Favorite Curse 153_Lethal Temptation

153 Does She Sleep At Night

 Mara 

 Martha’s reaction was immediate–too immediate.

 She choked on the juice she’d just sipped and began coughing violently, her hand trembling as she reache for a napkin.

 “Darian, this-” Alpha Vander started, his voiceced with warning.

 But Lucian cut him off smoothly. Calm, but firm.

 “I need to know, because I’m organising a small unit to retrieve her parents from Goldenpeak. If we’re going handle this cleanly, we need to understand the stakes.”

 The room fell still.

 Vander’s mouth closed, his objection dying in his throat.

 Martha slowlyposed herself. Her cough subsided, but herposure cracked just enough for all of us

 see.

 “He hasn’t said anything recently,” she admitted, her voice smaller than usual. “And that silence is… making

 me nervous.”

 Lucian eased back into his seat, a small nod of acknowledgment given. “Good. Once your parents arrive, we‘ 

 begin the search for ric. Quietly.”

 She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. There was something unreadable in her expression–faint

 resignation, maybe, or fear pretending to be grace.

 Alpha Vander, perhaps sensing the weight of the conversation, abruptly cleared his throat. “I will be handing the Alpha position over to you officially next week, Lucian.”

 I wasn’t fooled. It was a deflection, a deliberate shift of conversation. But one nce at Darian and Lucian

 told me neither of them had moved on. The tension was only tucked away, not resolved.

 Tiffany’s gaze flicked between them, her expression unreadable. She was unusually still, and I suspected–no, I knew–that she already had more insight into this situation than I did. A private conversation, perhaps. Something I hadn’t been looped into. I’d ask herter.

 Lucian leaned forward slightly, voice calm butyered with intent. “That will be great, Father. There are things I need to look into regarding how the pack is currently run. For one, the lesser packs are agitated. They’ve 

 raised concerns.”

 Alpha Vander frowned.

 “We need to mend those rtionships before they deteriorate further, Lucian continued. “Especially with Chase still at 

 . He already has grievances against you. The <bst thing we need is for disgruntled packs Join forces with him.”

 A beat of silence passed before Alpha Vander nodded slowly. Very well

 Then, to our collective surprise, he added, “It may seem like I’m hiding something.. but I’ve never stolen from 

 < 153 Does She Sleep At Ni….

 anyone. Everything I’ve ever had was inherited or given to me by Natasha. I never exploited my wealth to belittle anyone.”

 His voice was softer now. Reflective. Tired.

 + Fonts

 “I’ve spent nights in my office and in my bed trying to think of what I might have done that could lead to all this. But I can’t find it. If anything, I’ve been the one betrayed. My wife was poisoned, and I never found out who did it.”

 He paused, then looked around the table, gaze resting finally on Lucian.

 “I don’t know why this man, ric, is so adamant. But I’m starting to believe it’s not about justice. He wants something. And he’s building a narrative to justify taking it.”

 Lucian didn’t speak right away.

 He leaned forward slightly, his fingers steepled, eyes sharp.

 He was reading between the lines, piecing together a puzzle he wasn’t quite ready toy bare.

 I could see the Alpha in him, ready to step into power not just for the sake of tradition, but because the house needed someone with rity.

 And Lucian had it.

 “Why do you think that?” Lucian finally asked, his voice calm but probing.

 Alpha Vander leaned forward, folding his hands together on the table. For the first time that morning, he wasn’t posturing or deflecting. He looked… raw. Honest.

 “Look at his mode of operation,” Vander said, his voice steady butced with fatigue. “First, he targets my heirs. If I lose my children, the Nighthorn bloodline ends. What do you think happens to a man like me when there’s no one left to inherit? I don’t want to live in a world where my legacy is reduced to ash.”

 He wasn’t exaggerating. There was pain in his voice, pain I hadn’t expected.

 “Then,” he continued, “he strikes Driftwake, the source of our mineral wealth, the engine of Steel Corp, and the foundation of our power. You think he did that just to rattle our supply chain? No. He wanted it for himself. He’s building something.”

 We were all quiet now, listening intently.

 “This man isn’t fighting out of vengeance alone,” Vander said. “He’s working toward enrichment. He wants to

 be seen as a liberator. All he has to do is convince people I gained my wealth through theft, by force. If he

 ims I stole from him or from Natasha, how many will stand with him just to tear us down?” 

 His voice cracked slightly. “They already think we have too much.”

 It was hard not to be moved. Despite everything, Alpha Vander was still a man, a father, grappling with 

 threats to everything he had built.

 Lucian exhaled, watching his father carefully. “Regardless of his motives, we still have to find him. There a new lead,” he said, his voice dipping lower. “An offshore <bpany.Coins and Whales, registered in Mistwood Ind. Under the name Chase Nighthorn 

 Everyone at the table gasped. 

 Abeld balt Lucian said, looking at his father.

 <153 Does She Sleep At Ni

 Vander’s brows furrowed in confusion.

 + Prints >

 “He wants us toe after him in Mistwood. He’s left a trail deliberately. But we can’t take the bait blindly. We need to follow every lead here before stepping foot on that ind.”

 Vander shook his head. “Lucian, you can’t go to Mistwood. It’s too dangerous.”

 Lucian nodded solemnly. “If it bes necessary, I will. But I won’t leave the pack vulnerable. Mara, Darian, and Rowan will hold the grounds here. Denis and a small team will apany me. Covert. Investigative only. But that’s onlyif our search leads us there.”

 I kept a straight face, but inside, I was panicking.

 I didn’t want him going there–not even to investigate. Not even with guards. The name alone–Mistwood, sounded ominous. It felt like a trap, and no part of me wasfortable with this “if necessary” use h was clinging to. I intended to talk him out of itter.

 Breakfast concluded shortly after that. The room slowly emptied, but the weight of the discussion lingered long after the tes were cleared. Instead of heading to the office, Lucian and I chose to go home. We needed space. And time to think.

 On the way back, I turned to him in the car.

 “Lucian… I thought you were nning to ask Martha about the padded contracts and the missing money.”

 He gave me a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

 “I was,” he admitted. “But I changed my mindst minute.”

 “Why?”

 “Because she doesn’t deserve warning,” he said simply. “If I press her now, she’ll spin a sob story, shift me, and start erasing evidence. I don’t want excuses–I want proof. Then I want justice.”

 And I understood.

 The damage she and Daniel Northwood had done to Steel Corp was enormous. They hadn’t just siphoned money, they’d bled thepany slowly over twenty–three years. Left unchecked, they would have destroyed everything.

 I thought of the audit report I was due to receive soon. I was already bracing for the worst.

 What appalled me most wasn’t just the theft.

 It was how calmly she walked around the mansion, still dressing in luxury, still ying the perfect Luna, while hiding years of lies beneath silk gowns and red wine.

 I couldn’t help but wonder: how did Martha sleep at night? 

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Favorite Curse 153