The Secret Heirs of the Lycan King (Bella and scott) novel Chapter 70

**When Midnight Winds Carry Secrets Toward Worlds Yet Unknown**

**Chapter 70**

**Third POV**

I felt utterly defeated, unable to raise my head even a fraction. Each breath scraped through my lungs like rough sandpaper, a painful reminder of my current state. My vision swayed, tilting sideways before struggling to right itself, a cruel trick of my battered mind. Every fiber of my being screamed in protest, a cacophony of agony that echoed in my ears.

The night had been long and merciless, with Diaz’s wolves unleashing their fury upon me as punishment for my failure. My body resembled a grotesque map, etched with claw marks and bruises, blood caking on my skin like paint flaking from an old canvas. They had bound me to a chair with thick ropes, not out of necessity but rather as a twisted form of humiliation. They had no intention of releasing me until their cruel game reached its conclusion.

A full day slipped by, dragging its feet like a reluctant child, before Joseph Diaz finally strode into the dimly lit warehouse on the outskirts of New York where I was being held captive. He approached with an air of menace, grabbing me by the throat, his fingers digging in with a vice-like grip that threatened to crush my windpipe. Our faces were mere inches apart, his fury palpable as his fangs glimmered menacingly in the sparse light.

“Where is my daughter?” he snarled, his voice dripping with venom, spittle flying from his lips.

With a raspy breath, I managed to reply, “I don’t know. She ran away.” It was the truth, though I could sense the disbelief radiating from him.

His eyes blazed with a golden hue, the primal essence of his wolf threatening to surface. “Our entire plan has gone up in flames, and for what? Scott Moore discovered the Chainflower? Do you understand the implications of this? We are on the brink of financial ruin! And all of this is due to your pathetic scheming!”

“Your financial ruin, not mine! And that’s a blatant lie,” I retorted, my voice gravelly and strained. “The planning was flawless. Tasha had him on the ground, drugged and vulnerable. She could have marked him right then and there—if that human hadn’t barged in out of nowhere. Tasha hesitated. Why didn’t she take Scott out when she had the chance?”

My jaw tightened, the memory replaying in my mind like a relentless loop. Bella had stormed into the circle of wolves, clad in leather and wielding a silver bullet gun. We were all caught off guard; none of us had even considered the possibility of a human intervening.

Diaz was uninterested in my explanations.

His hand struck my face with a force that left my ears ringing, the sharpness of pain radiating through my skull. “It happened because you underestimated her! A mere human! You fools should have eliminated her the moment she became a threat.”

Pain exploded in my left cheek, and I spat blood onto the floor beside me. “I hope you realize that the treaty forbids us from killing humans, you idiot.”

Diaz sneered, his contempt palpable. “We could have hired human assassins. Humans kill each other all the time. I trust you understand that!”

I shot him a venomous glare. “And risk Scott discovering it? If he even catches a whiff of our involvement, he would obliterate us before dawn. He and Troy are already hunting Tasha down. We should be aiding her escape, not plotting her demise.”

Diaz’s fist connected with my jaw again, snapping my head to the side. I felt as though death was creeping closer, my wolf snarling weakly within me after enduring such brutality.

“You think I care about your beliefs?” he bellowed, his rage palpable. “I have already dispatched my men to retrieve my daughter. What you need to do is devise a new strategy—one that culminates in Scott marrying Tasha.”

Despite the blood pooling in my mouth, despite the fire coursing through my veins, a laugh escaped my lips—a broken, rasping sound that twisted Diaz’s face with fury. “You’ve lost your mind,” I managed to choke out. “Scott Moore will never marry Tasha now. She drugged the King! The penalty for that isn’t a wedding; it’s imprisonment and death. If we’re fortunate, she won’t be captured by them. If Scott gets to her first, she’ll spill our names. What then, Joseph Diaz?”

“So be it,” he declared, his tone final. “But heed this warning…” He leaned in, pressing his finger hard into my bruised chest. “If this plan fails, your life will end before hers.” He released my throat and stepped back, creating a small distance between us.

I slumped in the chair, gasping for breath, every bone in my body throbbing, every muscle aflame. I couldn’t fathom how long it would take for me to heal. I was old—very old.

Yet my mind raced with thoughts.

If Bella became Scott’s Luna, if he publicly claimed her, if she fully entered our world, the balance of power would shift irrevocably.

I didn’t know if I feared that outcome or feared the lengths to which Diaz would go to prevent it. Either way, a storm had already begun to brew. Now, I found myself at its eye, bound and unable to watch from the safety of the sidelines.

“Open him,” Diaz ordered his wolves before turning to leave. But then he paused, a glint of malice igniting in his eyes as he returned.

“Kidnap her children!” he exclaimed, his voice laced with a sinister excitement. “We can use that as leverage. Blackmail Bella into abandoning Scott. If she fails, eliminate them.” He glanced at his watch, urgency etched on his face. “You have one day to execute this plan.” His grin widened, as if he had just stumbled upon the most brilliant solution.

“Okay…” I breathed, a mix of resignation and determination swirling within me.

**Chapter 71**