376 Their Cruelty Ran Deep
Meredith.
<i>“</i>Draven<i>,</i><i>” </i>I whispered through the mind–link.
“That <i>group </i>is <i>fake</i><i>! </i>It’s all a <i>lie</i><i>. </i><i>Brackham </i><i>and </i>his senators made <i>it </i><i>up </i><i>to </i>distract <i>you </i><i>from </i>discovering <i>what </i>they have <i>been </i><i>doing</i><i>. </i><i>They </i><i>created </i>that <i>‘</i>investigation‘ <i>just </i><i>to </i>waste your <i>time</i>—<i>so </i><i>you </i>would <i>stop </i><i>looking </i><i>into </i>our <i>missing </i><i>people</i>.”
I waited for his reaction–for some flicker of surprise. But when he finally spoke in my head, his voice was calm. Controlled. Almost amused.
<i>“I </i><i>know</i><i>.</i><i>” </i>
I blinked. “<i>What</i><i>?</i>”
He didn’t look at me. He didn’t even shift in his seat. His thoughts came steady and smooth.
“I’ve <i>known </i><i>about </i><i>it </i>from the onset<i>. </i><i>I </i><i>just </i><i>wanted </i><i>to </i><i>see </i><i>how </i><i>long </i><i>Brackham </i><i>could </i>keep up the <i>charade</i><i>. </i><i>I </i><i>wanted </i>them to <i>think </i><i>they </i>were <i>ahead </i><i>while </i><i>we </i>carried <i>out </i><i>our </i><i>own </i><i>secret </i><i>investigation</i>.<i>” </i>
22:13
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376 Their Cruelty Ran Deep
I stared at him,pletely stunned.
He was still sitting there like a king among scavengers, his presence filling the room without effort, his calm terrifying in its restraint.
Just then, he leaned forward slightly, his elbows resting on his knees, as he continued with Brackham.
“After all these months,” he began, “the lives of over fifteen of my people who went missing on yournd have never been ounted for by your government.” The room shifted immediately. A ripple of unease rolled through the senators and advisors. Brackham froze, caught off guard by the question.
Draven didn’t stop. His tone remainedposed, but the strength behind each word made even the lights seem dimmer.
“The blood of my people was spilled on your soil,” he continued. “The few we recovered were buried — but the rest, they vanished. You created this investigative group, yet to this day, not a single answer. Not even the courtesy of acknowledgment.”
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Silence spread slowly, choking the air.
Brackham swallowed, then tried to recover, sitting a little straighter. “Alpha, I—I must apologize. We did what we could, but-”
“You did nothing,” Draven said tly. “And the worst part? We respected the peace between us so deeply that we didn’tunch our own investigation, even when we had every reason to. We honored your leadership because we believed in the alliance you offered.”
That struck deep. I could feel it. Every senator stiffened. Brackham’s jaw worked as he fought for words.
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“I understand how this looks,” he said finally, forcing a diplomatic smile. “And I will admit, it was a failure on our part. I take full responsibility. That… that group you mentioned will be dissolved, effective
immediately. You have my word.”
Draven leaned back, nodding once. “Good. That’s all I wanted to hear.”
A collective exhale swept through the humans-
376 Their Cruelty Ran Deep
senators, advisors, even Brackham himself. For a second, they thought the storm had passed.
But Draven wasn’t done.
He leaned back in his seat and spoke in that calm,
deliberate voice that never needed to rise tomand
obedience.
“You know,” he said, “I’ve seen many kinds of men, Mayor. Some fight for survival. Some fight for honor. But some men…” He paused, eyes drifting across the room. “Crave control, power, and blood at the same time, at all costs. And those are the ones history remembers for all the wrong reasons.”
The room went rigid. Even without reading minds, anyone could feel the difort rippling through the
senators.
I could, though. I heard the guilt, the panic, the fury bubbling just beneath theirposure.
“<i>He </i><i>is </i><i>calling </i>us <i>greedy </i>animals.<i>” </i>
“<i>Who does </i><i>he </i><i>think </i><i>he </i><i>is</i><i>?</i>”
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370 Then Cruelty Ran Deep
<i>“</i>Arrogant wolf<i>.</i><i>” </i>
And Brackham–oh, Brackham’s mind was a storm.
“You will pay for <i>this</i><i>, </i><i>Alpha</i>. <i>When </i><i>this </i><i>is </i><i>over</i><i>, </i>everyst one of your <i>kind </i><i>in </i><i>Duskmoor </i><i>will </i><i>rot</i>. You will bleed for <i>every </i><i>word </i><i>you </i><i>speak</i><i>.</i>”
I clenched my fists in myp, trying to keep my face still. Valmora stirred, restless and angry.
Draven continued like he hadn’t noticed the hostility thickening in the air.
“But one thing will not be overlooked in this case,” he said smoothly. “You will answer for the blood of my people–every werewolf who died or went missing on yournd. You will answer to me.”
That final linended like a hammer.
Brackham hesitated, then inclined his head stiffly. “If that’s what it takes to move forward,” he said, voice tight. “You have my agreement.”
<i>Liar</i><i>! </i>
His mind betrayed him almost instantly. <ol start="376"><li>The Cruelty Ran Deep </li></ol>
“Once <i>this </i>meeting <i>is </i><i>done</i><i>, </i><i>I </i><i>will </i><i>deal </i><i>with </i><i>those </i><i>failed </i>experiments of your <i>kind </i><i>myself</i>. <i>They </i><i>have </i><i>had </i>enough time to prove <i>useful</i><i>. </i><i>I </i>will <i>go </i><i>down </i><i>to </i><i>the </i><ib </i>tonight and clean up <i>the </i><i>mess</i><i>.</i><i>” </i>
My pulse spiked. <i>Lab</i><i>? </i><i>The </i><i>Secret </i><ib</i><i>?</i>‘
He was thinking about theb–about killing our people who didn’t pass whatever experiments he was carrying out on them.
I nearly lost focus as the images from his mind shed -the steel tables, the restraints, the smell of blood and chemicals.
<i>“</i><i>Valmora</i><i>,</i><i>” </i>I called in my head, trying to steady my breathing. “<i>Brackham </i><i>just thought </i><i>about </i><i>going </i><i>down </i><i>to </i><i>the </ib<i>. </i><i>Can </i><i>you </i><i>tell </i><i>if </i><i>it’s under </i>this <i>building</i><i>?</i><i>” </i>
Her voice came low and calm, like water over stone. “<i>No. </i><i>I </i>can’t smell <i>anything </i><i>from </i><i>here</i>. That means <i>it’s </i><i>not </i><i>directly </i><i>beneath </i><i>us</i><i>–</i><i>but </i><i>close</i><i>. </i>Very close.”
My teeth clenched. Rage and disbelief tangled in my chest. These humans–their cruelty–it ran deeper than I had imagined.
376 Their Cruelty Ran Deep
When I blinked back to the present, the meeting was ending. Everyone was rising from their seats, chairs scraping softly against the marble floor.
Brackham extended his hand toward Draven and forced a smile, “Thank you for your time, Alpha.”
Draven stood up, his expression unreadable.
Then their hands met–and even from where I stood, I could feel the tension crackling in the air like lightning
before a storm.
If only Brackham knew that by the end of this alliance, it wouldn’t be the vampires he would have to fear.
It would be us.
“Allow me to walk you to your cars, Alpha.” Brackham’s grin looked more like a stretch of difort than genuine warmth when he offered.
Draven inclined his head politely. “If you insist.”
The senators trailed behind like a cautious entourage, whispering among themselves as we exited the building.
976 Thell Cruelty Ran Deep
Thete afternoon light spilled across the marble
steps, bright but strangely cold, the kind of brightness that didn’t feel clean.
We reached the convoy waiting outside. The guards nearby bowed respectfully as Draven and Brackham walked ahead, shoulder to shoulder, though the air between them felt sharp as ss.
Then Brackham stopped beside the lead car and turned slightly, forcing a casual smile. “Alpha,” he began, “I have one small request.”
<b>66 </b>
Dearestss<i>, </i><i>expect </i>a mass release <i>tomorrow</i>. <i>Because </i><i>of </i><i>how </i>technical <i>these </i><i>past </i><i>chapters </i>were, <i>I </i><i>couldn’t </i><i>do </i>them. Please exercise some patience as <i>I </i>work on fulfilling <i>my </i><i>promise</i>.
…
<b>Paschalinelily </b>
Cede
<strong>Cede</strong> is a passionate storyteller known for her bold romantic and spicy novels that keep readers hooked from the very first chapter. With a ir for crafting emotionally intense plots and unforgettable characters, she blends love, desire, and drama into every story she writes. Cede’s storytelling style is immersive and addictive—perfect for fans of heated romances and heart-pounding twists.