Chapter 10
817 Words
Chapter 10: A Promise to the Dead
A cold autumn rain fell over the city.
The steady rhythm against the windows of Hawthorne Global matched the turmoil inside Killian's mind.
He stood alone in his office, staring at the photograph on his desk.
It had been taken nineteen years ago.
Sean stood beside him, smiling proudly while holding a newborn wrapped in a pink blanket.
Sophia lay in the hospital bed, exhausted but radiant.
Killian remembered that day vividly.
He had made a promise.
"I'll protect her like she's my own."
The words echoed painfully in his head.
His fingers tightened around the frame.
"I never imagined..."
"...this."
A knock interrupted his thoughts.
"Come in."
Damien entered carrying a folder.
"I've increased security around Miss Emilia."
Killian nodded.
"Discreetly?"
"She'll never know."
"And the unknown Alpha?"
Damien placed the folder on the desk.
"We're still tracking him."
Killian opened it.
Only one photograph had been recovered from nearby traffic cameras.
A black luxury SUV.
No license plate.
Professional.
"Whoever he is..."
Damien said quietly,
"...he doesn't want to be found."
Killian's expression darkened.
"Find him anyway."
---
Across town...
Emilia sat beneath an old oak tree on campus, sketchbook balanced on her knees.
Architecture had always calmed her.
Lines.
Shapes.
Order.
Unlike her emotions.
She sighed as she stared at the unfinished drawing.
"You're overthinking it."
She looked up.
Selene Ashcroft stood nearby, holding two iced coffees.
"I've seen that face before."
Emilia smiled politely.
"You have?"
"It usually means you're trying to solve a problem that isn't ready to be solved."
Emilia laughed softly.
"You sound like you've known me forever."
"I have a good instinct."
Selene handed her one of the drinks.
"I'm Selene."
"Emilia."
"I know."
Emilia raised an eyebrow.
"Does everyone know my name?"
Selene shrugged.
"You gave the welcome speech for first-year architecture students."
"Oh..."
"Right."
The two girls laughed.
For reasons Emilia couldn't explain...
Talking to Selene felt effortless.
Comfortable.
Almost familiar.
---
Not far away...
Roman stood inside the dean's office.
The dean smiled nervously.
"Mr. Volkov, we're honored to have your foundation sponsoring our leadership seminar."
Roman smiled with practiced charm.
"The future belongs to young minds."
"I simply enjoy investing in them."
The dean beamed.
"We're grateful."
Roman's gaze drifted toward the window overlooking the courtyard.
There she was.
Laughing.
Again.
This time...
With a silver-haired girl.
"Who is she?"
Roman asked casually.
The dean glanced outside.
"Oh, that's Selene Ashcroft."
"Brilliant student."
Roman's smile remained in place.
But something inside him shifted.
His wolf growled.
The witch.
Roman frowned.
A witch?
Interesting.
Very interesting.
---
That evening...
Sean arrived home earlier than usual.
He found Emilia in the kitchen helping Mrs. Walters bake cookies.
The sight made him smile.
"You bake?"
Emilia laughed.
"I mostly make a mess."
Mrs. Walters chuckled.
"She's being modest."
Sean loosened his tie.
"Mind if I help?"
Both women stared at him.
"You?"
Mrs. Walters asked.
"I know how to c***k eggs."
Emilia folded her arms.
"Without getting shells in the bowl?"
Sean thought for a moment.
"...No promises."
They all laughed.
For the next hour...
The kitchen echoed with conversation.
Sean accidentally spilled flour across the counter.
Emilia laughed until tears formed in her eyes.
Mrs. Walters declared both of them hopeless.
It was simple.
Ordinary.
Exactly the kind of evening Emilia had wished for her entire childhood.
---
Later that night...
Sean stood alone in the study.
He opened a locked drawer and removed an old leather journal.
Sophia's journal.
Running a hand over the worn cover, he whispered,
"I don't know if I'm doing this right."
He opened to the first page.
A pressed white lily rested between the pages.
Below it, Sophia's elegant handwriting read:
> If you're reading this, Sean... then I'm no longer beside you.
His chest tightened.
He turned another page.
Another.
Until one sentence caught his attention.
> When Emilia turns eighteen... the truth can no longer stay hidden.
Sean's heartbeat stopped.
"What truth?"
Before he could continue...
A gust of wind swept through the room.
The pages flipped wildly on their own.
Then...
Stopped.
On a page that had never been there before.
A map.
Drawn in silver ink.
Leading to a place deep within Blackwood Forest.
Sean stared at it in disbelief.
"What did you leave behind, Sophia?"
---
Elsewhere...
Roman stood on the balcony of his penthouse, a crystal glass of whiskey untouched beside him.
Adrian approached.
"The media contacts are in place."
Roman nodded.
"Good."
"The first phase begins soon."
"And Killian Hawthorne?"
Roman looked toward the moon.
"Every king has a weakness."
A slow smile crossed his face.
"I've found his."
His wolf growled in agreement.
Far across the city...
Killian suddenly looked up from his office window.
An overwhelming sense of dread washed over him.
Somewhere...
A storm was coming.
And it wasn't the one darkening the sky.
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