Finished
Third Person’s POV
Lady Duskcliff didn’t care anymore that her silk robes were torn, her hair wild, or that she looked like a deranged she–wolf dragged through mud. Her eyes burned with desperation as she cried out, “Alpha Duskgrave, that woman is nothing but a cunning little viper! Five years ago, she was just eighteen–and already she tried to kill our daughter!”
Her voice cracked with rage<i>. </i>
“And now she’s using some despicable trick to seduce you! You mustn’t be fooled!”
“Yes! Exactly!” Lord Duskcliff jumped in, his tone sharpening with indignation. “We didn’t hit her for no reason–it was for vengeance, for Tessa! And also for you, Alpha. Think about it—if word gets out that the heir to Stormridge is courting a former inmate… what would that do to your standing?”
The threat in his voice was thinly veiled.
A warning wrapped in concern–if Lucien continued to shield Riley, he would not hesitate to spread the scandal across every Alpha council and political gathering in the continent. Let the world whisper that the Duskgrave heir had fallen for a tainted she–wolf. That he was mated to a traitor.
But Lord Duskcliff had never understood Lucien Duskgrave.
He had no idea that Lucien would rather let the world think he was impotent than let any woman get too close. That Lucien had long since silenced every whisper about his private life with calcted indifference.
He cared nothing for appearances.
And no one–not even an elder Alpha<b>–</b>could threaten him.
Lucien’s lips slowly curled into a cold smirk. It wasn’t joy. It was mockery, razor–edged and brutal. His silver eyes cut through the Duskcliffs like shards of ice, and his voice was a de wrapped in velvet.
“Lately, I’ve been quite preupied with our East Ridge development,” he said casually. “Almost forgot all about the Duskcliff Group.”
At those words, both Lord and Lady Duskcliff froze.
The arrogance, the condescension–they vanished from their faces like melting snow. The color drained from their skin. Their confidence cracked under the weight of dread.
Lord Duskcliff’s fists clenched. “W–what are you implying, Alpha?”
Lucien didn’t answer. He pulled out his phone from his pocket<b>, </b>elegant <b>as </b><b>ever</b>, and dialed.
He said calmly to his assistant, “begin full–force disruption of Duskcliff operations. Immediately.”
The words struck like thunder.
Lady Duskcliff gasped. Lord Duskcliff took a step back as if he’d been physically struck, horror overtaking him.
He couldn’t believe it.
Lucien Duskgrave had just dered war over a single woman.
Did he not understand the scale of what he was doing?
The Duskcliff Group had been rooted in Mooncrest for decades–one of the most powerful corporations in the region. Their business stretched across every industry. Their legal, financial, and political reach was <b>vast</b>.
But Lucien spoke of toppling them as if he were discussing afternoon tea Calm. Detached. Certain
Because he could
3:55 PM P P.
Finished
Lord Duskcliff had spent his life navigating the brutal hierarchies of the upper echelons. He knew exactly what the Duskgrave name meant. Stormridge wasn’t just a pack. It was a dynasty. Ancient, ruthless, and untouchable. If Lucien gave the order, the pack’s allies would move like silent wolves under moonlight–clean, efficient, devastating.
He tried onest desperate appeal. “Alpha Duskgrave, we acted out of love for our daughter! Surely that’s something even you can understand. Is Riley worth this–this war?”
Lucien leaned back into the leather couch, his toneced with dangerous amusement. “Love for your daughter?” he repeated softly, tasting the words as if they were bitter herbs.
“Then perhaps,” he said, “you should be more interested in uncovering the truth, rather than falsely using the one person who’s suffered the most.”
Both Duskcliffs stared at him, struck dumb.
“What… do you mean?” Lady Duskcliff asked, her voice brittle with confusion.
Lucien exhaledzily, like a predator bored with a hunt. “Your daughter, Tessa–she’s awake.”
The wordsnded like a lightning strike.
Lady Duskcliff blinked rapidly, her breath catching. Lord Duskcliff staggered back half a step. The news left them reeling.
But Lucien wasn’t finished.
He tilted his head, voice silk and steel. “Though it seems your precious son–Ronan–has been hiding her. Perhaps you should visit the holding cells and ask your ‘beloved boy‘ why that is.”
Silence.
Dense. Suffocating.
The implications were too clear to ignore.
If what Lucien said was true–if Tessa had woken, and Ronan had kept it hidden–then everything they believed for five years had been a lie. Riley hadn’t lured Tessa into the ck Forest. She hadn’t fed her to the rogues. She had been framed.
And they had punished an innocent girl.
They’d let Riley bleed in prison. Ordered beatings. Set traps. Turned a blind eye to every torment.
The real culprit had gone free.
Lady Duskcliff’s voice broke the silence<b>, </b>wild and unraveling. She shook her head like a madwoman, eyes bloodshot. “No! It was her! It had to be her!”
Lucien’s eyes narrowed, and in them danced a cold, murderous gleam.
“You have one day,” he said tly, “to bring me the truth. In twenty–four hours, I expect you on your knees, begging for forgiveness at Riley’s feet.”
He stood, casting a shadow over them both. His power roared through the room like a storm wind.
“If I’m satisfied,” he added, “the Duskcliff name remains. If I’m not… then your empire ends.”
His gaze cut like a de through the room.
And with two final words, he dismissed them.
“Get Out
The guards moved at once, herding the stunned and hollow–eyed Duskcliffs toward the doors.
As they stumbled out into the dark of night, they looked like ghosts–two wolves who had once prowled at the top of the food chain, now shattered and humiliated.
3:55 PM PP.
And behind them, in the Duskgrave estate, the true Alpha returned to his mate’s side. Silent. Watching. Waiting.
Because war had already begun.
<b>Send </b><b>Gifts </b>
294
Finished
355 PM P P.
A Broken Alpha Heiress‘ Revenge