-Alex’s POV-
e way.
Damon Thorne was a force of nature. He wasn’t just powerful, he used that power to make people scared. He wanted me
to be the same but I never wanted that. Not for a second. After my mom died, it was like living in a constant nightmare. I was young, but knew I had to ge
So, I ran,
Iran as far as I could, burying myself in work, in building apany, in the normalcy of the human world. It was a constant battle, though. Every full moo
Five years. It took five years to reach my first real milestone, a multi–
million dor deal. It should have felt amazing, but all I could think about was the news that hit right after. Damon Thorne was sick. Very sick.
There wasn’t an ounce of pity in me. He was Damon Thorne. He didn’t deserve sympathy. Not after what he did to my mom. Not after everything else. H
the money in the world, but even that couldn’t buy him a cure. The only thing keeping him alive was this special facility, a ce designed to slow down w
I’d only seen him five times since he ended up there. Each visit was the same. A tense walk through sterile hallways, the constant beeping of machines i
force on me..
But no more.
A voice broke the silence, a nurse I vaguely recognized. “Mr. Thorne. He’s ready for you.”
I took a deep breath, the sterile smell of the facility filling my lungs. It wasn’t a pleasant ce, but for the first time, I wasn’t there out of obligation. I was
The double doors at the end of the hall slid open with a hiss, revealing a sterile room bathed in a soft, artificial light. My fathery in a bed, a tangle of tub
For a moment, I just stood there, watching him. Part of me wanted to turn and walk away, to leave him to rot in his self–
made prison. But another part, a primal instinct I couldn’t ignore, urged me closer. I took a step forward, the sterile floor tiles squeaking under my shoes.
He stirred at the sound, his eyelids fluttering open. It took him a moment to focus, his gaze hazy and unseeing for a beat beforending on
1. me.
“Alex,” he rasped, his voice weak and barely audible. “You came
A weird mix of emotions bubbled up inside me as I stared at him. Here he was, a broken shell of the powerful, terrifying man who used to control every a
The silence stretched, thick and heavy. We just stared at each other, two strangers bound by blood and a twisted history. Finally, I broke the
tension.
10:28 Sat, zz Jun
“Last time I saw you,” I started, my voice low and controlled, “you were all about striking first. Protect your legacy and the legacy of the pack.”
The words hung in the air for a moment, then something shifted in him. It was like watching a deted balloon slowly regain some air. A flicker of life retu
“I have been informed about the bomb,” he rasped out, his voice weak but surprisingly steady. I almost snorted. Of course he had been. Even here, hook
I gave a curt nod, acknowledging the obvious. “Daniel used the power of the merger to hit us hard. I tried to take him down the corporate way, but now…
A predatory glint entered his cloudy eyes, a flicker of the old Damon Thorne momentarily breaking through the haze of illness. “Now you need my help,”
cracked lips. “You need to learn how to be a force to be reckoned with in the werewolf world. You’ve finallye to your senses and decided to take me
I didn’t answer him right away. The part of me that still hated him, the part
that yearned for independence from his shadow, balked at the idea of needing his help. But another, more pragmatic part, knew he was right. He might b
So, I swallowed my pride and met his gaze head–
on. “Maybe,” I conceded, the word tasting bitter on my tongue. “Maybe you can teach this ‘corporate wolf a thing or two about the real world.”
A genuine smile, devoid of malice for the first time in my memory, spread across his face. It was a weak smile, the smile of a dying man, but it held a hint
“I didn’te here for one–on–one werewolf lessons,” I snapped. “I already had a bomb nted in Stone’s car. The n wasn’t to kill him quickly –
he’ll suffer a slow and agonizing death
at my hands, mark my words. What I need from you is how to cripple his pack, to weaken it from the inside out.”
A harshugh escaped my father’s lips. It was unsteady, weak, but it held a disturbing edge of amusement.
“Maybe I already taught you more than you realize, Alex. You weaken a pack by striking at its strongest link. Once the alpha is broken, the rest will crumb
I red at him, my anger simmering. “So what am I doing here then? If the bomb works, the fear will do the rest. What good is your outdated. pack warfa
I started to stand up but before I could take a step, a violent coughing fit seized him. He doubled over, his frail body wracked with spasms, his face conto
Despite my anger, a sliver of something akin to pity stirred within me. Moving on autopilot, I grabbed the ss of water resting on the bedside table and
I watched him, a strange mix of emotions swirling within me. When the coughing finally subsided, he slumped back against the pillows, his breaths shallo
mes from “Sit down, Alex. There’s more to this than just fear. Fear can be a powerful weapon, but it’s a fleeting one. True victoryes understanding y
10.20
BUT
“Last time I saw you,” i started, my voice low and controlled, “you were all about striking first. Protect your legacy and the legacy of the pack”
The words hung in the air for a moment, then something shifted in him. It was like watching a deted balloon slowly regain some air. A flicker of life retu
“I have been informed about the bomb,” he rasped out, his voice weak but surprisingly steady. I almost snorted. Of course he had been. Even here, hook
I gave a curt nod, acknowledging the obvious. “Daniel used the power of the merger to hit us hard. I tried to take him down the corporate way, but now…
unspoken words hang heavy in the air.
A predatory glint entered his cloudy eyes, a flicker of the old Damon Thorne momentarily breaking through the haze of illness. “Now you need my help,”
I didn’t answer him right away. The
part of me that still hated him, the part that yearned for independence from his shadow, balked at the idea of needing his help. But another, more pragma
monster, a twisted caricature of a father, but he was also the alpha of the Nightshade pack for decades. He had built alliances, waged wars, and ruled w
So, I swallowed my pride and met his gaze head–
on. “Maybe,” I conceded, the word tasting bitter on my tongue. “Maybe you can teach this ‘corporate wolf” a thing or two about the real world.”
A genuine smile, devoid of malice for the first time in my memory, spread across his face. It was a weak smile, the smile of a dying man, but it held a hint
“I didn’te here for one–on–one werewolf lessons,” I snapped. “I already had a bomb nted in Stone’s car. The n wasn’t to kill him quickly–
he’ll suffer a slow and agonizing death at my hands, mark my words. What I need from you is how to cripple his pack, to weaken it from the inside out.”
A harshugh escaped my father’s lips. It was unsteady, weak, but it held a disturbing edge of amusement.
“Maybe I already taught you more than you realize, Alex. You weaken a pack by striking at its strongest link. Once the alpha is broken, the rest will crumb
ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .
I red at him, my anger simmering. “So what am I doing here then? If the bomb works, the fear will do the rest. What good is your outdated pack warfa
I started to stand up but before I could take a step, a violent coughing fit seized him. He doubled over, his frail body wracked with spasms, face contorted
Despite my anger, a sliver of something akin to pity stirred within me. Moving on autopilot, I grabbed the ss of water resting on the bedside table and
I watched him, a strange mix of emotions swirling within me. When the coughing finally subsided, he slumped back against the pillows, his breaths shallo
“Sit down, Alex. There’s more to this than just fear. Fear can be a powerful weapon, but it’s a fleeting one. True victoryes from understanding your e
his
TU:28 Sat, 22 Juni
88%%%
There was a pause, a beat of silence filled only by the beeping of the machines monitoring his failing body. “Stone may be an arrogant fool,” he continue
“So tell me everything there is to know.”
My father nodded, sitting up straighter and
a dark gleam crossed his eyes, “But first, there is something you need to know about the rivalry. How it started and what I took from him.”