* Chapter 491
Chapter 591.
1 smiled, a sharp, predatory edge to the expression that made my well, Lyrs, que with batx satisfaction
“So, what’s next?” Pays asked, her eyes sparkling with anticipation. I knew the was itching to ask if we should inform Grayson. The inah was, she was practically vibrating with the urge to take down the Miller Woodline barself. After all the ways they’d want me, she’d been itching to stomp them into the din of the hunting grounds for sys.
But I preferred the slow torture of a cat–and–mose game, watching their influence bloed ont donly under the moonlight taker than delivering a quick, clean kill
No need
I shook my head, the playful curve of my lips deepening into something more knowing, more dangerous
“The fish have only just nibbled the bait,” I murmured, my voice low and deliberate. “The line isn’t neatly long enough. To reel them in now would be letting them off far too easily under the Ancient Wolf Treay?
I raised my hand, my finger hovering over the holographic screen, gently tapping the vulnerable runic nodes, the ones laced with the traps I’d set.
“Let them burn through their Lunar Crystals, let them believe they’ve found their salvation. Let them stake the entire Miller line’s future, their very lives, on this grand gamble”
My voice was soft, but laced with a chilling cruelty.
“Once the fish are well–fed, then we’ll cast the net. Watching them slowly thrash and die in our trap… now that’s when it gets truly interesting, isn’t it?”
In my past life, I was tortured for a full decade before I finally succumbed. This time, I wouldn’t let them off that easily. Not a chance.
Faye watched the cruel smile on my lips. She didn’t say anything, but in her eyes, I saw no judgment. She knew, just as I did, that this was the Miller family’s long–overdue reckoning. And as we waited, the moon cycles began to slip away, unnoticed.
A month later.
The Voyager Alchemical Den’s headquarters was established in a newly built stronghold on the outskirts of the City of Angels Territory, Brand new stone and steel buildings rose, and state–of–the–art alchemical production equipment was moved in.
I watched the research forges next door via our surveillance, buzzing with researchers in white coats–Betas and Omegas–coming and going. Everything seemed to radiate an air of prosperity, brimming with promise for the Miller line’s future. I could see Andrew soaking it all in, his scent spiked with satisfaction at the thriving enterprise.
Over the past month, I knew he’d gambled almost the entire Miller family fortune, aside from their shares in the Miller Clan Council. He’d sold off their last few prime territories, publicly claiming he’d secured a fantastic investment. But I knew the truth: he’d resorted to high–interest loans from rogue packs, scrambling together five hundred million Lunar Crystals just to convince those who’d long lost faith in the Miller line to reassess them and invest confidently.
But the results were exactly what he wanted. With those Crystals and the Micro–Spirit core technology, he’d lured away a top–tier alchemical team. These were elite essence–masters, and once they got their hands on the Micro–Spirit core technology, they dove into research and had already achieved preliminary results! Once all the forge equipment was installed, they’d be ready to kick off full–scale production.
Then there was Emily, who wanted to get involved again, but Andrew hadn’t agreed.
*10:45
AL
Wake up! It’s Novel Time!
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< Chapter 591.
Merl
Seriously? I scoffed internally. She’d already brought down so many Miller family ventures. There was no way in hell he’d ever let her lay a hand on this–the Miller family’s final hope.
Another day blurred by, and I knew exactly where he would be–at Voyager Alchemical Den since the crack of dawn, anticipating the moment their first Micro–Spirits would finally be produced.
I could practically hear the excited shouts of his employees through the bugs we’d planted. “Mr. Miller, look at this!”
I heard that Hans, the head of the project–a senior Alchemist Andrew had apparently high–hired from the Germanic Territories–was practically vibrating with excitement as he held up a vial of silvery, metallic liquid essence.
“We’ve done it!” he practically shouted, his voice ringing in my ears even from the reports. “This is our replicated ‘Voyage One‘! It can break through cell walls, go directly to the lesion, and achieve a targeted clearance rate of 99.8% for malignant essence–cells!”
Hans, I heard, grew even more animated. “These numbers,” he reportedly boasted, “are even 0.1 percentage points higher than what Fire Alchemical Wing has publicly announced!”
I knew Andrew didn’t truly grasp the intricacies of those runic figures. But I also knew he’d seen Micro–Spirits before–at my press conference, in the viral videos on the Howlnet that had taken over the pack–world. It was that same metallic liquid. Even if there wasn’t much of the liquid now, I could practically hear his mind racing: If they could produce the first batch, the second wouldn’t be far
behind.
A surge of pure, unadulterated triumph must have rocketed through him. He’d succeeded, he would have thought. I could almost see the triumphant glint in his Alpha eyes, imagining himself replacing Fire, replacing me. In his eyes, I was just a tech–savvy she–wolf, nothing more. What did I understand about real pack business, about the economy of the clans?
I knew exactly what Andrew would say. He’d rant about “starvation marketing,” convinced I was hoarding a good thing instead of sharing my talent with the wolf–world. My measly two surgeries a month, in his opinion, were the textbook definition of it–a ridiculously low–end marketing tactic, practically an insult to a true Alpha.
I watched Andrew clap Hans on the shoulder, a burst of raw excitement practically vibrating off him. “Ramp up production immediately!” he ordered, his voice sharp with Alpha urgency.“I want our ‘Voyage One‘ units overflowing that warehouse, and I want it done in the shortest time possible!”
Hans, whose initial burst of excitement had now faded, offered a gentle but firm reminder.“But Mr. Miller,” I heard him say, “our production costs are extremely high. Each unit alone will cost us nearly forty–two thousand Crystals. And we’re talking about medical spirits here. Even with Fire’s data backing, they’ll need rigorous lunar–cycle trials before they can be released to the packs. That whole process could easily take a year or two…”
I could almost hear Andrew’s voice, dripping with impatience and Alpha arrogance.“I can’t wait that long!”
I pictured him waving Hans off, his eyes blazing with a frantic, almost unhinged light. He’d say, “Our core technology was designed by Isabella Miller.”
And I knew, the instant he uttered my name, that his gaze would be poisoned with hatred. But he’d quickly compose himself. In his twisted mind, I knew he saw my work as nothing more than a gift, neatly paving the way for his victory, giving him the ultimate, sickening satisfaction he craved.
He waved off the need for official trials.“Just use the data Fire has already published,” he insisted.“We’re not going through official Pack Council channels. We’ll go directly to the Alphas Fire turned away.”
Hans, bless his heart, still tried to protest. He shook his head slowly, a furrow forming between his brows.“We can’t do that,” he said, the words heavy with disbelief.
*.10:45
But Andrew wasn’t having any of Hans’s protests. He roughly pushed him aside, ampatiemeerbed as his lack afte of liquid into his tactical jacket pocket. Then, he snatched his assiant’s trateminter
His next words made my stomach dench with a cold dead Go find our which sha–ch Alphas are on their beat
voice sharp and predatory “Tell them we have technology tore advanced than men Heller 3, free
I knew Hans, frantic, must have chased after Andrew, lunging for the device “No, this isn’t how we do things for must have prett desperate, futile attempt
But Andrew, with a dismissive swipe, easily pushed him away again. Bill’s voice, thick with Alpha scom sliced through the an Dyos honestly think those people care about some damn protocol? What I’m going to do is concerte ein gong make back the investment ten, a hundred times over, and fast! I didn’t invest in Micro–Spirits to run a charity. Hans. I’m here to make Condo”
Hans stopped chasing Andrew. I could picture him, shoulders slumped, defeated, as he finally fell silent. I could sell be fer like bed joined the wrong pack. I knew that if Fire hadn’t been so exclusive, refusing to hire outside technicians, he wouldn’t have subjected himself to working here, with Voyage Alchemical’s research team.
That night, he submitted his resignation to Andrew. Andrew, predictably, didn’t give Hans’s resignation a second fougin. To hates the Micro–Spirit technology was his now, and Hans couldn’t just walk away with it. His immediate focus, I could sell was to push Voyage Alchemical’s production lines to maximum capacity.
I knew it. To truly pull in the kind of vital investment the Miller line needed and attract the best researchers, he had to lay bare the incredible breakthroughs of these spirits. As if he would ever be short a man like Hans.
I scoffed. By then, even if Hans wanted to return, I knew Carson wouldn’t allow it. Not a chance.
I knew the sheer scale of it. Truckload after truckload of costly raw materials poured into the stronghold, subjected to a complex and precise series of alchemical processes. Finally, they emerged as vials of liquid, each one alive with a faint, silver gleam
I watched as Andrew oversaw the careful sealing of the Micro–Spirits into their boxes. A triumphant glint in his eyes, he picked up a portion, ready to make his first delivery. I knew he was banking on these vials to carve out a new business route in the Eastern Harbor Territory,
That was a territory even Grayson had struggled to penetrate, a place notoriously difficult to crack because of its ancient clan laws. Andrew was convinced that if he succeeded, he would propel the Miller Group to an unprecedented level in the werewolf hierarchy.
I pictured him boarding the waiting pack transport, headed for a top–tier private sanctuary in the Eastern Harbor.
Chapter 90.
www the bay–chaine couched down on the high blaster’s craft roofery, and And was great with the highest kowe, wewing the kind of reception he says crwood se av Alphe
Arded the bows of Spire–Cafe to fom Sanctory Director, he waited in the reception room for their exgen seams of Shams to exabe Voyage One
How www how Swar, when the Chesctor entered the room, his pheromones hard shifted his seritude towards him had dones compters trad
‘baden, te drød we won’t be able to purchase your Spire–Cutia
Andrew down his fear, he inwar wolf working with defensive aggression. “Why? Our data shows it’s even better than Flame–Heart’s Kette, the bastor Voyage One korkeimpressive, bar during is production, a metallic suberance can trigger Blood–Elight in a wolf’s
Andrewed the Director, manned, cold dread crepe up his spine, making his fur stand on end! My own wolf, sensing his panic through the distant echoes of our fading pick–link, puced restlessly,
If das was true, whe would he do with dozens of boxes of inventory?
“And most critically, your product lacks an effective Soul–Anchor”
A loud buzzing filled Andrew’s head,
He repeated, his vehee hettens
“Soul–Anchor?
“Yes, it’s a system that allows you to control the Spirit–Grafts after they enter the wolf’s body.”
The Director said, looking at him like he was a shady roque trader. “You weren’t planning on making another buck off the anchor, were you? Plame Heart Pharmaceuticals includes this system with their Spirit–Grafts
A flush spread across Andrew’s face.
The buyers of the Flame–Heart Spirit–Grafts had been incredibly tight–lipped, never once disclosing via Howlnet that a complementary system was also required,
And that crucial detail hadn’t been mentioned in the ancient scrolls either.
I can almost hear him pleading, his Alpha pride crumbling into desperation, “Please, believe me, this is a mistake. I… I’ll upgrade the materials and add the system as fast as I possibly can!”
And then, I imagine, he demanded to leave, desperate to escape the suffocating scent of failure.
But the Director simply opened the door, a cold, silent invitation‘ for him to leave.
Seeing that the Director had no intention of arranging a sky–chariot to send him off, Andrew stormed out in a rage. He found his own way back to the mainland, back to the Silvermoon Territory,
As soon as he returned to the Silvermoon Territory, he immediately went to confront Hans.
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Exen sad that he mad, kus antea carrying the Aight’s Command.
chia eran
The stem when dry did, though he had’emment essay mything, had no choice but to stare
Hane durely reigned. And you percully and
Andrew npped his head op, és ez being owo the meme with producery intensity,
The inwardly groaned. He hadn’t approved the resignation, nor had he driven Hans away. Why was Andrew taking his fury
****
Andrew med hard to calm his wolf, how how could be the mountains of silver he’d pinned so much hope on had turned into piles of expensive, unstable liquid, siring westerly in the warehouse. How could he possibly calm down?
Meanwhile, the production line was still running day and share.
1knew it wouldn’t take long for the true cont to become clear. Thousands of silver moon–crystals were hemorrhaging from the clan every single day, just pouring into more and more unsold inventory,
The pack’s coffers were practically empty.
Then the deluge began. Mental pulses from the Iron–Bank demanding payment, threatening telepathic messages from rogue loan–sharks–they snowballed, piling up faster than anyone could keep track. The pressure was suffocating, and I found myself unable to stay calm amidst it all, my wolf scratched at the back of my mind, sensing the impending collapse of the Miller lineage.
Later, I would imagine his office, thick with the haze of herbal smoke, a clear sign of the stress and frustration simmering beneath the surface,
I could see the exhaustion in Andrew/s bloodshot eyes, a clear sign he was drowning under the pressure. I didn’t need him to spell it out; I knew he was caught between a rock and a hard place. Stopping the production line would mean losing the silver already poured into it, a devastating blow to the Miller clan. But what was the alternative?
I knew he was just grinding his teeth, pumping more and more silver into the venture, clinging to the hope that his Shaman team would crack that supposed “Soul–Anchor” and find a harmless alternative to the toxic metal.
But I knew his time was up before he could even begin to find a solution. The whispers on Howlnet were that his Treasurer had appeared before him, face grim, with a devastating report,
The Treasurer’s words bung heavy in the air, a grim pronouncement that echoed through the tense silence.“Alpha Andrew,” he said, “we’ve run through the last of our reserves. The creditors are already at the borders. Next month’s tribute? The silver from those Spirit–Grafts you’re selling today, it needs to be in the vault immediately, or the Pack Council will start liquidation.”
I watched Andrew’s hand clench, his knuckles white against the silver–leaf roll he held.
The roll snapped in his fingers, breaking, cleanly in two. A sharp, definitive crack echoed in the room.
The Treasurer looked at Andrew’s ruined herb–roll, his own face a mask of utter defeat. In that moment, I knew, we were truly
finished.
Andrew’s face was a thundercloud, dark and heavy with unspoken fears.
Could this really be it Was this how Andrew, how the Miller family, how everything we’d built, would simply… end? The thought was a chilling whisper in my mind, a fear that gripped my heart tight.
Nat
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Chapter 592.
He wouldn’t accept it.
He would never accept losing to Grayson and me lik
He would never bow down to us!
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