Chapter 148

Chapter 148
James Starfford.
Andrew Hoffman was dead.
He had been murdered.
When it finally happened, I wasn’t surprised. Not even a little. I already knew how everything would unfold. Andrew had planned it all, detail by detail. I had done everything he ordered, knew every lie, every secret, every hidden move.
But what unsettled me wasn’t his death.
It was the silence that followed.
For years, Andrew had been my invisible leash. I did the dirty work, yes. Manipulated reports, rerouted investigations, looked the other way when necessary. But in return, he kept my family off the radar.
My human wife.
My hybrid son.
In a world like ours, that was a death sentence—unless someone powerful decided it wouldn’t be.
Andrew decided.
So when he died, the feeling wasn’t relief.
It was a cold, empty hole in my stomach.
Free… until when?
Until the next Supreme Alpha was chosen?
Until someone else took Andrew’s place as Chief of General Security?
And what if the next one was worse? What if he decided to “purify” everything? Erase every human connection in our species?
I couldn’t breathe just thinking about it.
That’s why, even after Andrew’s death, I followed every single protocol he left behind. Sharp eyes. Sharp ears. No impulsive decisions. I had to make sure all the sacrifices—especially mine—hadn’t been for nothing.
So I kept watching.
Sofia Bliss.
Adrian Valehart.
I followed them from afar. Discreet investigations. Measured steps. I knew they were at the center of something far too big for me to ignore. Andrew had warned me about the Hines family long before dying.
When I found out about the meeting in their house—and that Sofia had been invited—my stomach sank.
It was a trap.
From the beginning.
And still… they went.
But I reminded myself, they wouldn’t go without a plan. They weren’t naïve. Adrian was not naïve.
So I dug deeper.
That’s when I found the unusual movement: familiar cars, Adrian’s allies positioned along different routes. People were prepared to intervene if anything went wrong.
Still, it wasn’t enough.
I couldn’t stay out of it, just watching.
So I prepared everything to follow from a distance. I knew no one would notice me—too many years in this line of work, too many years in the shadows.
My only goal was simple: ensure that the whole situation didn’t end in a massacre.
But it did.
The gunshots erupted fast—before they even reached their destination.
I heard screams.
The smell of gunpowder mixed with blood.
I watched from afar, powerless, as everything turned into hell. This wasn’t a clash between enemies—this was an execution.
A betrayal.
And when silence returned… I knew something had gone terribly wrong.
I waited. Counted the seconds.
Heard the sound of something being thrown—liquid…
The sound of a match striking, and then… fire.
After that, only the noise of a car speeding away.
Then I moved.
I got out of my vehicle cautiously, gun in hand, stepping among bodies tossed aside like garbage. Some were still breathing. Others… weren’t.
That’s when I heard it.
A weak groan.
I found the twins—Cael and Cedric—lying on the ground, blood-soaked, agonizing, still clutching their weapons.
“Damn…” I muttered, kneeling beside them in a rush.
I tore off my vest and pulled out the knife I always carried, my hands trembling. These wounds—bullet wounds—weren’t healing.
And suddenly it hit me.
Silver.
The bullets were silver.
“Sons of bitches.”
“You… you’re not one of Hoffman’s guys? Damn… we got hit; it was Edgar…” Cael spat blood. “That bastard… he betrayed us.”
I ripped his shirt open, preparing to dig the projectile out, gripping my knife tight.
Edgar…? Adrian’s cousin?
“Where is Adrian? Where’s the girl?” I asked, already working as fast as I could to prevent the silver from poisoning them further.
“He…” Cael struggled for breath, groaning in pain. “He went after them…”
I looked around. Too many bodies.
This had been premeditated—he had planned to kill everyone right here, then erase all the evidence.
“We need to get out of here,” I said, forcing reason to speak louder than panic as I yanked the bullet out, making blood splatter. “Now.”
Cael screamed in pain.
The fire was spreading fast, already swallowing the cars Edgar had soaked in gasoline on purpose.
“No! Are you insane? We have to go after them…” Cedric shouted, clutching the arm that wouldn’t stop bleeding.
I saw it in their eyes—they wanted to help.
But going back would be suicide.
I dragged both of them to the car. There, I finished the emergency procedures as best as I could. Unfortunately, everyone else was already dead.
Damn it… I should’ve seen this coming. Ever since Hoffman spoke with that bastard Edgar, when he faked Sofia’s father’s death, I never trusted him. I should’ve listened to my instincts.
I drove like a maniac back to my house. Did everything possible to stabilize them. Days later, they were much better—wounded, but alive. Thankfully, I acted fast, and the bullets were superficial.
Then the public announcement came.
Released by the Council.
Adrian was dead.
When I heard it, something hit me hard. Not because I knew him well or cared about him—but because I understood exactly what it meant.
Luke had won.
Sofia was in his hands.
And Edgar… would now take the Valehart title as heir.
With Andrew dead and Luke now the Supreme Alpha, everything had gotten worse.
Worse than I thought it ever could.
To make things even worse, the council acted like nothing had happened.
All those bodies, the deaths, the fire caused by Edgar…
I went there.
Said I was waiting for orders after Andrew Hoffman’s death. Pretended ignorance. And that’s when I saw the D’arven family dealing with paperwork — Adrian’s mother’s family.
The pieces finally fit.
Without a Valehart heir, without power… only the maternal bloodline could intervene.
I followed their trail.
Traveled to the D’arven lands as fast as I could. And when I arrived, I knew I had crossed a border that didn’t exist on any map. The energy was different. Even the moon felt closer. More alive.
That’s where I found Francesca.
She told me everything.
Elenna’s sacrifice.
The ritual.
The Moon Altar.
At that point, there was nothing I could do except wait.
Days passed.
Days of absolute uncertainty.
And then… the door opened.
When Adrian stepped out, I fell to my knees.
Because what I saw wasn’t just a man, or a wolf.
It was something greater.
Alive in a way I had never witnessed.
His hair was as white as the moon itself. His eyes were sharp, bright, and filled with something almost divine.
In that moment, I understood.
The Moon—our Mother—hadn't forgotten her children.
She had sent Adrian back.
To correct everything.
And there, kneeling on sacred ground, tears burning in my eyes, I made a choice.
If the Moon returned Adrian to this world, it was for a far greater purpose.
To save Sofia…
To destroy the Council…
To restore peace to the hearts of her children—pure or not.
I knew he was the right person.
Unlike the others, he wouldn’t kill because of senseless rules.
Wouldn’t exile.
Wouldn’t torture humans or hybrids.
Whatever the reason for his return, I would now be the shadow walking behind him.
Until the end.