Chapter 8 - The Price of Loyalty
With Gregory and Selene neutralized, the legal and financial cleanup began with ruthless precision. Alaric did not simply rely on wolf law; he used the full, crushing weight of human jurisprudence to ensure that no one involved in the conspiracy would ever see daylight again.
In a private conference room on the top floor of the Crawford Tower in downtown Seattle, Lincoln and Jessica sat across from a team of twelve corporate attorneys in dark suits. Both of them looked haggard, terrified, and utterly defeated.
The double doors opened, and Helga walked in, flanked by Hudson. She was dressed in an impeccable cream-colored power suit—ironically, the exact shade of the coat Jessica had worn the night of the betrayal.
Lincoln scrambled to his feet, his hands trembling. ""Helga! Please! Tell them to call off the federal prosecutors! They’re hitting me with wire fraud, grand larceny, and corporate espionage! I’ll go to prison for twenty years!""
Helga stopped at the head of the long glass table, resting her hands on the back of the leather chair. She looked at Lincoln, and for the first time in three years, she felt absolutely nothing. No anger, no longing, not even pity. He was just a small, cowardly man who had tried to build a life on stolen foundations.
""You took money to ruin my life, Lincoln,"" Helga said calmly, her voice devoid of emotion. ""You let Jessica into my home, you let her wear the clothes I helped her buy, and you planned to steal the land my grandfather died defending. Did you really think there wouldn't be consequences?""
""Helga, I'm your best friend!"" Jessica sobbed, tears ruining her heavy makeup. ""He lied to me! He told me he was leaving you anyway! He said we would be rich!""
""You aren't my friend,"" Helga replied evenly. ""Friends don't sell each other out for four million dollars and an offshore bank account.""
Hudson stepped forward, laying a single document on the table between them. ""Sign the full confessions and surrender all assets obtained through the Portland accounts. If you cooperate with the Department of Justice, the Alpha King may allow you to serve your sentences in a low-security facility. If you refuse, we let pack enforcers handle your debt.""
Lincoln grabbed the pen so fast he nearly tore the paper, scribbling his signature with frantic desperation. Jessica followed suit, weeping openly as she signed away every penny she had ever accumulated.
""Get them out of my sight,"" Helga said softly.
Two security guards escorted the disgraced pair out the back doors. As they were led away in handcuffs to the waiting police cruisers below, Helga turned to look out the massive floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Seattle skyline. The sun was finally breaking through the heavy clouds, casting brilliant streaks of gold across the bay.
A pair of strong arms wrapped around her waist from behind, pulling her back against a broad, warm chest. Alaric kissed the crown of her head, his chin resting gently on her shoulder.
""Are you satisfied, my Queen?"" he murmured.
May you like
Helga leaned back into his embrace, closing her eyes and breathing in the familiar scent of cedar and rain. ""I am. The past is finally dead.""
""Then tonight,"" Alaric whispered, turning her in his arms so that his golden eyes caught the dying sunlight, ""we celebrate the future.""
