My eyes narrowed. “Where did you find him?”
“A small inn on the city outskirts. He was preparing to flee the territory.”
I stood, my earlier contentment evaporating completely. “The two rogues still refuse to talk?”
Edward nodded. “They’d rather die than reveal who’s behind this.”
My hands clenched into fists. The memory of that night burned fresh in my mind – the server stumbling into me, spilling wine across my jacket, then insisting on helping me clean it while precious seconds ticked away. Seconds that could have cost Sable’s life.
“That night he deliberately delayed me,” I said, moving toward the door. “His timing was too convenient to be coincidence.”
“Exactly, Your Majesty.”
I strode past him. “Take me to the dungeons. Now.”
Edward fell into step beside me. “Yes, Your Majesty.”
The stone steps leading to the royal dungeons were worn smooth by centuries of use. Damp air rose to meet us, carrying the scent of moss and old fear. Torches flickered along the walls, casting dancing shadows that seemed to writhe with malevolent life.
Edward gestured toward a cell near the end of the corridor. ‘James Miller, thirty years old.
I approached the iron bars. Inside, a medium built man cowered in the corner. When he heard our footsteps, he looked up. The moment his eyes met mine, his entire body began to shake.
James Miller
He dropped to his knees instantly. “Your Majesty, I haven’t done anything wrong…
I stepped closer to the bars, my presence filling the small space with oppressive authority. Nothing wrong? Then explain why you deliberately collided with me at the engagement party.
“That… that was an accident! His words tumbled over each other in panic. I was nervous, I made a mistake…”
“An accident?” I allowed a thread of my wolf’s power to seep into my voice. Then why did you insist on helping me clean my jacket?
I just wanted to fix my error… His voice cracked with terror.
My eyes began to glow with golden light. “You’re lying.”
The supernatural pressure in the air increased. James gasped, struggling to breathe as my dominance pressed down on him like a physical weight.
‘Please… mercy…” he wheezed.
“Tell me the truth,” I commanded. “Or you’ll wish you’d never been born.”
His resistance crumbled completely. Tears streamed down his face as he sobbed, “I’ll tell you! I’ll tell you everything!”
I waited, letting the silence stretch until he found his voice again.
“My father…” he choked out. “He’s dying. Cancer. The medical bills…”
“Continue.”
“Someone offered me money. Enough to cover all the treatments.” His shoulders shook with each word. “They contacted me through an anonymous account.”
Edward stepped forward. “Who contacted you?”
“I don’t know!” James’s voice rose to a wail. “They only gave me a phone number. Everything was done electronically.”
I leaned against the bars, studying his terrified face. “What were your exact instructions?”
“To infiltrate the engagement party. To watch you carefully.” He swallowed hard. “If you tried to go looking for Miss Crawford, I was supposed to create a distraction.”
“How did you know there would be a moment when I’d need to find her?” The question came out deadly quiet.
James shrank back. ‘I don’t know! They just said to be ready.”
I exchanged a meaningful look with Edward.
“How did you get into the party?” Edward demanded. “Security was airtight.”
“They provided everything,” James whispered. ‘A server uniform, identification badge, work schedule, I entered through the kitchen entrance.
“This proves it,” I said to Edward. ‘Someone inside Blackwood pack orchestrated this.”
Edward nodded grimly. An outsider couldn’t have arranged that level of access.”
“Continue investigating Blair. I suspect she’s behind this.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
I took one final look at the sobbing man in the cell. If I discover you ve hidden anything else from me, death will seem like mercy.”
James nodded frantically. ‘I swear on my father’s life, I’ve told you everything!”
Blair’s POV
That day at the hospital, after Caelan and I talked, I did exactly what I promised – I returned to the treatment center.
I went back because I needed him to think I was changing.
These past few days, I had been the perfect patient. Attending every therapy session with a smile. Taking my medications without complaint. The staff thought I was making remarkable progress.
I know Caelan must be watching me, so I have to perform better. Let him think I’m really changing, let him lower his guard.
But today, everything changed.
I was in my room, reorganizing my clothes in the small dresser, when my hidden phone buzzed with an incoming message. The burner phone I kept concealed behind the loose baseboard – the one no one knew about.
James. That greedy, incompetent fool.
The dresser drawer slammed shut with significant force. A picture frame on top rattled dangerously close to the edge.
Damn it, James! That greedy bastard! I knew I shouldn’t have trusted him!
I grabbed the frame before it could fall – a photo of Caelan and me from last Christmas, back when he still looked at me with affection instead of cold disappointment. My fingers gripped it so tightly the glass began to crack.
Then I hurled it across the room.
It shattered against the wall, sending glass fragments skittering across the floor.
I began pacing frantically, my hands raking through my hair with enough force to pull several strands loose.
Now Caelan is definitely interrogating him. If he says something he shouldn’t…
No, no, no! I can’t let him ruin everything!
A knock at my door made me freeze. “Miss Sterling? Is everything alright in there?”
I forced my voice to sound calm. “Yes, just dropped something. I’ll clean it up.”
‘Do you need assistance?”
‘No, thank you.”
Footsteps retreated down the hallway, I waited until I was certain the nurse was gone before allowing myself to truly panic.
I collapsed onto my bed, clutching my head as the implications crashed over me.
If Caelan pieces together that someone inside his pack orchestrated this…
I forced myself to breathe deeply.
Calm down, Blair. Losing your temper won’t solve anything now.
I stood and walked to the small mirror above my dresser, studying my reflection. My eyes were red-rimmed, my hair disheveled.
I need to fix this before they can open their mouths. I need to make sure they stay quiet permanently.
My hands were trembling as I retrieved my phone from its hiding place behind the loose baseboard near my bed.
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