Chapter 98
As soon as Riley heard the crash behind them, she instinctively turned her head. Duke glanced into the rearview mirror, his brows knitting together. “Looks like there’s been an accident,” he muttered.
Riley’s heart sank. She could’ve sworn she heard someone calling her name through the chaos.
A wave of dread swept over her. “Duke, drive. Quickly.”
Suppressing the anxiety threatening to rise in her chest, she urged him to speed up.
It wasn’t until they safely arrived at the Duskgrave estate that she finally let out the breath she’d been holding.
Outside the villa, Matriarch Duskgrave, Mrs. Beck, and Mia were already waiting. The three women looked like anxious hens awaiting their lost chick’s return. The moment they spotted Riley, they rushed forward.
But when they saw how pale she looked, their concern deepened instantly.
“What happened to you, child?” Matriarch Duskgrave’s voice trembled with maternal worry.
“Are you feeling unwell?” Mia stepped in, placing a hand gently on Riley’s forehead.
Mrs. Beck’s gaze scanned her face. “You look absolutely dreadful.”
Surrounded by their sincere concern, Riley was genuinely moved.
She shook her head slightly, just about to speak when Duke answered in her stead. “Miss Riley was frightened by the accident earlier.”
All three women gasped.
“An accident?” Matriarch Duskgrave’s face turned ghostly pale. She immediately took Riley’s hand. “Did you get hurt? Let me see!”
Riley quickly grasped her grandmother’s hands to calm her down. “I’m fine, Grandma. It wasn’t us. Someone else crashed.”
Only then did the tension in their faces begin to ease.
“Thank the Moon Goddess,” Mia murmured. “You scared us half to death.”
But the so–called “someone else” who crashed – Maddox – had already been subdued by the local patrol
enforcers.
Even as they cuffed him, his eyes searched wildly, desperate to catch one last glimpse of Riley.
He didn’t fully register the severity of what he had done until he was forced into the back of the patrol vehicle. Only then did it dawn on him: he had made a colossal mistake.
6 X
–
Finished
Back at the Duskgrave estate, Duke was reporting to Lucien Duskgrave, the Alpha prince of the Stormridge
Pack.
“Alpha Lucien,” Duke said respectfully, standing in the office. “While escorting Miss Riley from the hospital, we passed a multi–car collision. I thought I heard someone shouting her name. I had the enforcers investigate. One of the drivers was Maddox.”
Lucien’s expression remained unreadable. He sat behind his sleek desk, long legs crossed, his elegant fingers tapping lightly on the surface. The sound was sharp and rhythmic.
Duke continued, “He’s now in custody. Since the incident didn’t cause any casualties, the enforcer’s ruling will likely be a fine between 200 and 2,000 marks, a suspension of his driver’s license, and up to 15 days in detention.”
He hesitated for a beat, then asked, “Would you like us to influence the outcome?”
Lucien’s eyes flickered coldly. “Go with the maximum sentence.”
Duke gave a small nod. “Understood. If there’s nothing else, I’ll take care of it.”
Just as he reached the door, Lucien’s voice called him back.
Duke turned, surprised. “Yes, Alpha?”
Lucien’s eyes narrowed, his thoughts drifting to Riley – the years she had lost, the pain she had endured, all because of Maddox. Prison. A shattered leg. A missing kidney.
Fifteen days in custody? That was far from enough.
Duke noticed his Alpha’s darkening expression and asked cautiously, “Is there something more you wish to be done?”
Lucien’s tone was glacial. “Make sure he’s… well attended to inside. I don’t want him walking out looking the
same.”
Duke’s pupils dilated ever so slightly. The message was crystal clear.
The Alpha was protecting his future Luna – and making a statement.
He suppressed a flicker of excitement. If Miss Riley knew what Lucien was doing for her behind the scenes, she’d be overwhelmed.
“Consider it handled, Alpha,” Duke said with a smirk before quietly exiting the room.
Left alone, Lucien pulled out a cigarette and lit it with practiced ease. The tip glowed softly in the dim study.
As he drew in a slow breath, the smoke swirled and danced, cloaking his face in mystery. The scent curled in the air like a predator’s warning.
There was no warmth in his expression – only the icy resolve of an Alpha who would tear down anyone daring to touch what was his.