Chapter 167: The Price of Power

Soren

Georgina’s house smelled of expensive candles and old regret, and I stood in the middle of her living room with my arms wrapped around my stomach, staring hard at the woman who had brought me into the world. She poured tea into a fine cup as if this were a polite visit, as if she hadn’t just forced my car off the road and had my mate dragged away to a warehouse.

“Sit down, Soren. You look pale.”

“I’m not sitting.”

She sighed and set the teapot down. Then she came closer with that controlled elegance that had always made me feel like I was watching a performance. “You’re overreacting. No one is going to hurt you. You’re my daughter.”

“You tried to kill me. You pushed me off a cliff.”

Georgina’s face twitched—something between guilt and irritation.

“That was Kai. I told him to scare you, not hurt you. He went too far.”

“You left me in a hospital. You walked away and didn’t even look back.”

“I came back.” She reached toward me; I stepped away. “I’m here now. I’m trying to fix things.”

“You’re trying to steal Felix’s pack.”

“I’m trying to take what should have been mine a long time ago.” Her voice hardened; the mask cracked. “I married Donovan because I thought he would make me strong. Instead he turned me into decoration. A trophy wife with no real power. I watched him make decisions that affected thousands of wolves, and I had no say. None.”

“So now you want to be Alpha.”

“I want to finally control my own life.” She walked to the window and looked out at the dark street. “The people I’m working with have resources. Connections. They can make me Alpha of Elsbridge within a month. But they need something from you.”

I already knew what was coming, but I let her say it.

“They need Felix to step down voluntarily. No fight, no blood, no pack war. If he fights, people die. If he leaves, everything stays quiet.”

“You want me to convince him.”

“I want you to save his life.” Georgina turned to me. “If he fights, he loses. The people behind me are too strong, too well-connected. He will die, Soren. And your child will grow up without a father.”

The words hit me like a blow.

“You’re threatening me.”

“I’m warning you. That’s different.”

I thought of Felix in the SUV—injured, surrounded by armed men. I thought of the baby inside me, small, dependent, with no choice at all. And I thought of all the nights I had lain awake wondering if I was strong enough to protect anyone.

“I’m not going to help you.”

Georgina’s expression didn’t change.

“Then you’ll watch him die.”

She walked to the door and opened it. The man who had driven me here stood in the hallway.

“Take her to the guest room. Lock it. No phone, no windows, no contact.”

The man reached for my arm; I pulled away.

“I can walk myself.”

I passed Georgina without looking at her. Her gaze stayed on me until I was gone.

The guest room was small and cold. A bed, a dresser, a lamp. No windows. No phone. No exit except the door. The man locked it behind me, and the click of the lock sounded final.

I sat on the edge of the bed and put my head in my hands.

Felix was somewhere out there—hurt, maybe on the run, maybe captured. And I was here, in a room in my mother’s house, unable to do anything.

I laid my hand on my stomach.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I’m so sorry.”

\---

Hours passed, or maybe minutes. There was no sky, no clock, nothing but my heartbeat. The lamp flickered once and steadied again. I lay on the bed staring at the ceiling while my thoughts kept drifting to the wrong places.

Just before midnight the door opened.

Georgina stood in the frame, a tray in her hands. She looked smaller than before—tired, older.

“You need to eat. For the baby.”

“I’m not hungry.”

“You’re always hungry. You just don’t want to take anything from me.”

She set the tray on the dresser and sat on the edge of the bed. Too close. Her perfume hung heavy in the air.

“I know you hate me. You have every right to. But I’m not the villain in this story, Soren. I’m a woman who was kept small her whole life, and I’m finally fighting back.”

“You’re hurting people.”

“I’m hitting the ones who hurt me first.”

I looked at her—really looked at her for the first time. The lines around her eyes. The gray in her hair. The exhaustion she hid behind clothes and makeup.

“Felix never did anything to you. Neither did I. We just stood in your way.”

Georgina was silent for a long time.

“Felix is Donovan’s son. Donovan made years of my life a living hell. He treated me like jewelry. Like something you display and then put away.”

“So you’re punishing Felix for his father.”

“I’m taking what’s mine.”

“No.” My voice stayed calm. “You’re taking what you want. That’s not the same thing.”

Georgina stood and walked to the door.

“Eat. Sleep. We’ll talk more tomorrow.”

She left. The lock clicked.

I stayed sitting, the food growing cold on the dresser.

I thought of Felix’s face as they dragged him away. Of his promise.

I’ll find you. I’ll always find you.

I believed him. I had to believe him.

Otherwise I would have started to break.

And I couldn’t break.

Not yet.

Not while my child needed me.

I took the tray, ate the cold food, drank the water, and lay back down.