Chapter 171
Drake's POV
The lights exploded.
Glass rained down like tiny daggers. I threw my arm over my face, felt the sharp sting of cuts opening on my skin. The room plunged into darkness—just the pale moonlight through the windows now.
Raven's laughter echoed as he vanished into that swirling red mist. "I'll be watching you, Drake Reid."
My throat closed up. Those red eyes burned into my memory even after he disappeared.
"Shit." I touched my neck where he'd grabbed me earlier. The skin was still hot. "Ragnar. What the fuck do we do now?"
Listen to him. For now. My wolf's voice was cold in my head. Unless you want to end up like your father.
I looked at Jessica across the room. She stood frozen, staring at nothing. Blood trickled from a cut on her temple. The demon hadn't given her the same deal he'd given me.
Why?
Who knows? Ragnar snarled. I don't understand magic. Maybe you're more useful than she is.
Great. Useful to a demon. That's what my life had become.
"Drake." Alpha Austin's voice cut through the darkness. "What did he say to you?"
I swallowed hard. Kept my face blank. "Nothing. He just... threatened me."
Lies came easy now. They always had.
---
Austin slammed his fist on the conference table. The sound cracked through the air like a gunshot.
"No! This can't be true!"
His eyes flashed amber. The wolf was right there, just under the surface. Luna Ella grabbed his arm, her lavender and rain scent trying to calm him down.
"We need to get them back. Now!" Austin's voice shook. His hands were clenched so tight his knuckles had gone white.
"Austin, we will find them." Ella's voice was soft. Steady. "But we need to stay calm."
I watched from the corner. Stayed quiet.
Rescue mission? Pointless. Unless Raven decided to let them go, nothing would work.
Sarah's laugh cut through the room. Sharp and mean.
Austin whipped around. "You think something's funny, Sarah?!"
He shoved his chair back. It crashed into the wall. Luna Ella grabbed his elbow again, trying to hold him back.
"Casper and Cassian are perfect!" Sarah giggled, her red waves bouncing. "They could never do anything wrong! They're perfect Alpha heirs!"
Her green eyes glittered with jealousy. Even now, drunk on whatever delusion she was living in.
I wanted to throw up. I'd slept with this girl. Multiple times. What had I been thinking?
You weren't thinking with your brain. Ragnar's tone was disgusted.
I forced my face to stay blank. Didn't want anyone looking at me too closely right now.
---
"I think it's very convenient!"
Ethan's voice was loud. Angry. His brown curls were shaking as he pointed at the spot where the twins had disappeared.
"Right when we were about to question them about the attack... they vanish! That shouldn't be ignored!"
Luna Ella turned to face him, her expression shocked. "Ethan, that's too hard to believe! How can you say that?"
I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from smiling. This proud, united Thornwood family was falling apart. Right in front of me.
The air in the conference room felt thick. Heavy. Everyone was looking at each other with suspicion now.
Good.
"Ethan, please—" Luna started.
"No." Ethan cut her off. "Something's not right. She shows up pregnant, claims it's theirs, and suddenly they're gone? And Drake—" he pointed at me— "Drake's been saying for weeks that she was manipulating them."
My stomach dropped.
I hadn't said that. Not exactly. But close enough.
---
I felt eyes on me. Turned my head.
Alpha Kade. His black hair looked darker in the shadows. Those amber eyes were locked on me. Intense. Calculating.
He could smell something was different. The demon's energy must still be clinging to me.
Hide it! I snapped at Ragnar through our link. Don't let him figure it out!
Too late, Drake. He already knows something's wrong.
Kade opened his mouth. "Drake—"
"I agree with Ethan."
"I saw Elowen go into Drake's apartment." Sarah's voice was loud. Clear. "A few weeks ago. They had sex. I know they did."
Not exactly true. But close enough to cause damage.
I kept my mouth shut. If I denied it, Raven might notice. Might hurt me. I couldn't risk it.
"See?" Sarah said, looking around the room triumphantly. "I told you she was a slut! Seducing the twins wasn't enough—she had to go after Drake too!"
---
Alpha Alaric's voice was sharp as a blade. His silver-white hair caught the moonlight as he stood.
"Why are we talking about Elowen like she's already dead? Or like she's not coming back?"
His pale blue eyes scanned the room. He looked pissed.
Sarah giggled again. That high-pitched, childish sound that made my teeth hurt.
"Please, Alaric. Would you want to come back to this mess? If I were her, I'd be long gone!"
I remembered telling Sarah those lies about Elowen and me. Spreading rumors. Trying to destroy her reputation.
I hadn't expected it to cause this much damage. Especially not with her supposedly pregnant.
You're an idiot. Ragnar's voice was flat in my head.
Yeah. I was starting to figure that out.
---
"Sarah has no reason to lie!" Ethan said firmly. "She's just telling the truth!"
"On the contrary, Ethan!" Alpha Austin's face was red now. Furious. "She has every reason—jealousy! She's always been jealous that Elowen got the twins' attention!"
I watched it all unfold. Under the surface of unity and family bonds, everyone had their own agenda.
Ethan and Sarah wanted to destroy Elowen. Take her down. Take away her place in the Thornwood Pack.
My goal had been the same. Kind of. But my motivation was more complicated now.
I was working for Raven. Whether I wanted to or not.
Austin's eyes showed pain. He was watching his family split apart in real time.
---
The arguing got louder. More intense. Hidden threats and accusations flying back and forth.
I stayed quiet. Just watched.
Raven's voice whispered in my memory. Power and freedom, Drake. You just have to help me with one small favor...
"For unlimited power, what wouldn't a person do?" I asked Ragnar silently.
Anything they're asked. His tone made it clear he didn't approve. But that's not our way, Drake. That's selling your soul.
I felt sick. Conflicted. Scared.
But also... tempted. So tempted by what he was offering.
---
"Sarah wants my sons—that's obvious!" Luna Ella's voice cut like poison. Her lavender and rain scent had turned sharp. Bitter.
"Look at how she throws herself at them like a cheap whore!"
"Now that they're finally with Elowen—a true destined mate!—Sarah's just jealous. So she's lying and slandering!"
Luna's sharp gaze turned to me. "Tell them, Drake. Tell them Sarah's wrong. Nothing happened between you and Elowen."
Every eye in the room locked on me.
The silence was deafening.
My heart pounded. My throat felt blocked. I couldn't breathe.
I could feel Raven's power around me. Watching. Waiting. Warning me not to say the wrong thing.
---
I looked at Luna Ella. Then at Alpha Austin. My mind raced through the options.
Would it benefit me to betray the Thornwood Pack again?
Either way, my life was now a delicate dance of secrets and lies. One wrong move could mean life or death.
Who did I want to piss off more? The demon Raven? Or the Thornwood Pack and my own family?
Just as I opened my mouth, Raven's voice sliced into my thoughts. Only I could hear it.
Stall them, Drake. Don't answer any questions until I tell you what to say and when to say it.