“Positions,” I said, already standing. Sterling was up before I finished the word, chambering a round. Vigo slipped toward the back hallway like a shadow. Celeste froze mid-step, coffee cup in her hand, eyes flicking from me to the front windows.
“Trouble?” she asked.
“Trouble,” I confirmed, shoving the coffee out of her hands and into the sink. “Stay behind me. Don’t argue.”
The first shot didn’t come from outside - it came from Sterling, low and controlled, a single suppressed round through the cracked window toward the shadow moving along the side fence. The figure dropped.
“Three more, coming from the East,” Vigo’s voice came from the back, calm but clipped. “All armed.”
We didn’t have to ask who sent them. It was exactly as Sterling warned. These were professionals.
For the next few minutes, it was a quiet war. There were silenced shots, shattering glass as we waited and took out the rogue pack that was coming after us. I kept Celeste behind me, the kitchentable flipped to block the door as we tried to count the number of people who were after us. Then, I heard a sharp hiss from Sterling as he reloaded. A body fell before the man ever made the porch.
Then… stillness.
“Clear?” Celeste whispered.
I didn’t answer. My gut felt something was wrong. Too wrong.
The back door slammed open, shouts from Vigo and Sterling as they engaged someone else in the yard. The sound of a boot on hardwood behind us spun me around. It was an armed intruder, an alpha so big that even I was shocked. He was masked, wearing a black jacket, and raised his gun, pointing it at Celeste. She was behind me, in clear range of the intruder.
A shot rang out.
Chapter 37
Gideon
The phone rang, and before the second chime I was already smiling as I answered, looking at Elijah's name on the screen.
“Tell me,” I said, leaning back in my chair.
“It’s done,” Elijah replied. A deep satisfaction rolled through me. “Excellent. And the result?”
“All taken out. No witnesses.”
I let out a slow breath, my fingers tapping the armrest. “Good. Very good.”
I swiveled toward the massive window in my office, watching the city skyline bleed into the evening. The files went live fifteen minutes ago. Every news outlet was picking them up. They were released anonymously, but with a trail that pointed right back to Pack Lockwood. That would make the murder scene all the more believable. Anyone would understand that an alpha from Arkala island would want revenge, knowing that Celeste was behind the massacre of his family. Although they had been in a courtship this whole time, I wasn’t worried that the motives would look real. If anyone probed too hard, I’d simply tell them about how much fighting secretly went on during Celeste’s courtship with them. I’d play the concerned uncle, always worried that Celeste was too unstable, and finally being proven right.
All I had to do now was wait for the board to call an emergency meeting regarding the files. They were devastating to Harringday’s image. They also had Celeste’s signature all over them. I’d show up, point out that Celeste wasn’t answering her phone, and they would see her as a liability and a scandal. I’d get handed the CEO reins immediately.
Once my position was secure, someone would inevitably find the fallout in Pack Valence’s guest house. By then, the tragedy would take over any surprise about my new position.
The nation will mourn, the board will close ranks around me, and Harringday will move to ‘restore stability.’
Elijah would inherit Manticore Tech, and then he would be easy enough to squash. Manticore Tech would soon be a relic, a failure and a non-issue. And I’d finally step into the position that should have been mine all along.
I hung up, settling deeper into my chair, finally able to relax. All that remained now was to wait for the outrage to bloom, the board to kneel, and the final, tragic chapter of Celeste Harringday’s story to come to a close.
Chapter 38
Celeste
The shot rang out, and I screamed. Liam’s huge body was suddenly cradling me, and I could only stare out at the massive hitman as I recoiled at the sound of the gunshot in the small space.
But I didn’t feel anything hit me. I saw instead that the massive alpha sent to kill us had now fallen to the ground, his chest bleeding and his gun sliding across the floor. Behind him, stepping into the house like a dark nightmare, was Dante.
His face was determined as he shot the alpha again, and Liam rolled over to cover my eyes. “Don’t look, Celeste.” He whispered, but I had to see. I had to know what was going on. I ripped his hands from me.
