Chapter 235: Acquired taste 1

BRADLEY

For several seconds, he didn’t answer. When he finally spoke, his voice was quiet and devoid of warmth.

"I’m not sure I can give it to you."

"Supreme..."

"I want nothing more to do with wolves." His gaze drifted toward Willow’s body. "Not after tonight. Not after what has happened to my family."

I exhaled slowly. I’d hoped he wouldn’t make this difficult.

"Your family was integral to helping us seal Lycaon the first time."

His shoulders stiffened.

"The seal cannot be restored without all the family runes.The lack of Shelter runes will not be possible. We need your family’s signature, the marks that only a member of your bloodline can draw." I kept my voice even. "I’m not threatening you, Supreme. I’m explaining what we’re facing. Without your cooperation, we cannot complete the ritual and you know it."

"I’m sure the royal family will find another solution."

"There isn’t another solution."

"Then you have a problem then and it is not my problem. Not anymore."

"Supreme..."

He turned toward me, and something in his expression made the hair on my arms rise.

"My daughter died in your house," he said. "She died in the middle of your affairs, surrounded by your people. And now, within the space of a single evening, I’m being told that she was a murderer, a terrorist and a traitor. Things I cannot reconcile with the daughter I know."

His lips trembled, but he continued.

"And I know what you intend to tell me now. That I have a recording. That I have the promise of your witnesses. I’ve seen what she did, and I cannot pretend the evidence doesn’t exist. Perhaps these things are true. Perhaps my daughter did all of them. But do you have any idea what it is like to hear this about your child while you’re still trying to understand that she’s dead?"

He glanced toward Willow.

"What sort of people are you? What kind of heartlessness does it take to stand in front of a grieving father and demand that he solve another one of your problems before he’s even had the chance to bury his daughter?"

"Because we don’t have the luxury of waiting."

The words came out sharper than I’d intended.

"If Lycaon gets out of that prison, even for a moment, there will be a reckoning. You know what he is, Folke. You know what was done to him, and you know what we had to do to put him there. He has had a few decades to remember every wound and every humiliation."

I stepped closer.

"He will come for the people who imprisoned him, and he will make them pay for every second of it. He won’t stop with the royal family. He won’t stop with me. Anyone connected to that seal, anyone who helped us put him away, will be a target."

Folke’s fingers curled into fists. A vein throbbed at his temple, and for a moment I thought he might actually strike me.

Then the anger seemed to drain out of him.

He looked toward his daughter again, and when he spoke, his voice had lost what little strength remained in it.

"Leave. I’ll think about it."

"Supreme..."

"I said leave."

I bowed. It was the deepest bow I had ever given anyone who wasn’t a king.

"I hope you’ll reconsider. And I’m truly sorry for your loss."

He didn’t respond. He had already turned back to his daughter, kneeling beside her and gently brushing the hair away from her gray forehead. The tenderness of the gesture made it difficult to keep looking.

The magical barrier began to dissolve.

I watched the shimmer retreat from the walls, breaking apart in thin, translucent layers that disappeared before reaching the floor. The sounds of the house gradually returned. The fire crackled in the grate, the clock resumed its ticking, and somewhere beyond the room, I heard the distant movement of servants.

I took that as my cue to leave.

The corridor was cool, with the faint scent of apple blossom drifting through it. I kept my back straight and my hands clasped behind me as I walked, maintaining the composure expected of the High Beta until I reached the courtyard.

Then my legs nearly gave out.

I stopped beside the fountain and gripped its stone rim, lowering my head as I tried to steady my breathing.

Breathe.

I pulled out my phone and called Lysander.

It rang several times before going to voicemail. I waited for the tone, then ended the call without leaving a message.

A familiar uneasiness settled in my chest.

It was probably nothing. Lysander was at the manor, surrounded by sentinels, with the healer close by. He must have been occupied all day, and there was no reason to assume anything had happened simply because he wasn’t answering his phone.

Still, I couldn’t shake the feeling.

I’d seen too many things go wrong while people were occupied with other matters. The days since the King’s death had made it difficult to trust that everything was under control.

I scrolled through my contacts until I found the number of one of the sentinels I’d assigned to keep watch over the Regent and the healer.

I called.

He answered on the second ring.

"High Beta."

"Report." I started toward the gate, where my two men were waiting beside the car. Their headlights cast a faint glow over the courtyard, and both straightened when they saw me approaching. "Has anything happened?"

"No, sir. Is something wrong?"

"I’ve been trying to reach His Majesty. He isn’t answering his phone."

There was a brief pause.

I heard something in the background, a muffled sound that might have been a snort, followed by the faint shuffle of boots.

"His Majesty is occupied, sir."

There was something peculiar about the way he said it. A little too carefully delivered, with an unmistakable hint of amusement beneath the formality.

I stopped.

"Occupied doing what?"

"Just... occupied, sir."

I closed my eyes.

For some reason, my mind returned to the Shelter girl lying beneath that linen. I remembered her father’s hands trembling as he lifted her, the devastation in his face when he finally understood she wasn’t coming back.

Then I thought of the tank. Of the creature imprisoned inside it. Of the runes holding its power in check, and the consequences if those runes ever failed.

"I need to speak with him," I said. "It’s important."