what I’d said. Tough. Too sweet.
Christina had gone upstairs right after.
I stared at Geoffrey. "And you’re telling me this now?"
"She made us promise not to. But then I saw the burn on her hand and, well, she spent hours on that dinner, Alpha. I thought you should know."
I looked at Carmen, who nodded quickly.
Cooking. Cake orders. Burned hand.
She’d waited for me. I hadn’t shown up.
My grip on the fork tightened enough to bend the metal. Lycaon growled in frustration, matching my own feelings.
What had I missed?
What was last night supposed to be?
I knew it wasn’t her birthday, mine, or any anniversary.
If I’d gotten there on time, if I’d eaten with her, what would she have said?
"Where’s the food from last night?" I asked, suddenly wanting to try it again.
If I’d known she’d made it herself, I would have eaten every last bite.
Looking back, the meal hadn’t even been bad. Not perfect, but no worse than Carmen’s experimental stuff.
Geoffrey fidgeted uncomfortably. "Luna Christina had everything thrown out this morning before she left. All of it."
I looked up. "All of it?"
"Yes, Alpha. Said it was just tasteless leftovers. Didn’t want it taking up space in the fridge."
"You should have told me last night."
"She made us promise not to. I wasn’t even supposed to say anything now. Please don’t tell her I brought it up..."
I ignored his worry and kept eating mechanically, my mind somewhere else.
My mood hadn’t gotten any better by the time I got to the office.
I hadn’t even taken off my coat when Dominic walked in. "Alpha Hudson, Alpha Franklin is waiting in the conference room—"
"Let him wait."
I couldn’t care less if Franklin stood there all day.
I pulled out my phone and opened Christina’s chat. My thumbs hovered, typed out half a message, then deleted it.
Nothing sounded right. Too late, too formal, too fake. Whatever I sent now would sound like guilt. freewebnovёl.ƈom
I shoved the phone back in my pocket, but the image stayed clear—her bandaged hand, the food she’d spent hours on, thrown away without a second thought.
By eleven, the pressure in my head was about to explode.
"You’ll crush his throat if you don’t calm down," Lycaon warned, picking up on my rage.
I stood up fast and left my office, not bothering to knock before walking into the conference room. The door slammed behind me.
I dropped into the chair at the head of the table.
Franklin jumped up. "Alpha Hudson..."
He stayed standing, rubbing his palms together nervously, sweat building under his collar.
"Alpha Hudson, I brought the will."
That got my attention.
My eyes were flat and cold, looking at him like he was prey.
Franklin swallowed hard. "Christina is my daughter. My only daughter. Everything I’ve earned should go to her. But I’ve worked at the company for years, I’ve—"
I knocked my knuckles against the table. "Get to the point."
"Yes, of course..." Franklin fumbled with his briefcase and pulled out a stack of papers. "Here’s the will. Most of the estate goes to Christina. I just thought... maybe my nephew Preston could get a small piece. He’s helped my pack and the company, and his father has never done anything for him..."
He held out both arms, offering the papers like he was making a sacrifice to an angry god.
I took them without a word, scanning the lines quickly.
My lip curled in disgust.
Franklin tensed up. "Is... something wrong, Alpha Hudson?"
I dropped the will onto the table with a loud slap. "You really thought you could forge this and get away with it?"
I let my Alpha aura flood the room, thick and suffocating.
Franklin flinched, his shoulders jerking up.
"I didn’t forge anything," he said, his voice getting higher. "This is my latest will. Signed. Witnessed. Properly notarized. Everything’s clearly written out."
I stared at him, disgust showing on my face. "You bribed a lawyer who lost his license last year and bought fake seals online. You think that counts as notarized?"
