“How dare you?” His knuckles went white around the pastry box. “Just because you’re King doesn’t make you better than everyone else. I’ve already submitted my application to the werewolf council to withdraw from your jurisdiction. Once it’s approved, you’ll be nothing to me.”
I let out a bark of laughter. “Submitted an application? Listen to yourself-once it’s approved. Which means right now, I’m still your King.” I commanded. “Now kneel.”
The command carried all the authority of my bloodline. Lycan power slammed into him like a physical force.
Darrell’s legs buckled instantly. He hit the hallway floor hard, the pastry box tumbling from his hands. His whole body shook as he fought against the compulsion, but his wolf knew better than to defy a King.
I looked down at him with satisfaction. “Much better. Your body has more sense than your brain.”
“You fucking bastard… The words came out strangled as he struggled against the power holding him down.
“Bastard? I tilted my head. ‘Is that how you address your King? Try again.”
His fists clenched against the floor. I could smell his humiliation and rage, but the dominance held him fast.
“You have the nerve to abuse your power?” Darrell’s voice shook with rage and humiliation. “Let me up so we can talk properly.”
I considered him for a moment, then deliberately withdrew my dominance.
Darrell immediately scrambled to his feet. His face was flushed.
“Why are you here, Darrell?” I demanded. “Are you stalking Sable? How did you even know which apartment was hers?”
His lips twisted into an ugly sneer. “Because I own the apartment directly below this one. I’m her neighbor now.”
That stopped me cold. “You bought an apartment to stalk her?”
“Oh?” His eyes gleamed with malicious satisfaction. “Seems like your fianc?e didn’t mention her new neighbor. Guess your relationship isn’t as close as you thought.”
Anger burned in my chest, but I kept my expression neutral. “So you bought property specifically to harass her? That’s not love, Darrell. That’s the behavior of a stalker. You know what that’s called legally? Criminal harassment.”
I stepped closer. “Did you really think buying an apartment would win her back? You’re even more pathetic than I thought.”
“I’m not stalking-*
“One phone call from me and you’ll be evicted,” I continued, cutting him off. “Even if you own the place. Money talks, but power talks louder. And you should know by now-I have both.”
His face flushed red with humiliation and fury. “You’re just scared she’ll choose me over you! This is all because you’re insecure!”
I laughed-a sound completely devoid of humor. “Insecure? About you?Darrell, you’re like a chihuahua barking at a wolf. Loud, annoying, but ultimately harmless.”
“She ate the breakfast I brought her yesterday!” he burst out desperately. “And she accepted the daisies I gave her!”
“The breakfast?” I raised an eyebrow, “You mean that garbage I saw her throw away? She said it went straight to the dumpster. As for the daisies-she used them as fertilizer for her actual flowers. Said they were the only useful thing you’d ever given her.
He fumbled for the pastry box he’d dropped, holding it up like a shield. “I bought her macarons! She told me she loves them when we had coffee together!”
I blocked his path to the door, one hand braced against the frame. She’s already made herself clear, Darrell. It’s over. How long are you going to keep embarrassing yourself like this?”
“You don’t understand what we had together! Three years! You think a few weeks with her can compare to three years?”
“Three years?” I let contempt color every word. “You mean three years of you treating her like your personal maid? Three years of you being too cheap to buy her anything decent? Three years of you cheating on her with your ex? Three years of you telling her she wasn’t good enough to be your Luna?
…
His shoulders sagged as the truth of his failures crashed over him.
“You want to know what she told me about those three years? I leaned in closer. “She said they were the biggest waste of her life. That she finally understood what casting pearls before swine meant.”
“Caelan… Darrell’s voice turned threatening. Do you think I don’t know your secrets? If Sable knew the real reason you approached het… about her mother’s death… what you’ve been hiding from her…”
I felt my expression flicker-just for a split second. But it was enough. Darrell’s eyes sharpened as he caught the barely perceptible change.
A slow, cruel smile spread across his face.
But I recovered quickly, cold rage replacing any hint of uncertainty. “Threatening me? A waste of space who can’t even manage his own pack properly wants to threaten the Lycan King?”
Do you know why your business partners suddenly pulled their investments? Why your pack is drowning in debt?”
His face went white.
“How much does Hawthorne Pack owe now? Three hundred thousand? Five hundred?” I smiled coldly. “I can double that debt with one phone call. Your pack members are already questioning your leadership-how long before they abandon a broke, incompetent Alpha?”
“You…” His voice shook with understanding and rage. “It was you. You destroyed my pack!”
“I don’t need to lift a finger to destroy trash like you.” I stood back up. “But if you keep bothering what’s mine, I’ll make sure Hawthorne Pack ceases to exist entirely.”
Rage finally overtook his survival instincts. He lunged at me with a wild swing.
I caught his fist effortlessly and drove my knee into his stomach. The impact folded him in half as air rushed out of his lungs.
He collapsed to the floor, gasping and retching.
I placed my foot on his chest, pressing down just enough to make breathing difficult. “This is the difference between us, Darrell. You’re weak. Pathetic. Not worth the effort it would take to kill you.”
“Caelan!” Sable’s voice drifted from inside the apartment, sweet and needy. “I’m hungry. Why is the meal taking so long?
A genuine smile replaced my cold expression as I heard her. Darrell’s face crumpled at the obvious affection in her tone.
Sable appeared in the hallway wearing nothing but my white dress shirt. The oversized garment hung to mid-thigh, clearly showing she wore nothing underneath. Her hair was mussed from sleep and our earlier activities, and fresh love bites decorated her throat and collarbones.
She looked absolutely ravishing-and completely claimed.
When she spotted Darrell, all warmth vanished from her expression.
“What is he doing here?” She moved to my side naturally, her hand finding mine.
I removed my foot from Darrell’s chest and interlaced our fingers. Some stray dog wandered up here looking for scraps.”
She looked down at Darrell with open disgust. I thought we made ourselves clear. This harassment needs to stop.”
Darrell struggled to sit up, clutching his injured stomach. “Sable, please. I just wanted to bring you something nice.” He gestured weakly toward the fallen pastry box. “I saw you carrying the macarons at the cafe.”
Sable smiled. “Darrell, I hate macarons. The ones you saw were homemade-I made them for Caelan because he likes them.”
I couldn’t resist twisting the knife deeper. “Three years together and you never learned her basic preferences.”
Darrell’s face went through several emotions-confusion, hurt, and finally desperate anger.
I picked up the white pastry box and examined it thoughtfully. Then, maintaining eye contact with Darrell, I walked over to the garbage chute at the end of the hall and dropped it in.
The crash echoed through the corridor.
“Garbage belongs in the garbage,” I said, returning to Sable’s side. “Just like some people.”
Several neighbors had emerged from their apartments to investigate the commotion.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I announced loudly enough for everyone to hear, “please be aware that this man has been stalking my fianc?e. He purchased an apartment in this building specifically to harass her. Security should be notified.”
Darrell’s humiliation was complete as curious faces peered at him from doorways. Some neighbors were already pulling out phones to take pictures.
“Darrell, if you don’t stop this harassment, I’ll have to involve the police. I’m asking you to please leave me alone.” She paused, her voice becoming gentler but infinitely more devastating. “I’m going to marry Caelan soon. I love him. Completely. I don’t have room in my heart for anyone else.”
“Please,” I added mockingly, “have some dignity.”
Sable looked directly into Darrell’s eyes. “Do you want to know something? I’m grateful you cheated on me with Camila.”
His face went slack with shock.
“If you hadn’t betrayed me, I never would have found the man I was truly meant to be with.” Her voice was calm, matter-of-fact. “I realize now that I never actually loved you. I was just comfortable with you-like wearing old clothes out of habit.”
“Now I finally know what real love feels like. What it means to be with someone who values me.”
“Our three years together?” She continued mercilessly. “They feel like a nightmare I’ve finally woken up from. So thank you, Darrell. Thank you for showing me what I didn’t want in a partner. Thank you for leaving my life and making room for something real.”
I watched something break inside him as the full reality crashed down.
He stood there for a long moment, surrounded by curious neighbors, his face cycling through humiliation, rage, and finally something cold and dangerous.
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