Chapter 600.
Andrew’s face must have been a thundercloud, I knew. My wolf sat back in my mind, watching the ripples of his frustration through our fading pack–link. He insisted he was running the Fire Alchemical Sanctum exactly as it had always been, so why, in his hands, had it become a bottomless pit for moon–stones?
He stubbornly refused to admit the truth: the difference, the gaping hole in the Sanctum’s power, was likely me.
I imagined the frantic buzz of his mana–slate on the heavy desk.
The name “Elder Walker” pulsed on the glowing crystal surface.
Another demand for tribute. Another hungry Alpha at the door.
In a fit of Alpha pique, Andrew would have flipped the slate face down, determined to ignore the psychic pull.
I was startled when the sanctum door was violently shoved open from the outside.
Several Council Alphas burst in, their dominant scents of cedar and burnt ozone filling the room, their faces grim.
The head of the group, Elder Hale, slammed a runic document down in front of Andrew.
“Andrew,” Elder Hale demanded, his voice sharp, ‘you’d better give us an explanation!”
“What about the five hundred million moon–stones?” he pressed.“Did it just go down the drain into the Great Rift?”
“What guarantees did you give us?” another Alpha chimed in, his wolf’s growl vibrating in his chest.“You swore you could bring the Miller line back from the brink of ruin. And now?”
“The project’s stalled, the territory debts are due,” another voice snapped.“What are we supposed to do now?!”
I watched as each accusation, sharp as a silver arrow, seemed to pierce Andrew right through.
He looked like he was suffocating, his wolf pacing restlessly behind his eyes.
I could tell he wanted to argue back, to beg them for more time to stabilize the pack’s resources.
But he only opened his mouth, and no words came out.
I knew why. He didn’t even have faith in his own Alpha nature.
I could sense that familiar helplessness wash over him, the feeling of being trampled under Grayson’s heavy paw again.
Why? I could almost hear the question screaming in his mind.
Why did everything come so easily to Grayson, while he struggled so desperately? I knew that was the bitter question tormenting his
wolf.
The Alphas‘ fury intensified with his silence. I could almost feel their frustration radiate across the room like a physical heat.
“Andrew,” one of them seethed, “if you’re not capable of leading this Sanctum, then get out now!”
“Stop hogging the seat of power if you’re not going to deliver! You’re dragging the entire Miller line down with you!”
“Maybe you should step
down and let someone more capable take over.”
The implication hung heavy in the air. Andrew knew exactly who they meant by someone more capable.
<Chapter 600.
They meant me,
After all, I held 45% of the alchemical control now, more than he actually commanded himself.
Even if they were technically still on his side, I could feel their pheromones shifting, leaning distinctly in my direction.
And why wouldn’t they? I wasn’t just an Alpha–tier shareholder; I was the sovereign of the Fire Sanctum.
The Sanctum’s territorial value had long surpassed the Miller line’s total assets, even in its prime.
These were smart, ruthless wolves, always chasing the next kill. I knew exactly what they were thinking: if I took over, maybe I could leverage the Sanctum’s resources, bring in pack collaborations, and make them even richer in land and moon–stones.
“If you dare to do that,” Andrew hissed, his voice dangerously low, his pupils elongating, “I’ll destroy the Miller line myself before Isabella ever gets her hands on it!”
The Council members‘ faces were tight with displeasure as they eventually filed out.
Andrew’s imposing Alpha presence crumbled the moment they left, and he sank into his throne–like chair, utterly spent.
I could almost feel the endless despair that must have drowned him, a suffocating tide of the Shadow–Grip pulling him under.
He was too weak to fight me anymore. He needed to find a partner.
But with the Miller line’s name in tatters on the Howlnet, virtually no one would be willing to collaborate with him. Except for-
Julia.
The moment that thought surfaced, I knew it would feel like a poisonous wolfsbane vine, instantly coiling around his heart.
I knew the agony was immense for him, probably no less than what Emily had endured in the dungeons.
And partnering with Julia? That would be like making a deal with a rogue demon.
But still…
Did he even have another choice now?
It was either watch the Miller line crumble into exile, leaving him the biggest laughingstock in the Silvermoon Pack, or take a desperate
gamble.
In Andrew’s eyes, I could almost see a spark of desperate madness igniting.
He shot to his feet, shoving past the stunned Council members, and stormed out of the conference hall without a single word.
It was then that the truth hit me with a physical blow: He needed moon–stones.
I knew he’d do anything, absolutely anything, to get his hands on that wealth.
And I knew who he’d turn to. While Andrew was spiraling, Julia was exactly where I’d expect her to be: in a private suite on the top floor of the Silver–Crest Den, the most exclusive haunt for wealthy she–wolves. The music, a heavy rhythmic drumbeat that mimicked a hunting heart, I could almost hear it, was deafening.
Julia lounged lazily on the silk sofa, a blood–red cocktail of mana–wine in her hand. She watched several young he–wolves gyrating wildly on the dance floor, a bored, almost indifferent smile playing on her lips.
Her mana–slate had been vibrating for a while before she finally picked it up, slow and unhurried.
Jing Address again the answered with a sigh of Alpha–boredom.
for fans actoset mong he wolf, boasting a chiseled eight–pack of abs and the scent of fresh musk, sauntered over.“Beautiful, you
et al die of as here, and you’re still taking calls from other he–wolves?”
didn’t om flinch, her gaze steady. Te’s my mate.”
The goong herself les our a playful Tsk, but dutifully took a seat nearby, his wolf preening for her attention.
heir exchange through the link, Andrew’s face went green with jealousy, a scent so sharp I could practically taste it.
Julia, her eyes gleaming with satisfaction as she took in his absolute docility. She leaned in toward the young he–wolf, pressing a
here kiss to his lips, the gentle smack of it lingering in the air for Andrew to hear.
Only then did she speak to Andrew, who was practically seething on the other end of the line.
Say something, or I’m hanging up.”
Feached Julia, who was radiating an almost unsettling patience. It wasn’t genuine; I knew she had her own ulterior motives when it
came in the Miller line.
Andrew, completely in the dark, panicked at her threat to break the link, quickly saying:
Toane to talk”
Tm busy. It’s not a good time.”
Julia refosed without a flicker of hesitation, then promptly ended the connection.
The immediate silence that followed froze Andrew completely.
& wave of raw humiliation instantly washed over him.
What could Julia possibly be busy with?
Easy hooking up with six different he–wolves?
Was that what she called busy?
Andrew felt a flush of rage spread from his neck to the roots of his hair, convinced he wasn’t just seeing red, but turning green from the sheer humiliation of being cuckolded in the eyes of the pack.
But he was utterly helpless.
So he could only redial Julia’s mana–slate, again.
Finally, after what must have been countless hang–ups, the line connected once more.
This time, Julia’s voice dripped with undisguised mockery.
Andrew, are you that bored?”
This time, Andrew didn’t dare to play any Alpha games. He spoke quickly, his voice rushed, clearly terrified she’d break the link again–of Worse, never pick up his calls at all.
1 was wondering if you have any interest in runic mana–mites.”
** 00:04
00.8%
VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABEL
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Five Alphas Kneel for Me (Isabella)