Chapter 17 17
Jericho's POV:
The tension in my chest tightened as I paced the room, because I had just received word from the man I had keeping an eye on Nathan, that he was seen meeting up with a strange man near the outskirts of our territory and immediately knew that he was foolishly trying to find his family.
“Wait.” Nathan’s voice cracked over the line, dragging me back to the present. “What do you mean?”
I pinched the bridge of my nose, letting out a slow breath before responding. “I know what you’re doing, Nathan. I know you’re trying to find Donna and Ethan.”
There was silence on the other end and I could hear the faint shuffle of movement as if he was trying to gather his thoughts.
“I… I’m not doing anything, Jericho.” He finally said, voice pleading, panicked. “I would never do anything that could put them in danger. I’m not a fool.”
“Don’t lie to me.” I snapped, letting my frustration seep through. “I don’t care what excuse you try to give me, but lying will get you in more trouble than you think.”
“I… I’m sorry!” He barked. “I’m sorry! I didn’t have a choice! I missed them and I was scared that you’d hurt them, no matter what I did!” His voice cracked, raw and desperate.
I paused, listening to the fear and guilt laced in every word yet my heart didn’t though I understood his desperation. “Listen carefully.” I said, my voice low. “If you do as I say, your family will be safe, and if you do exactly as I instruct, then I will make sure they are set free. But you have to stop this now.”
“I swear!” He said, almost breaking down entirely. “I’ll do whatever you want, Jericho. I’ll follow your orders, just Please… please… just let me hear their voices, even for a moment. I just need to know they’re okay.”
“I’ll think about it.” I replied flatly, already feeling the weight of my own patience thinning. Then I ended the call, letting the line go silent then I sank back into the bed, rubbing my temples.
I could have had Caesar easily assassinated weeks ago. But my brother, that bastard, has far too many connections and any assassin I sent would flip the moment they thought their life was in danger. Using someone like Nathan? Now that was smart. His wife and child were worth more to him than his own life, so he’d take the fall without question.
But now, it seemed he might be reconsidering and that hesitation could ruin everything. So, I had to do whatever I could to keep him in check, or this whole plan would crumble before it even began.
Suddenly, my phone rang, cutting through the silence. Muttering a curse under my breath, I stared at the screen to see that it was a call from Evelyn and immediately the frown was replaced with a smile.
“Jericho!” Her voice snapped immediately, sharp and furious. “Do you have any idea what happened during lunch?”
I raised a hand to calm her, though she couldn’t see it. “Evelyn, slow down and explain calmly. What happened?”
There was a brief pause as she seethed on the other end, then slightly more composed, she narrated everything that had happened.
When she was done, I said. “I understand.”
“No you don't!” She snapped.
“Calm down, Evelyn. I can handle it.” I reassured her. “We’ll talk through this when I get back later today, right now I need to focus on preparing for the meeting here in Highvalley Pack.”
There was another pause, her breath rattling like she was weighing something dangerous. “Fine.” She said finally. “But when you return, we need to talk about something important.”
“What is it?” I asked, voice neutral but edged with anticipation.
Her reply made my blood run cold. “I also want Jenna dead.”
The line went silent after that, and I couldn't stop thinking about the complications ahead. Everything was becoming more delicate, more dangerous and if Evelyn’s ambition collided with my plans, it wouldn’t just be a mess, it could be a war. I closed my eyes, drawing a slow breath one step at a time because I had to be calm enough to control the pawns, control the board, and make sure no one outplayed me because this game had just gotten far more interesting.
A knock landed on the door, slicing through my thought, I straightened, masking the irritation tightening my jaw.
“Come in.” I said.
The door opened, and Beta Isaac of Highvalley Pack stepped inside wearing the same neutral politeness he always did. “Sir Jericho.” He greeted me respectfully. “I’ve just informed our Alpha of the matter you discussed and he said to let you know that the meeting with him and the council elders will be held later this evening.”
“Good.” I nodded once. “Thank you, Isaac.”
He dipped his head slightly, professional as always. “If anything changes, I will let you know immediately.”
“Do that.”
With that, he turned and stepped out, closing the door quietly behind him and the room fell into silence again.
I exhaled slowly, leaning back in the chair and rubbing my forehead. “Perfect.” I muttered to myself. “Just perfect.”
I had arrived in Highvalley Packhouse yesterday, supposedly as Roman’s representative, who was acting in his stead for this partnership deal he wanted with Highvalley Pack because he had been too sick to come.
His health had been deteriorating far faster than he realized or admitted, and honestly, that worked in my favor. But right now, standing in for him was proving to be more inconvenient than I anticipated.
The Alpha of Highvalley had insisted that the council Elders be present for any formal discussion. And now Isaac had just come to inform me that the Elders would be available later this evening, meaning the meeting would be pushed so I would be stuck here even longer to play diplomat while my entire plan back home dangled by a thread.
I ran my hand down my face. “I’ll have the meeting tonight, present the proposal, shake hands, and pretend to care.” I murmured. “Then tomorrow, I will return and sort out this mess.”
Because everything around me was falling apart and too many things were slipping out of my control with Evelyn acting impulsively, Nathan growing unpredictable, my men reporting movements that shouldn’t be happening, and Caesar who was still breathing.
My plan was to kill Caesar and Roman, in his weakened state, would either die from the shock or be too frail to continue ruling. In the end, the Pack would need someone that was decisive, capable and trustworthy, and that someone would be me.
But now? Everything was being delayed and the more time passed, the more Caesar grew closer to Jenna, the more Roman began leaning on certain people, and the more eyes shifted toward places they shouldn’t.
“I don’t know how long I can wait.” I whispered to myself, staring blankly at the wall. “Everything is turning into chaos.”
I reached for my phone immediately, the decision already made before my fingers touched the screen. Nathan could pretend all he wanted, he could cry loyalty, swear obedience, and promise the world, but he was desperate enough to make stupid mistakes and stupid mistakes get people killed.
I typed out a message quickly, my thumb moving on instinct: ‘Change the location of where Donna and Ethan are being kept, immediately. Don’t leave a trace because Nathan is starting to slip and I don’t trust him not to try something.’ Then I hit send and let the phone drop onto the bed.
No matter what happened next, I needed to stay three steps ahead. Because if I lost control now… everything I’d built, everything I’d planned, and everything I’d already sacrificed would crumble and that was something I would never allow.