Chapter 135
Warning: The following chapter may contain content that some readers may find sensitive. I recommend reading with discretion. It may contain: aggressive language, use of firearms, insinuations of abuse, psychological abuse, death, etc.
Adrian Valehart
Luke pulled out a small package.
“Things we know you’ll really like, Sofia.”
He tilted his head slightly.
“Things that belonged to your mother.”
Those sons of bitches knew exactly which wound to poke.
That wasn’t kindness.
Wasn’t affection.
It was pure manipulation.
I looked at Sofia.
Her smile faltered for barely a second—
but I knew her well enough to catch it.
Her grandmother approached instantly, taking Sofia’s hand with a doubtful sweetness, speaking softly as if trying to create an intimate moment.
My mind kept repeating the same thing:
What do they really want?
Brainwashing?
Forced emotional bonding?
Make Sofia lower her guard?
I scanned the room, searching for the patriarch.
Her grandfather.
He wasn’t there.
That alone put me on edge.
Families like theirs didn’t function without the patriarch observing everything.
If he wasn’t there, it was because he didn’t want to be seen…
Or because he was busy with something far more important.
Damn it…
This was not looking good.
I kept my posture neutral, looking more like a silent bodyguard than anything else.
Standing beside Sofia, alert but uncomfortable.
Luke stepped away from her for a moment, walked to a table to grab a drink, then came over to me—almost appearing from behind my back.
He placed a hand on my shoulder, as if I had allowed it.
“You should relax a bit,” he said in a low tone.
“Everyone here is family.”
I slowly tilted my head toward him.
“Of course,” I replied, my voice calm—too calm.
“I’ll try.”
Inside, I completed:
Not a fucking chance… I’m nothing like you sick bastards.
He smiled, satisfied with the vague response.
After that, they started showing Sofia more things.
Old photographs, childhood objects, toys.
All perfectly chosen.
Every item was an emotional blow, precise and intentional.
Then they announced dinner.
Everyone stood almost at the same time, like it had all been rehearsed.
The long table was already set—beautiful, full of food and drinks.
I honestly didn’t want to eat.
Even though I couldn’t smell any poison, my instincts screamed:
Don’t put that in your mouth.
Once the food was served, Sofia’s grandmother insisted she sit right beside her.
They began talking in low voices.
And I, staying alert, caught fragments of the conversation.
Until I heard something that made every muscle in my body tense.
“…I want to give you a special gift,” the old woman said sweetly.
“A gift I was going to give your mother. It was meant for her wedding day… but now… I believe it belongs to you.”
My eyes shot instantly to Sofia.
She was visibly uncomfortable.
Her body stiff, her fingers tightening around the napkin.
She hated that idea just as much as I did.
When she looked at me, I knew.
There was more behind this than I’d noticed.
She had sensed something.
She stood up slowly.
She didn’t say a word, but her eyes told me everything:
Trust me.
And I understood.
She wasn’t human anymore.
She wasn’t helpless.
She was a newly awakened wolf—dangerous, capable of fighting… capable of killing.
I knew that.
I knew I had to trust her.
Still, I stood up too.
“Where are you going?” Luke asked, his tone far too casual.
“I’m going with them,” I answered simply.
He let out a short laugh.
“Oh, don’t be like that. Let the women have a moment alone. Didn’t anyone ever teach you that some things men shouldn’t interfere in?”
It was meant to sound like a joke.
I didn’t laugh.
I stayed serious.
“No,” I replied.
“I never learned that.”
The atmosphere around us shifted, even though everyone kept smiling.
Luke stared at me for a few long seconds, analyzing.
Then he shrugged.
“All right…” He stood, moving closer to me.
“Then let me explain something—man to man.”
“It’s fine, Adrian,” Sofia said, already following her grandmother down a hallway.
“I’ll be right back.”
My chest tightened.
Luke leaned against the table, sipping his wine calmly.
His tone changed the moment Sofia disappeared down the hall.
He became sharper.
“You’re very tense, Adrian,” he said.
“It almost seems like you don’t trust us.”
I couldn’t stop the laugh that escaped—short and humorless.
“I don’t,” I replied, staring straight into his eyes.
“You’re part of the Council. We’re competitors… you should know better than anyone.”
His smile widened.
“Fair enough.”
He raised his glass slightly.
“And I also… don’t trust you.”
For a moment, the air grew heavier—
Then we both laughed, as if it were just a joke.
Because that’s how it was supposed to look.
Luke drank again, staring lazily at his plate. Then he said, casually:
“We heard terrible things.”
I stared at him, absentmindedly poking at my food with zero intention of eating it.
“We were informed that Sofia’s father was found dead.”
He paused deliberately.
“And that Sofia killed the one responsible… our fellow competitor… Andrew Hoffman.”
What?
He knew?
How?
Not even my mother had the full story yet—how the hell did he?
This… this wasn’t supposed to be public information.
So what the hell was happening?
“Is that true?” he asked, fake curiosity dripping from every word.
What the fuck is going on here?
I inhaled slowly before answering.
“Yes.”
Straightforward.
No hesitation.
“How tragic,” he murmured, clearly not affected.
“A tremendous loss… and an unexpected ascent, isn’t it?”
Ascent.
“The Council was… impressed,” he continued.
“A hybrid female taking the place of a pureblood competitor… That has never happened before.”
I tilted my head, trying to keep control.
“The Game makes no distinctions when its rules are met… it’s not written anywhere that it’s forbidden.”
Luke smiled, pleased.
“Exactly.”
He stepped closer.
“But dangerous games tend to demand a higher price.”
I stared at him, unblinking… unsure of his angle.
“And we, the Hines family in particular,” he added softly,
“are very used to paying high prices.”
Before I could respond, I felt it.
A scent.
Faint.
Distant.
But unmistakable.
My heart slammed into my ribs.
Letícia.
She was here.
Somewhere inside that house.
I kept my expression neutral, still “listening” to Luke—
But inside, everything in me snapped into place, bracing for the worst.
Luke kept talking, unaware my attention had shifted completely.
My focus was locked on the hallway where Sofia had disappeared.
And I was certain:
Whatever was happening back there,
The scent of Letícia was coming from that direction.