Page 138 of Knot Heirs: Serenity's Reign

"They planned to take you during your next heat cycle. Force a bond." Lucian stepped closer to the men, his elegant frame belying the predator beneath. "They had a cabin prepared in Vermont. Soundproofed. Stocked with enough provisions for weeks."

Serenity looked up from the portfolio, her expression unreadable as she stared at the Coopers. The men glared back defiantly despite their pitiful state—dehydrated, malnourished, their once-imposing frames now gaunt under torn, bloodstained clothes.

"Why show me this now?" she asked, her business consultant's instinct for identifying ulterior motives kicking in.

Lucian circled behind the captives, placing a hand on each of their shoulders. Both men flinched.

"Because you needed to see who I am. What I'm capable of." His amber eyes held hers steadily. "This is merely the beginning of their punishment. They threatened what's mine."

The possessive declaration hung in the air between them.

"And this is the side of me I don't show at board meetings or charity galas," he continued. "The man who built Blackthorn Financial from nothing. The man who controls the financial pipelines for every significant criminal enterprise on this continent."

"You're showing me your true colors." It wasn't a question.

"If you're to be our Omega, you should know exactly what you're agreeing to." Lucian's expression softened fractionally. "No more secrets, as you requested."

Serenity closed the portfolio with deliberate precision, her eyes never leaving the broken men before her. The revelation of their months-long stalking campaign seemed to settle into her bones, recalibrating her understanding of the danger that had been circling her undetected.

"I appreciate the transparency," she finally said, her words careful but sincere.

Serenity's mind worked with the same precision it did when analyzing complex financial portfolios. Her initial shock crystallized into something colder, sharper—a clarity that felt almost surgical. These Alphas had cataloged her life, documented her movements, planned to take her by force. The evidence was irrefutable.

"They would have succeeded eventually," she said, her voice unnervingly calm. "I was living completely unaware."

Lucian watched her, his amber eyes tracking every micro expression across her face. "Yes."

She stepped closer to the captives, studying them as one might examine a balance sheet with critical discrepancies. The taller one, despite his sorry state, managed to spit at her feet.

"Fucking Omega bitch," he rasped. "Should've been ours."

His brother, barely conscious, still managed a sneer. "Too good for... Vale's scraps..."

Something shifted in Serenity's golden eyes—the red flecks seeming to intensify, a genetic inheritance from her exiled mother suddenly burning bright. She felt a laugh bubble up from somewhere deep within her, surprising even herself with its coldness.

"Is that what you think I am? Scraps?" She turned to Lucian. "They still don't understand, do they?"

"Few do," he replied simply.

She stepped away, surveying the warehouse space around them. Various tools lined a nearby workbench—likely placed there intentionally. Her MBA in Finance hadn't prepared her for this moment, but her lifetime of navigating a world that underestimated her had.

"My entire life," she said, picking up a heavy wrench, testing its weight in her palm, "society has tried to dictate what I am. What I should accept." The metal felt cool against her skin. "Even when I built my consulting business, clients would look past me for the Alpha in the room."

She approached the captives again, wrench hanging casually by her side.

"You know what's ironic? All those photos you took, all that surveillance—" she gestured toward the portfolio, "—and you still saw only what you wanted to see. An Omega to be claimed. A prize to be won."

The taller Alpha tried to lunge at her despite his restraints. "When we get free?—"

"You won't," Serenity cut him off matter-of-factly. "And that's the difference between the pack I've chosen and one like yours. They never pretended to be anything other than what they are. No false promises. No hidden agendas."

She looked back at Lucian, a new understanding passing between them.

"At least with them, I know exactly where I stand."

Without warning, she swung the wrench with precise force between the taller Alpha's legs. His scream echoed through the warehouse, raw and primal. His brother jerked against his restraints, eyes widening in horror.

Serenity leaned in close to the whimpering Alpha, her voice barely above a whisper.

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