"Is she in her office?"
"Mrs. Blackwood is still at her desk, sir. She called in a junior associate about forty minutes ago, and they've been in there since."
I hung up without a word, but the unease didn't subside. It settled into a dull, persistent ache behind my ribs. I missed her scent; that electric jasmine that was able to clear the fog from my brain. I even missed her silence; the way she sat next to me in the car, radiating a fury so cold it was practically tactile.
I pulled into the gates of my family's estate. Gravel crunched under my tires, then under my shoes. My mother was in the front yard, pulling weeds. She wore a large sun hat and no shoes.
"You look thin, Vidar," Mei Ling said by way of greeting. She peered into the empty passenger seat. "Where is my daughter-in-law? I expected to see the woman who will give me grandchildren. I need to fatten her up with some stew."
"Addie's at work."
Mei Ling made a soft clicking sound with her tongue. "Work. She should be here planning a wedding and making me grandbabies, not staring at glowing boxes."
"She enjoys the work. Isn't that why you arranged this? To give me a partner who can actually keep up with me?"
My mother didn't answer. She just gave me a knowing, enigmatic smile—the kind that suggested she’d seen this entire trajectory months ago—and turned back to the weeds.
My father’s first thought was always the strength of the Blackwood name. But my mother, her first thought was always the happiness of her children. I realized then that she hadn't just picked a Vane for the merger. She’d picked Addie for me. I wondered if the same care would be extended to the rest of my siblings. We all grew up knowing we would have little to no say in who we married.
I headed for the west wing of the estate. The air grew cooler as I approached Gunnar’s territory. My brother was stepping out of the suite, adjusting a holster under his jacket.
"He’s in there," Gunnar said, jerking a thumb toward the closed door. "Still trying to hack his way into the Pentagon, from the looks of it. I’m headed into the city for a perimeter check."
Even though we wore business suits —well, me and Magnus did— our wolves liked to patrol. Gunnar had on a tracksuit and thousand-dollar sneakers.
I nodded and pushed the door open. Elias was hunched over a triple-monitor setup, his fingers flying across the keys. He jumped as I entered, his face flushing with a guilt so bright it was a beacon.
"Conspiring with your sister again?"
Elias let out a long, ragged sigh, his shoulders slumping. "She shouldn't have anything to do with this. The skimming off the spoilage —it was all my idea. It’s my fault. Just… let Addie go."
I looked at the boy. He was brave, brilliant, and completely out of his league. I knew in my mind, in the very core of my soul, that I would never let Addie go. Not for a deal, not for a debt, and certainly not for her brother’s misplaced heroism.
"Take a drive with me."
The drive into the heart of Vane territory was an exercise in cold arrogance. I didn't take the back roads. I drove my sports car straight to the gilded entrance of the Vane’s flagship hotel. The top was down, the engine a low, predatory hum against the gravel.
The doormen froze, their nostrils flaring as they caught the scent of a Blackwood Alpha in their lobby along with the Vane heir. No one moved to stop us. They were too stunned by the sheer gall of it.
I led Elias to the long marble bar at the back of the lounge. We sat in the center of the room, a target painted on our backs, and waited.
"What's going on, Vidar?" Elias asked, his voice tight, his eyes darting to the enforcers beginning to gather in the shadows of the mezzanine. "Why are we here?"
"You have a choice, Elias." I signaled the bartender for two whiskeys. The man’s hands shook as he poured. "You can go back to your pack right now. Back to being the Prince of the Vanes under your father's shadow. I’ll forgive the debt—every cent you tried to steal—if you publicly blame Adolphus for thetheft. Tell the Pack Council he ordered you to hit the Blackwood accounts."
Elias didn't even blink. "No."
"No?" I prompted, watching him closely.
"I don't run from my responsibilities," the boy snapped, his jaw set in a line that reminded me painfully of Addie. "I took the risk. I won't hide behind a lie."
I nodded slowly. It was the answer I expected, but it wasn't the one I needed. "Second choice, then. Youoverpowerme right here." I overemphasized the unbelievable notion. "Youescapeback to this hotel, but you do it as a Blackwood mole. You feed me every move your father makes; every line item, including towels, every booking, every business meeting."
Elias looked at me with genuine disgust. "I’m not a rat, Vidar. I took my shot at taking down the Blackwoods, and I missed."
"Would you do it again?" I asked. "If you had the chance to hit us again, would you take it?"
Elias pinched his lips together; his silence shouted the answer. He wouldn't just do it; he’d do it better next time.
