"Get out," he said softly. "Before I have you committed tonight."
The guards hauled me through the club, past startled members and wide-eyed staff. I stopped fighting, knowing it was pointless, saving my strength for the battles ahead. They practically threw me onto the sidewalk outside, my father's final threat ringing in my ears.
The night air hit me like a slap, cold and clarifying. My hands were shaking, adrenaline still coursing through my system as I retrieved my keys from a visibly nervous Edward. The Audi's engine roared to life, a mechanical extension of my rage as I pulled away from the curb with squealing tires.
The sleek rental car idled at the end of the long, winding driveway, its headlights cutting twin beams through the evening mist. Beyond the illuminated path, Alyssa Knotty's estate loomed like something out of a gothic nightmare, all stone and angles, the windows glowing with warm light that I knew was a lie. Nothing about that house was warm. Nothing abouther was warm. My hands trembled on my thighs as I stared at the mansion, memories I'd spent years burying clawing their way to the surface. I could feel the phantom touch of her hands on my skin, hear her voice cooing praise while she,
"Cole." Logan's voice cut through the spiral, anchoring me back to the present. "We don't have to do this. I can go in alone." I shook my head, my jaw clenched so tight it ached.
"No. She won't help if it's just you. She needs to see me." I swallowed hard, tasting bile. "She always did like having power over me." Logan's knuckles whitened on the steering wheel.
"I won't let her touch you." A bitter laugh escaped me.
"A bit late for that."
The silence that followed was heavy with all the things we couldn't say. The clock on the dashboard blinked 9:47 PM. In less than forty-eight hours, Cade would face a tribunal stacked against her. And with the way things were going, she could be sentenced to the Hole. The thought of Cade, who had already endured so much, in that place was enough to make me reach for the door handle.
"Let's get this over with," I said, forcing steel into my voice. The gravel crunched beneath our feet as we approached the imposing front entrance. Each step required conscious effort, my body fighting the instinct to run in the opposite direction. Until a few months ago, I hadn't seen Alyssa Knotty in years, not since I'd been rescued from the Underground, but her presence had never left me. She lived in my nightmares, in the scars that mapped my body, in the broken pieces of my psyche that had never fully healed.
Logan stayed close beside me, his presence solid and reassuring. We'd come a long way from the days when we were just two broken boys thrust together by circumstance. Now, wewere men with power and resources of our own. Yet standing before Alyssa's door, I felt like that terrified child again, waiting to be led into a room where nightmares became reality.
Before we could ring the bell, the massive oak door swung open. And there she was. Still beautiful in that cold, predatory way, her blonde hair artfully styled, her makeup flawless. She wore a simple black dress that probably cost more than most people made in a month, diamonds glittering at her ears and throat. Her smile, when she saw me, made my skin crawl.
"Well, well," she purred, leaning against the doorframe with casual elegance. "If it isn't my favourite boy, all grown up." Her eyes raked over me with a hunger that made me want to scrub my skin raw. "What a pleasure to see you again, Cole." Logan stepped slightly in front of me, a subtle but clear gesture of protection.
"Mrs Knotty. We need to talk." Alyssa's smile didn't falter as she pushed away from the doorframe.
"Of course you do. Why else would you be darkening my doorstep at this time of night?" She stepped back, gesturing for us to enter. "Come in. Let's not conduct our business in the cold."
I forced my feet to move, crossing the threshold into a house that represented every nightmare I'd ever had. The foyer was exactly as I remembered, marble floors, a crystal chandelier, and the scent of expensive perfume hanging in the air. Nothing about this place had ever felt like a home. It was a stage, a façade, hiding the rot beneath. I had spent many weekends here, loaned out by Dominic Blake.
"You've filled out nicely," Alyssa commented, circling me like a shark. "Those unique eyes still as striking as ever. I always told Dominic they were your best feature." She reached out asif to touch my face, and I flinched back instinctively. Her smile widened. "Still so responsive, my dear boy."
"He's not your 'boy,'" Logan snapped, his patience clearly fraying. "He never was." Alyssa laughed, the sound like glass breaking.
"Oh, but he will always belong to me, in one way or another." She turned her predatory gaze on Logan. "We leave marks on each other, don't we? Especially the first ones."
I felt bile rise in my throat, but forced it down. We weren't here for this. We were here for Cade. For Cade, I could endure this. For Cade, I could face the monster from my past.
"We're not here to reminisce," I said, proud that my voice remained steady. "We're here about Cade." Something flashed in Alyssa's eyes, annoyance, perhaps, or disdain.
"Ah, yes, my mistake. The poor girl who turned out to be a Consort. How very... predictable."
"Your daughter," I corrected, watching her reaction carefully. "Cade is your daughter, and she's in serious trouble." Alyssa's expression didn't change, but something in her posture stiffened.
"What kind of trouble could she possibly be in?"
"She's been accused of fraud against the Trivium," Logan explained, his voice tight with barely contained anger. "Falsification of scholarship credentials and violation of the Legacy Code."
"The penalty is the Hole," I added, watching as Alyssa's perfectly manicured hand tightened around her wine glass. "Unless you come forward and claim her as your daughter. Acknowledge her legacy status."
For a moment, silence stretched between us, broken only by the soft ticking of an antique clock somewhere in the depthsof the house. Then, to my horror, Alyssa laughed, a cold, cruel sound that set my teeth on edge.
"And why on earth would I do that?" she asked, moving to an ornate sideboard where a crystal decanter of amber liquid sat waiting. She poured herself a generous measure, not offering us anything. "That child was a mistake. A stain on my life that I tried to erase the moment I found out her vile seed took root in my womb." The casual cruelty of her words hit me like a physical blow.
I knew Alyssa was capable of monstrous things; I bore the evidence on my body, but the complete dismissal of her own child still managed to shock me.
"She's your daughter," Logan ground out, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. "Your flesh and blood." Alyssa took a delicate sip of her drink, regarding us over the rim of her glass.
