Chapter 24: Return of the Shadow Alpha
Chapter 24: Return of the Shadow Alpha
(Scarlett’s POV)
The voice on the other end of Hunter’s call stopped me cold. My breath caught, my grip on the phone tightening until my knuckles turned white
“Scarlett,” the voice said. Deep, commanding, and unmistakable.
Roman
The name hit me like a tidal wave. My mind reeled, my chest tightened, and for a moment, I forgot how to breathe.
e need to talk.”
“111 arrive at the eastern border before dusk,” he continued, his tone even and firm. There was no hesitation. No room for argument. “Wer Before I could muster a response, the call ended, leaving me in silence. I stared at the phone in my hand, half expecting it to buzz again, to give me some excuse to dismiss his presence. But the silence stretched, heavy and suffocating.
Roman
I lowered the phone, but my thoughts refused to settle. Roman was coming here. Tonight.
My wolf, Cora, stirred uneasily beneath my skin. She didn’t like the idea of Roman being so close again, of the memories his name dredged up. But I couldn’t stop thinking about him, about us, and everything that had been left unsaid.
Images from the past tumbled through my mind like waves crashing against the shore. Roman standing by my side, his blue eyes fierce and protective, teaching me how to fight when I was too small to hold my ground, Roman shielding me when the rogues attacked, his wolf, Logan, a blur of power and rage as he tore through our enemies. Roman’s voice, low and steady, calling me his “ttle flame when frustration from my training brought me
10 tears.
My breath hitched as the memories swirled, mixing with quilt. I had left him. I had left them.
Three years felt like a lifetime ago, but I could still see the pain in his eyes when I made the decision to leave the Thorn Pack. I told myself it was for the best, that I needed to find my own way. But how could I ignore the fact that Roman had built a world of protection for me, only for me to walk away
from it?
And now, he was coming here, not as Roman, the foster brother who watched over me, but as Roman, the Shadow Alpha. The leader of the powerful Thor Pack. The man who secretly controlled the Shadow Organization, a force that even the Northern packs feared.
How had I not known?
The weight of his secret settled on my chest, making it hard to breathe. I clenched my fats, my nails biting into my palms. He had always been calculated, focused, but never like this. The Roman I knew would’ve told me.
I glanced out the window of my office, looking toward the eastern horizon, Dread pooled in my stomach, and my wolf growled softly, unsettled.
“Roman.“I whispered softly, his name tasting like ash on my tongue.
I fought the urge to call Hunter back. To demand answers about why Roman was summoning me now, after all this time. But my pride wouldn’t let
A sharp vibration cut through my thoughts, and blinked, startled. My phone buzzed on the table again, and I grabbed it quickly, half expecting it to
be Roman again.
It wasn’t
“Luna Sarah” I muttered bitterly as I saw
w the name flashing across the screen.
172
I connected the call but didn’t bother hiding the icy tone in my voice. “What do you want?”
angry “Spare me the attitude, Scarlett, I don’t have time for games. Did you send Hazel to Europe?”
Her voice was clipped, an
Her question hit like a slap, but I recovered quickly. My lips curled into a small, amused smirk. “Yes,” I said simply, offering no further explanation.
“Why would you DO that? she hissed. I could hear the barely contained fury in her voice.
I leaned back in my chair, tapping my fingers against the desk. “Because I could,” I replied lightly. “Just like you could pretend for years that Grace
The Shadow Alpha
your daughter while lewing me to lend for myself, Funny how choices work, isn’t it?”
Do you understand what you’ve done?” she snapped, her voice trembling with anger. “Do you have any idea what Grace is going through right now? The poison is spreading without Hazel her chances are=”
“She’s not my responsibility“I cut her off sharply “Grace has never been my responsibility. Or have you forgotten that she nearly destroyed me once? Funny how quick your memory faces when a suits you”
out of spite
Her intake of breath was audible, shaky. “Scarlett, you’re acting out of
“Spite?” I repeated, my anger flaring. “Spite would’ve been refusing to share my resources a long time ago when Grace first started showing symptoms: Spite would’ve been laughing in your face when you asked for Hazel’s help in the first place. No, Luna Sarah. This isn’t about spite. This is
about balance”
“Grace is your SISTER Samb’s
voice cracked, the word “sister” laden with emotion that sparked my fury even further.
I pushed back from the desk, pacing the room. “She is NOT my sister,” I said coldly, every word dripping with venom. “Don’t ever call her that again”
“Scarlett-
“No.” My voice rose, cutting through her attempts at manipulation. “Stop it. Just stop. You can’t use that word like it crases all the years you chose Grace over me. I wasn’t blind, Sarah, I saw the way you let her take my place, how you treated her as the perfect daughter, even when you knew she wasn’t
yours.
There was silence on her end, but I wasn’t finished
“So don’t stand there and act like family matters to you now. Because family wouldn’t have turned their backs on me the way you did.”
I heard her swallow hard, her previously sharp tone softening into something more calculated.
1 can restore your privileges” she said cautiously. “The sacred grounds, the access codes, everything. I can give it all back. Just bring Hazel back.”
The offer was laughable. I actually let out a bitter chuckle, shaking my head at her desperation. Restore my privileges?” I asked, my tone mocking For what? So you can continue using me as a pawn in your little show of power? Save your promises, Luna Sarah. I don’t need them.”
“You don’t understand what you’re throwing away!” she snapped again, her voice rising as she scrambled to regain control of the situation.
“No,” I said coldly, my voice dripping with finality. “You’re the one who doesn’t understand, Grace may have your love. She may have the Winters Pack’s resources. But she doesn’t have me. And she never will”
“Scarlett-”
This conversation is over, I said. My wolf growled a low warning under her breath, echoing my anger.
a flick of my thumb, I hung up and immediately blocked her number, the silence that followed ringing louder than any of her pleading words.
For a moment, I stood in the stillness of my office, my chest heaving with the effort it took to contain my emotions. The conversation had gone exactly as I wanted, but the bitter taste of disappointment still lingered
Sarah had always been predictable. Always trying to tug at my emotions, to manipulate me into submission. But this time, she had nothing left to use
against me.
Not anymore
I felt Cora stir beneath my skin, her silent approval humming through the bond we shared. She knew just as I did, that whatever hold Sarah might’ve had over us was gone.
Still, my mind drifted back to Roman. To his voice, his presence, his call for me to meet him at dusk. The thought of him lingered like a phantom in the corner of my mind, refusing to be ignored.
I closed my eyes, steeling myself for what was to come. The day was far from over, and dusk felt like it was already breathing down my neck.
