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<i>Third </i><i>Person</i>.
Mayor Brackham stormed back into the conference room as the heavy doors closed behind him with a sharp thud.
The senators and advisors who had stayed behind were already waiting, their faces tight with restrained
anger.
For a moment, no one spoke. Then Senator yne, a lean man with a hawk–like face, broke the silence.
“Well,” he said, his voice dripping with disdain, “that was quite the spectacle. I don’t remember inviting an animal to sit at our table and lecture us about
morality.”
Murmurs of agreement rippled across the room. Another senator mmed his palm against the
polished table. “Arrogant beast. Speaking to us like we are beneath him—”
“Enough,” Brackham snapped, his voice echoing
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through the room. He paced slowly to his chair, his face a mask of cold calction rather than fury.
“You think I didn’t notice his tone? His arrogance? The way he unted himself in front of us? Believe me, I
saw it all.”
Senator Rourke, a stocky man with a perpetual sneer, leaned forward. “Then tell us, sir, that you don’t intend to honor that ridiculous request of his. Whatever he is nning to demandter—surely you are not going to grant <i>it</i>?”
Brackham’s lip curled. “Of course not.”
The collective exhale of relief that followed filled the room. Shoulders loosened. A few exchanged smirks, confidence slowly returning.
But then, an older senator, sharper, with eyes that always seemed to measure a man’s soul, folded his arms and asked the question everyone was thinking.
“Then what is your n, Mr. Mayor? The Alpha made you look small today. You need to take back control. The werewolves have grown toofortable here. What do you intend to do about them–after they
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drive the vampires out for us?”
Brackham’s eyes darkened. He lowered himself into his seat, folding his hands together on the table.
“I intend,” he said slowly, “to ensure they never get the chance to feelfortable again.”
The room quieted.
“I will let him handle the vampires,” Brackham continued, voice low and deliberate. “Let him exhaust his pack, shed blood for us, make himself the hero. And when that’s done–when thest vampire has been burned from Duskmoor’s streets–he and his kind will be nothing more than a problem with an expiration date.”
Another senator grinned, catching on. “You mean-”
“I mean,” Brackham interrupted, his voice like ice, “that once they have served their purpose, we will erase them. Everyst one of them.”
A few of the senators exchanged nces–hesitant, cautious, yet intrigued.
“But, sir,” said one of the advisors nervously, “the Alpha
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is strong. His warriors-”
“Will be outnumbered,” Brackham cut in smoothly. “I already have soldiers in ce, our own weaponized men. And soon, soldiers who can match their speed, their strength, even their healing.”
There was silence. Then slow, cruel smiles began to appear across the room.
“So,” Senator Rourke said, leaning back in satisfaction, “the wolves will finish off the vampires… and then our men will finish off the wolves.”
Brackham nodded once, a thin smile finally tugging at
his lips. “Exactly.”
He turned slightly in his chair, gazing toward the window where the fading daylight stretched over Duskmoor’s skyline.
“Let the Alpha believe he’s in control. Let him feel important for a while. But when I’m done with him, there won’t be enough left to bury.”
The senators murmured their approval.
For the first time that day, Brackham felt the tension
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drain from his chest, reced with that old familiar
thrill, the feeling of holding all the strings again.
Because no matter how powerful Alpha Draven thought he was, in Brackham’s city, no <i>beast </i>ruled for long.
Half an hourter, Brackham rode the private elevator alone. When the doors opened, he walked straight to one of the waiting ck cars, sliding into the leather seat without ceremony.
A few minutester, the car stopped. Brackham stepped out and moved again into another elevator— deeper now.
When the elevator halted this time, the doors opened onto a corridor that smelled faintly of antiseptic and
ozone.
Security scanners blinked as Brackham walked past. He did not bother lowering his eyes to the technicians. who already knew who he was. They straightened instinctively as he passed, then scurried ahead to announce his arrival.
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Theb itself was a cathedral of white light and steel. Tables and machines gleamed under disciplined fluorescence; observation windows framed the room in rectangles of ss.
Men and women in crispb coats moved with efficient, nervous purpose, pausing as the Mayor entered.
The room, designed for sterile work and closed experiments, seemed to tighten at his presence.
“Report,” he said without preamble, and the head physician, pale, precise, and used to hiding his disgust behind protocols, stepped forward.
“Sir, like I told you over the phonest night, we have cataloged thetest batch of several specimens that failed to meet the recalibration benchmarks,” the doctor replied. “Their cellr responses were unstable; the serums induced unpredictable mutations in neural pathways. They are…promised.”
Brackham’s expression did not change. He listened as if hearing a routine status update. When the doctor finished, he said. “Eliminate the failures. Now.”
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There was no theatrics or hesitation. Themand
One of the junior doctors shifted, a ripple of reluctance passing over his face, but the head physician only inclined his head.
“As you wish,” the head physician said. “We will proceed immediately.” He turned and issued quiet instructions; technicians moved with grim efficiency, preparing the rooms and equipment while a hush settled over theb like a final curtain.
Brackham watched them go through the motions, a thin, satisfied line at the corner of his mouth.
The businesspleted, he turned back to the gathered medical staff, his tone suddenly lighter, practiced warmth slipping into ce.
“And prepare for another development,” he said. “We will soon have a vampire specimen delivered.” The words sparked a murmur among the doctors.
One of the younger technicians, eager or perhaps
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trying to appear indispensable, ventured a question with a smile that tried for bravado, “How do you n to make that happen, sir?”
“Do not concern yourselves with the details,” he said. “Your duty is to study, to learn, to refine. Prepare the containment and be ready.”
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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.