Page 65 of Rejected By My Shadow Alpha
I stepped through alone, unarmed, surrounded on all sides by wolves who would gladly rip me apart if given the order. Their eyes tracked my every breath, muscle twitch, and heartbeat.
This wasn't just a visit. It was a gamble.
The Wren mansion was cold and elegant, a sprawl of gray stone and glass nestled into the mountains like a predator's lair. The kind of place that exuded wealth, legacy, quiet, and old blood. Silvercrest was no ordinary pack. It was born from war and negotiation, shaped by ruthless alphas who didn't believe in second chances or sentiment.
And Darius Wren was the worst of them.
Once, he and the council had stood by while my pack, the proud, ancient Lunaris, was torn and reduced to ash. Theyhadn't lifted a claw to stop it, not because they feared Alpha Alfred but because they wanted what Lunaris had.
The mining fields.
Our pack, led by my late uncle, had access to rich mining fields in Africa and remote territories of the U.S. My uncle had sealed the ownership documents in a blood-locked vault of generations ago. No one could touch them. No one, except someone with true Lunaris blood from the alpha bloodline.
Alpha Alfred had promised the council those mines. He had offered power, land, and shares in exchange for their silence during Lunaris' downfall.
But Alpha Alfred didn't deliver on his promise.
Years passed, and no chest was opened because he could not access it, and those who had betrayed their honor for gold got nothing but dust and empty promises. Alpha Alfred had not banked on the chest having a special seal that required alpha powers from my pack. He had killed my uncle and my parents as well as many top wolves from my pack before he realized it, and all attempts to open the seal had been frustrated.
Darius Wren had been the most humiliated of them all, especially after Alfred failed to deliver the second half of the deal: the marriage of his daughter, Ruby, to Mark, Wren's heir. That failed match had severed what was left of their shaky alliance. For a man like Darius, betrayal wasn't just personal, it was political. It cost him standing, leverage, and his place at the top of the food chain. A marriage alliance with the daughter of the powerful Cornerstone Pack was an advantage for his greedy heart, and the denial of that embarrassed and infuriated him.
That was the crack I needed. The one place where bloodlust could become a strategy. Use an angry wolf to hunt another. I moved through the foyer, noting every shadow and every set of eyes. I could smell the suspicion in the air. One wrong word,one twitch too fast, and I'd be dead before I crossed the next threshold.
But I wasn't here to play nice. I was here to trade vengeance for power. I was holding the one thing Darius had craved for over a decade: access to the chest. A dark-haired guard pushed open a pair of double doors and jerked his chin.
"Go in."
I stepped inside. Darius Wren sat at the far end of the room, a mountain of a man in a steel-gray suit and eyes like razors under a crown of silver hair. He didn't rise or smile. He just stared at me, fingers steepled in front of him, the only movement in the room was the faint tapping of his thumb.
His wolves flanked the walls, silent sentinels. One command, and I'd be in pieces, but I didn't flinch. He let the silence stretch, a game of dominance, scanning me with the kind of stare you give to something you'd rather eat than talk to. I didn't break it. In another life, in another moment, I would gladly wrap my hands around his fat, wobbly neck and strangle the greedy breath from him, but today, I needed him.
Finally, he spoke. "So. The ghost of Lunaris walks into my house."
I met his gaze evenly. "Because even ghosts get tired of waiting for justice."
His lips curled faintly. "Justice? Is that what you think this is? You're a bold man, Drew Cavanaugh. Walking in here, alone, with your father's blood on your name."
I straightened. "Bold men get things done. I think you were promised something," I said calmly. "And you never got it."
He stilled. Good.
"I think," I went on, "you helped Alpha Alfred destroy Lunaris because you wanted your piece of the pie, only to watch him be unable to open the chest for many years." I said calmly, my tone accusatory.
His eyes narrowed, but he didn't deny it.
"And then he dangled Ruby in front of you like a peace offering, failed to deliver her to your son, and lost your trust. You backed a man who couldn't finish what he started."
His voice was a blade. "What are you offering?"
I took a breath. "A way to finish it. Alpha Alfred would never give you access to that chest. As we speak, he has devised a way to open it. I bet you have no idea about this."
That got his attention.
I stepped forward, slowly and deliberately. I didn't smile. I didn't blink. This wasn't a negotiation. This was a dance with a viper, and I had to convince him it was in his best interest not to strike.
"I have Lunaris blood as the alpha. I am the real key to that vault, and I know where the chest is because he's using my daughter to unlock it."
Darius blinked once, then leaned back slightly. "You have a daughter?" he asked, his voice low and dangerous.
