Chapter 55 Fifty five

Chapter 55 Fifty five
‎Aldric
‎
‎The door slammed behind Zander with a force that rattled the frames on the walls.
‎I remained seated behind my desk, staring at the empty space where my son had just stood. The folder he had dropped still lay open, the old photograph of that small girl on her knees staring up at me like an accusation from the past.
‎Dorian stood near the window, arms crossed, his pale grey eyes narrowed in barely contained fury.
‎“He’s breaking,” Dorian said, voice low and sharp. “Did you see his face? He’s already halfway to choosing her. That omega has her claws so deep in him he can’t even think straight. Celeste told us everything... how he stood there and watched her attack our daughter. How he let her walk out naked and bleeding like she owned the damn penthouse. This is unacceptable, Aldric.”
‎I picked up the photograph slowly, studying the image of the girl Zander had once broken on my orders.
‎“He is my son,” I said calmly. “He will remember his duty.”
‎“Duty?” Dorian laughed bitterly, turning to face me. “Your son just fucked the woman he humiliated years ago while his fiancée bled on his floor. He’s not thinking about duty. He’s thinking with his cock and that girl whoever she really is...is using it against him. Against all of us.”
‎I set the photo down and met Dorian’s glare.
‎“Watch your tone,” I said quietly. “Zander will be brought back in line. I planted the seed last night. He knows she is the same omega he rejected. He knows she has returned with a new name and a new scent. The rest will come when I speak to him this afternoon.”
‎Dorian stepped closer to the desk, his voice rising with anger. “This afternoon might be too late. Celeste is at home right now, covered in claw marks from that bitch. She is humiliated and is furious.
‎ If Zander keeps choosing that omega over her, the entire alliance will fracture. My pack will not stand for this insult. I will not stand for it.”
‎The tension in the room thickened.
‎I rose slowly, meeting him eye to eye.
‎“Are you threatening me, Dorian?” I asked, voice cold and measured.
‎“I am warning you,” Dorian shot back, jaw tight. “We have built this alliance on strength and control. Your son is showing neither. If he continues down this path, if he keeps letting that omega spread her legs for him and turn his head, then I will have no choice but to protect my daughter and my pack.
‎The engagement can be dissolved and the alliance can be reconsidered.”
‎My eyes narrowed.
‎“You would throw away years of planning because my son had a momentary lapse?” I said. “Because he fucked the wrong woman once? You forget yourself, Dorian. I built the foundation of this power. I have kept both our packs strong while others crumbled.
‎Do not threaten to pull away now, you will lose more than you gain.”
‎Dorian held my gaze for a long, dangerous moment. The air between us crackled with barely restrained fury.
‎Then he exhaled slowly and stepped back, the immediate heat easing but the underlying threat still present.
‎“We are on the same side, Aldric,” he said, calmer now but still edged with steel. “But we cannot afford weakness. Zander must be brought back under control today. Tell him the full truth, manipulate him well. Remind him well of that night in the hall. Make him understand that the girl he is obsessed with is the same one he once destroyed on your orders. Make him see that continuing with her means choosing chaos over family. Over duty. Over us.”
‎I sat back down, the weight of the decision settling on my shoulders.
‎“You’re right,” I said finally. “Do not worry I will make it clear what choosing her would cost the alliance, his position, his future as alpha, he can't be stupid to choose her over us.”
‎Dorian nodded slowly, the anger in his eyes dimming into cold calculation.
‎“Good,” he said. “Celeste will be relieved to hear it. She’s waiting for justice. She deserves it.”
‎He turned toward the door, then paused.
‎“Make sure it’s done cleanly, Aldric. No more chances. No more mistakes. That omega has already sunk her claws too deep. If Zander still refuses to let her go after knowing the truth…”
‎Dorian looked back at me, eyes hard.
‎“Then we remove the choice entirely.”
‎The door clicked shut behind him.
‎I remained seated, staring at the empty space where my son’s future had once been so perfectly mapped out.
‎The photograph still lay open on the desk.
‎I picked it up one final time and stared at the small girl on her knees the same girl who had somehow returned years later to threaten everything I had built.
‎Either the girl would be erased from our world forever…
‎…or my own son would force me to make the hardest decision of my life.
‎The clock on the wall ticked calmly.
‎Time was running out.
‎And soon, very soon, someone in this family would have to bleed.
‎