Chapter 172
172
Third Person’s POV
Duke’s eyes widened in disbelief, golden irises almost glowing from shock.
Had he really lost control last night? Did his wolf act on its own ?
No. No. Absolutely not.
He wasn’t that kind of man. He wasn’t that kind of wolf.
And yet the surveillance footage didn’t lie. Carmen Hawthorne had entered his apartment… and then fled in tears, disheveled and terrified.
He gritted his teeth.
Duke couldn’t remember a damn thing from last night–but the ache in his temples told him he had indeed been dangerously.drunk. And the look on her face in that recording?
He couldn’t ignore it..
He had to find her.
+8 Pearls
After a quick wash and a change into a navy blue patrol jacket, Duke headed to the door–only to halt when his eyes landed. on the black, high–grade wolfskin umbrella resting against the entrance bench.
The Maybach crest.
Memory flickered–the girl… standing at the bar’s entrance… her hand offering the umbrella…
He must’ve asked her to bring him home. Gods.
He cursed under his breath .
What the hell had he been thinking? He didn’t even know her name. They’d only met twice.
Duke grabbed his coat and exited the suite.
Inside the lift, the idle voices of two older pack matriarchs reached his ears.
“Did you hear what happened last night? A rogue tried to corner a young she–wolf near the Alpha Quarter gates.”
“i saw it on the patrol network this morning! If the guards hadn’t arrived–Moon Goddess bless her…”
“Girls these days—what are they doing out past moonrise? No sense of safety”
The chill ran up Duke’s spine like a blade.
They couldn’t possibly mean…
The one who helped him home!
A cruilang sense of guilt surged through Jum. If she was attacked because of him –because he asked her to bring him home.
He turned around at once and headed to the Stormridge Guard Hall.
Within minutes he was hunched over the console, reviewing last night’s perimeter footage
There she wa
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+8 Pearls
Her blouse torn, face pale, clutching herself as she stumbled toward the gate, a rogue male dragging behind her. Her eyes wide with fear. Her body trembling. The guards tackling the male seconds later.
Duke’s stomach twisted into knots.
It was real.
He clenched the edge of the desk until his knuckles turned white .
She nearly got violated. Because of him.
He had to find her. Now.
But there was one problem–he still didn’t know her full name.
So he took the next step. He went to the Watch Commander’s Office and requested the incident report. His status as Beta- Assistant under Alpha Storm allowed him direct access.
There
he found it.
Carmen Hawthorne. Ashmoor University. Emergency contact recorded. Location: the Lunar Crest Café.
Lunar Crest Café – Across from Ashmoor University
The afternoon sun poured in through the high crystal windows, bathing the wood–paneled walls in soft golden light. The warmth did little to calm the tension at the small corner table where Duke sat across from Carmen.
She looked… fragile.
Her hands were clenched around her dress sleeves, knuckles pale, shoulders curled inward. Her eyes darted around nervously, as if she expected danger to leap from every comer.
Duke’s throat tightened.
She looked like a frightened fawn cornered by a beast.
“I’m sorry,” Duke finally said , voice rough with guilt. “For last night.”
Carmen’s lips trembled as she tried to lift her cup of herbal brew. The porcelain clinked against the saucer from the tremor in. her hands. Her fingers barely steadied the handle .
She looked like she’d been through hell.
And Duke felt like the one who’d dragged her into it.
If he hadn’t let himself get drunk
If he hadn’t asked her to bring him home….
If she hadn’t been walking back alone through the lower alley outside the patrol grid
“I was-” he began again , I was drunk . That’s not an excuse, but it’s the truth”
Carmen shook her head quickly , stammering. “T–it’s it’s not your fault, sir I know you’re a good person.”
Her voice benke, and tears welled in her lashes She blinked them back quickly curling in on herself even more like a pup weathering a storm
Duke inhaled sharply, guilt ripping through him. He reached into his coat and placed a carved wooden token on the table Sturridge payment sigil etched with his personal crest
“It’s a compensation token” he said quietly “There’s a hundred thousand marks linked to a From my personal vault. For the
piciend
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Carmen didn’t speak. Her head dropped lower , and her long fringe veiled most of her face .
Duke assumed she was offended. That he’d insulted her pride.
What he didn’t see what no one saw– was the flicker of glee behind those lowered lashes.
Hook Line. Sinker.
+8 Pearls
Carmen wanted to laugh with triumph , but she kept her body perfectly still. Her fingers trembled with perfectly calculated grace Tears clung to her lashes, unfallen. It was an art
She had pulled it off.
Shallow wounds, deep rewards.
Inside, she was already planning her next move. The moment the token was hers, she’d begin preparations.
Tomorrow, she’d vanish. With these money. She and Riley would finally leave this cursed territory. Away from the packs. Away from hierarchy. Just them, free.
As for Duke ?
Carmen spared him a glance.
He really was her type– refined , powerful, oblivious,
But no man, no matter how attractive, could compare to what Riley had given her purpose.
She wrapped her arms around herself and let out a faint sob.
Across the table, Duke looked at her helplessly, guilt sinking deeper into his bones.
Neither noticed the surveillance raven perched just beyond the café window, its mirrored eyes glinting in the sun.
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