Chapter 122: ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-TWO

Nicholas’s POV

I stared at my brothers for a while after Cassian finished speaking, barely hearing their words after a while.

I had expected them to be angry with me. Maybe not angry enough to turn against me, but I had honestly thought there would be hesitation after I asked them if they would hate me for wanting to kill their father. Instead, they had stood there and told me that whatever happened to him, he deserved it.

That meant more to me than I could explain. These were the people who had grown up with him, trusted him, loved him, and looked up to him long before I ever became part of their lives, yet they were still willing to stand beside me after learning what he had done.

It made me feel strangely happy, almost special, and I couldn’t stop myself from smiling a little as I looked at each of them.

That was when the idea came to me.

It was probably the most reckless thing I had thought of since this entire mess began, but the more I considered it, the more it made sense.

I leaned forward slightly, resting my hands on the table as I looked between them. "There’s something we can do. If Blackthorne is already looking for us and he knows about the bond, then hiding here isn’t going to solve anything. Eventually, he’ll find this place, and when he does, we’ll be reacting to whatever he decides to do. I’d rather control what happens next."

Elijah immediately frowned. "Control what happens next? Nicholas, did you actually listen to that tape? He knows we’re hiding from him. He knows about the bond. He’s already sending people after us, and your solution is to make it easier for him to find us?"

"I want us to go home." I suddenly told them.

For a few seconds, nobody moved. Then Elijah stared at me as though I had suddenly announced that I wanted to walk into traffic.

"Home?" Cassian repeated, his expression changing completely. "You’re talking about the mansion, aren’t you? You want to walk straight back into that house when our father is actively hunting for us?"

I nodded. "Yes."

Roman leaned back in his chair and rubbed his forehead, clearly trying to understand whether I was being serious. "Nicholas, you cannot possibly think that is a good idea. We’ve spent all this time staying away from him because we knew what he was capable of. Now you’re suggesting we go back there voluntarily and sit down at the same table with him?"

"I’m— that’s not what I’m saying. You guys don’t seem to understand," I replied, keeping my voice steady despite the way my heart had started beating harder. "I’m saying we go back before he finds us. If we keep running, we’re giving him the advantage. He knows we’re together, he knows about the bond, and sooner or later he’ll track us down. But if we return ourselves, we get to decide how close we stay to him."

"That’s insane," Elijah muttered, pushing himself back from the table. "You’re asking us to walk into the place where the man who’s been trying to get rid of you lives."

Before he could continue, Adrian lifted a hand. "Let him finish."

Elijah turned toward him, clearly frustrated but Adrian didn’t raise his voice or argue. He simply looked at him until he settled back down. Then Adrian’s attention returned to me. "Explain everything. Don’t skip anything you have in mind."

I nodded and took a breath. "I’ll be the bait."

That immediately made Elijah’s face tighten again, but Adrian gestured for him to stay quiet.

"Blackthorne doesn’t want me dead just because I’m inconvenient," I continued. "He wants me because I’m connected to everything he has been trying to hide. He knows about Dad. He knows I’m investigating. He knows about the bond now, and after what happened with Jayden, I don’t think he’ll just leave me alone. If I walk back into that house, he’ll have me right where he wants me."

"That doesn’t sound like a plan, Nicholas," Roman said. "That sounds like volunteering to become his target."

"It is a plan if we use it properly." I looked at Adrian. "You said yourself that he has been hiding things from everyone. There are still things inside that mansion that we haven’t seen. His office, his room, whatever records he’s keeping there. If he thinks I’m back and believes everything has returned to normal, he’ll eventually make a mistake. He’ll talk or move things. He’ll contact people. And while he’s focused on me, we can find out more about the other Alphas connected to him."

Adrian stayed quiet for several seconds, studying me. I could tell he was considering every part of it instead of immediately dismissing it. That was exactly why I had directed the idea toward him.

"We would need to be careful," he finally said. "Extremely careful. The moment he suspects we’re investigating him, the plan falls apart."

"I agree." I nodded.

Adrian watched me. "And you’re putting yourself directly in front of him."

"I’m very much aware of what I’m doing."

Elijah shook his head. "I still don’t like it."

"Neither do I," Cassian admitted, his voice quieter now. "But I understand what Nicholas is trying to do."

Roman sighed and looked between us. "So we’re actually considering going back?"

Adrian leaned back slightly. "We are. Nicholas is right about one thing. Running forever isn’t an option. If our father already knows about the bond, then staying hidden only gives him time to prepare. At least this way, we kinda have the upper hand."

Elijah looked at Adrian for a long moment before finally dragging a hand over his face. "I hate this plan. Like I really, really hate this plan."

Adrian adjusted the sleeves of his shirt. "So do I."

Elijah looked at me then, his expression still filled with concern. "If anything happens to you because of this, I’m blaming you for the rest of your life."

Despite everything, I almost smiled. "Fair enough."

We spent the rest of the afternoon preparing to leave. There wasn’t much to pack because we hadn’t exactly been living normally in the penthouse, but Adrian still insisted that everyone check their belongings twice.

By the time we were ready, the atmosphere inside the penthouse had changed completely.

Why? Because we weren’t running from danger. We were going to meet it. How pleasant.

When we finally stepped outside, I paused beside the car and looked back at the penthouse.

It had become the one place where I had actually felt safe after everything with Jayden. Now I was willingly leaving it behind.

With a sigh, I got into the car without saying anything.

The drive to the mansion went past in silence which I was grateful for. I sat quietly, staring through the window as the familiar roads passed by, trying not to think too far ahead.

I knew what I was doing. I knew exactly who we were going back to. But I could handle it.

By the time the mansion came into view, it was already evening. The sight of the familiar building made my stomach tighten immediately. I had spent so much time trying to get away from this place that returning felt almost unnatural.

Adrian parked the car, and for a moment none of us moved.

Then I opened the door. "Let’s go," I said quietly.

We walked toward the entrance together and the moment the door opened, I heard movement from inside.

My mother appeared first, and the second she saw me, her entire expression changed. "Nicholas?"

She hurried toward me before I could even say anything and pulled me into a hug. I stiffened for half a second from surprise, then slowly wrapped my arms around her.

"You’re back," she said, holding me tightly. "Oh my God, you’re actually back."

"I’m back, Mom."

She pulled away just enough to look at my face, checking me as though she needed to make sure I was really standing in front of her. "Why didn’t you tell me you were coming? I would have come outside. I thought—"

"I’m okay," I assured her. "I’m fine."

A voice came from behind her.. "What is he doing here?"

I looked up and my breath hitched as I saw that Blackthorne was standing a few steps away.

The shock on his face lasted only a moment, but I saw it clearly before his expression changed. His eyes moved from me to Adrian, then to Cassian, Roman and Elijah, as though he couldn’t believe all of us had simply appeared in his house after disappearing from his reach.

Then, just as quickly, he composed himself. "Nicholas," he said, walking toward me. "I didn’t know you were coming home."

He placed a hand on my shoulder, his expression carefully concerned. "I’ve been worried about you. Your mother has been worried sick."

I looked at him and forced myself to smile. "I’ve missed you too."

The words felt strange leaving my mouth.

He pulled me into a brief hug, and I returned it because there was no reason for me to reveal what I was thinking. To him, I was simply the stepson who had finally returned home. The son who had supposedly been away. The boy he believed he could control.

But I knew better now.

I knew about my father’s death. And I knew that the man standing in front of me was a monster.

So when Blackthorne smiled at me and welcomed me home, I smiled back. "I really am glad to see you."

Deep down, however, I knew exactly why I had come back.

I was here to ruin him.