Chapter 199

Grace

My blood ran cold. "What do you mean?"

“The man I killed, the one we’re saying is Alpha Shadow, isn’t.” He paused. “Well---”

“Is this some sort of joke?” I growled. “It’s not funny.”

There was no way that Eason would make me lie in front of the constituents. There was no way that we'd tell this lie. Alpha Shadow was dead. He had to be unless there was some way to resurrect someone without a head.

“ It's not a joke. Obviously, I wouldn't joke about something like this.”

“ Then you're wrong.”

He scoffed. “ I promise I'm not wrong.”

“Well, you have to be.”

He took a deep breath and met my gaze. “What do you remember about witch challenges?”

I found. What did that have to do with anything? Why was he– I dropped my gaze to my wrist. Every bit of relief and relaxation vanished, snapped, and disappeared. I felt every muscle in my body tense as my gaze fell on the two challenged circles on my list.

Two.

There were still two. Fear filled me, then quickly vanished until there was nothing but fury. I lifted my gaze and glared at him. He looked resigned.

“Explain yourself,” I hissed. “You run the Enforcers. You killed that man. You–”

“The man I killed was an Alpha Shadow,” he paused. "The one who threatened your city, the one you challenged… is still out there, perfectly safe and away from all of this. Completely uninvolved.”

The revelation hit me like a physical blow. Not the real Alpha Shadow? What did that even mean? My mind reeled, desperate to understand, but Charles' grim expression told me all I needed to know. He was serious. He was dead serious. The challenge circle on my wrist was just the nail in the coffin.

"How?" I breathed my voice barely a whisper. "How do you know?" I narrowed my eyes. “ How can you sound so sure about that? You sound like you…”

Like you know who Alpha Shadow really is.

“Because I do,” Charles said. He hesitated, his jaw clenched tight. “I know the Alpha Shadow who attacked Mooncrest. I can read the challenge circle. But that’s not–”

“Don't you dare tell me it’s not important!” I shrieked. “You've been lying to me.”

“No, I haven't–”

“Who is it then?”

“I'm not telling you that.”

“So you're going to protect the person who would have killed us all?”

He took a deep breath. “Grace–”

“How long have you known? How long before you were going to tell me?”

“A while,” he said. “And I never planned to tell you.”

“You were just going to keep lying to me?” I laughed bitterly. “Like father like son, huh? You’d keep lying until you were caught?”

“I understand you’re upset, Grace. I understand that you're scared, but don't bring our personal relationship into this.”

“Don't tell me what to do.” I got out of bed. Fury pulsed through me. “You’ve lied to me. You’ve made me lie to the entirety of Mooncrest–the world–and still, you’re keeping this from me! All that talk about us being together–”

“Grace–”

“All that talk about this lasting, and you’re protecting this person after everything they’ve done to me! To my family!”

Charles took a deep breath and shook his head. “It’s not like that. It’s a delicate and complicated—”

“Am I important to you?”

“Of course–”

“More important than them?”

“No.”

I seethed, glaring at him. “I want a name. I want a location. I want–”

“Grace–”

"I'll call them out," I spat, my voice tight with rage. "Live, on national television. Let the world know the truth! Give me the name, Charles!”

“No.”

“Give it to me!” I shrieked, baring my teeth. He didn’t even flinch. The bastard. “You owe me this! After everything Devin has done. You owe me.” He met my gaze. He was as silent as a mountain. I narrowed my eyes at him. “Don’t like being told you have a part to play in the man you raised? Hiding Amy. Hiding Alpha Shadow. What’s next? You’re going to bankrupt me, too?”

I snatched my phone off the table to dial the Inter-Pack Police or the Enforcers, but a cold realization washed over me. They wouldn't care. The Inter-Pack Police didn’t give a damn about me or Mooncrest, and the Enforcers weren’t going to go against Charles. There was no one I could call. I had no contacts aside from Charles, and he was basically the gatekeeper to anyone who might help. I set the phone down. I shuddered. The truth settled in my gut, heavy and bitter. I couldn't rely on the authorities, couldn't rely on the law. I couldn’t even rely on Charles. Had it all been a lie?

“Now, I have to ask,” I said, looking at him. “Were you a part of the plan?”

He let out a deep sigh, rubbing his head. “For the love of the moon, Grace, listen to yourself.”

“Listen to myself? You’re the one protecting a terrorist!” I narrowed my eyes. “You’re the one lying. Betraying me just like he did.”

He set his jaw. “That’s not true, and you know it.”

“Was all of this a ruse? Are you just waiting for them to waltz back into Mooncrest and destroy us all?” I growled. “Now that the drug is done, I guess you don’t need me anymore.”

“I thought you were done blaming everyone else for your decisions, Grace,” he said, his voice low and tense, barely above a whisper. “And while I understand you being upset, I’m not going to let you turn this into something it’s not.”

“Give me one good reason I should believe I’m wrong!” I yelled. “You–”

“I could have turned you into a puppet the way you thought I would.” He met my gaze and set his jaw. I flinched. His eyes narrowed. “If I was as cruel of a man as you seem to want to think I am, I could have deposed you and put Eason in your place. I could have put anyone in your place and let you and Cecil and Richard starve. I still can.”

“The paperwork–”

“How long do you think you could keep the lights on with a salary, Grace?” He narrowed his eyes. “You don’t even make enough money to pay yourself yet.”

He stood, glaring down at me with glowing red eyes. Lycan eyes. Furious and dangerous, yet he stepped back even as he continued talking.

“I got nothing out of saving you from your own mistakes for helping you,” he sneered. “The moment I took over your debts, I owned Mooncrest and Wolfe Medical whether you liked it or not, and as soon as I found out you were the lead researcher, I could have offered you just about anything, and you would have skipped your ass to work every day without fail because you and your children needed to eat.”

He gave me a cruel smirk. “You wouldn’t have even had Eason to lean on at that point, would you? I don’t have to try your case against Devin. I could let him walk free. I could send Eason back to Northfall, fully paid, and put him in control of Wolfe Medical and Mooncrest, and he would have fucking done it for you and the memory of your father. He would have done it if I’d offered him his States citizenship back.”

“You couldn’t–”

“You forget that I’m a witch with connections. It would be the work of nothing to restore every single entry and strong arm the States into acting properly.”

I set my jaw. He glared at me. “There are a million and three ways I can still take Mooncrest from you. Easily and have the States in the palm of my hand. Sean would hand it to me just to have an Enforcer detail back, even though it would be shooting himself in the foot. I’d get whatever I wanted from the States and then some, and I could get anyone to work on your project and take over the patent.” He smirked. “Margaret and Seraphina would head the research without problem without you without blinking.”

I swallowed thickly. “So why don’t you?”

“Because I’m not an asshole, and I have no interest in ruining your life,” he shook his head. “Honestly, I’m not a monster.”

“You’re just protecting one,” I spat. “Not much better.”

He shook his head. “I’m protecting you, and Cecil, and Richard–”

“Alpha Shadow would have murdered us all! He’s probably plotting about what he’ll do after I don’t get on the Senate.”

“Grace.” Charles took a step around the bed. “Your seat on the Senate is practically guaranteed, Grace. There is no reason to doubt that. You’ve come so far, and–”

“Don’t,” I hissed. “Don’t you condescend to me! You knew all this time. How could you even justify being here in my house while protecting that monster who nearly killed Eason.”

Charles let out a soft sigh. I could see his mind working, and I pushed past him. “Don’t bother answering me. I don’t think there’s a word you can say with your defending her!”

I went still as the thought rang through me, too true to ignore.

Her.