Chapter 80 AN ALIBI

Chapter 80 AN ALIBI
Thorne’s POV

I studied the clinic schedule one final time.

Ultrasound appointment.

Ten-thirty tomorrow morning.

Maya Rivers assigned as primary healer.

No additional staff.

Perfect.

I leaned back in my chair slowly, tapping the paper against my palm while rain hit the windows outside my quarters. The storm had started an hour ago. Good. Bad weather reduced witnesses.

Reduced questions.

And tomorrow, if all went according to plan, reduced problems.

Aria Winters had become dangerous.

Too curious.

Too much like her father.

I still remembered Theodore shoving financial reports onto Marcus's desk twelve years ago.

Demanding answers.

Threatening exposure.

The fool had thought evidence would protect him.

Instead, it got him and his mate buried.

Now their daughter was making the same mistake.

I folded the clinic schedule carefully and slid it into the fire beside my desk. Flames swallowed the paper within seconds.

No evidence.

No trail.

Just results.

A knock sounded at my door.

Right on time.

I crossed the room and opened it without hesitation. The rogue standing outside smelled like cigarettes, blood, and wet earth.

Exactly the type of wolf desperate enough to take dirty jobs.

He stepped inside without invitation, hood still covering most of his face.

"You Elder Thorne?"

"I am."

His eyes scanned the expensive furniture around my quarters. "Didn't expect council members to work this dirty."

I closed the door quietly. "You were paid to complete a task. Not offer opinions."

He smirked. "Fair enough."

I walked to the table near the fireplace and slid a photograph toward him.

Aria.

Pregnant.

Taken at the gala.

The rogue picked it up. "Pretty."

"Focus."

His grin widened slightly. "Relax. I kill people, old man. Doesn't mean I'm blind."

Disgust flickered through me, but I kept my expression calm.

"I will communicate the time later," I said evenly. "The location is Silverpine clinic."

He looked over the photo again. "Target's pregnant."

"That changes nothing."

"Usually makes clients hesitate."

"I'm not hesitating."

The rogue shrugged. "Works for me."

I pointed toward the photograph. "The attack must look random. Break-in. Robbery. Whatever story makes sense in the moment."

"And the healer?"

"Maya Rivers."

His eyes narrowed. "Witness?"

"If necessary."

The rogue let out a low whistle. "You really are serious."

I stepped closer slowly. "Listen carefully. The girl dies. Cleanly. Quickly. No mistakes."

He held my gaze for a second before nodding once.

"What about security?"

"I'll handle it."

That part had taken planning.

Marcus would keep Caden occupied with an emergency council session tomorrow morning. The alpha wouldn't be anywhere near the clinic.

And the guards assigned to Aria?

Already reassigned through official channels.

Every piece was in place.

The rogue tucked the photograph into his jacket. "So what's the entry point?"

I spread the clinic blueprint across the table.

"Rear access door." I pointed toward the hallway. "Minimal visibility. Maya's office here. Ultrasound room here."

He studied it carefully.

"Fast exit?"

"North parking lot."

The rogue nodded slowly. "Easy enough."

Easy.

The word almost made me laugh.

Nothing about this girl had been easy since she returned.

She kept surviving things she shouldn't.

The threats.

The roses.

The gala pressure.

Even Caden's instincts kept interfering despite the spell.

Annoying and dangerous.

I rolled the blueprint shut. "One more thing."

The rogue looked up.

"No unnecessary spectacle."

He raised a brow. "Meaning?"

"I don't want torture. I don't want games. Make it efficient."

That surprised him.

"Thought council types liked making examples."

I stared at him coldly. "I prefer avoiding investigations."

He chuckled darkly. "Fair."

I opened a drawer and pulled out a wrapped bundle of cash, tossing it onto the table.

"Half now. Half after confirmation."

The rogue picked it up, weighing it in his hand. "Pleasure doing business."

"No," I said flatly. "It isn't."

His grin faded slightly.

Good.

I escorted him toward the door, but before he left, he paused.

"What if the alpha shows up unexpectedly?"

My expression hardened.

"He won't."

"And if he does?"

I stepped closer until the rogue could feel the threat rolling off me.

"Then you run."

For the first time since arriving, the rogue looked uneasy.

Smart wolf.

He nodded once and disappeared into the storm.

The second the door shut behind him, silence filled my quarters again.

I walked back toward the desk slowly and picked up my phone.

One call.

Marcus answered immediately.

"Report."

"It's arranged," I said. "During the appointment."

Marcus exhaled quietly. Relief maybe. Or anticipation.

"And Caden?"

"I've arranged an emergency council session tomorrow morning," I replied. "Financial review discussion. Mandatory attendance."

Marcus gave a low hum of approval. "Good."

"He'll be occupied long enough."

"And afterward?"

"There won't be anything left for him to interfere with."

Silence stretched briefly between us.

Then Marcus spoke again, quieter this time.

"This needs to end, Thorne."

"It will."

"No mistakes."

My jaw tightened slightly.

Twelve years.

Twelve years of cleaning up Marcus Blackwood's messes.

Twelve years of protecting the pack from scandal.

And now his son threatened everything because of one girl and an unborn child.

I was tired of cleaning blood with politics.

Tomorrow solved that.

Marcus finally said, "Call me when it's finished."

The line disconnected.

I set the phone down carefully.

Then I crossed the room toward the weapons cabinet hidden behind the bookshelf.

The blade inside gleamed silver under the light.

Sharp.

Clean.

Reliable.

Unlike people.

I ran my thumb along the edge thoughtfully.

Aria Winters should've left this pack when she had the chance.

Now she was forcing our hand.

My phone buzzed suddenly.

A message from Vivienne.

Is it done?

I typed back immediately.

Soon.

Three dots appeared instantly.

Then—

Make sure Caden never finds out the truth.

I stared at the message for several seconds before locking the phone screen.

Too late for that.

The boy was already asking questions.

I could see it in his eyes during the gala.

Confusion.

Resistance.

The spell was weakening.

Which meant it wasn't just about killing Aria anymore.

It was about preserving everything before the entire lie collapsed.

Outside, thunder cracked violently across the sky.

I slid the blade back into its sheath slowly.

The rogue dies.

And if fate was kind, so would her secrets.