Chapter 8 - Cracks in the Citadel
Within two hours, the news had shattered the political foundation of the entire Pacific Northwest werewolf council.
The narrative that had been carefully constructed over five years—that Kane Croft was a raving, unstable monster who needed to be stripped of his royal authority and locked away—had collapsed in a single morning.
In the private glass dining room overseeing the Pacific, Harper sat at a long marble table enjoying a warm breakfast of dark coffee, fresh eggs, and buttered toast. For the first time in five years, her phone was completely silent.
Kane sat at the head of the table, reading through a stack of legal documents while sipping black tea. Every few minutes, his eyes would drift away from the paper to look at her, as if assuring himself she was still there.
"You haven't checked your phone," Kane noted, his deep voice filling the bright room.
"If I turn it on, there will be forty missed calls from my father demanding to know how I tricked you, and twenty from the council trying to figures out how to spin this," Harper said calmly, spreading jam on her toast. "I prefer to eat my breakfast in peace."
Kane’s lips twitched into a genuine, rare smile. "Your father has already sent three urgent faxes to my legal team demanding the immediate release of the debt-cancellation certificate."
"Tell them to wait," Harper said, her tone suddenly shifting into cold, efficient precision. "In fact, don't send the debt-cancellation certificate to Richard at all."
Kane raised an eyebrow, setting his teacup down. "Oh?"
"Richard Hayes mismanaged three million dollars of pack funds because he thought he was untouchable," Harper said, looking Kane dead in the eye. "If you give him that paper, he will go right back to his card tables and ruin Cascade again within six months. The contract states the debt is forgiven, but it doesn't state who receives the territorial administrative rights."
Kane leaning back in his chair, a look of profound respect illuminating his eyes. "You want me to transfer the administrative sovereignty of Cascade directly to you."
"I’ve been running that territory quietly since I was twenty," Harper replied evenly. "It's time my name was on the deed."
"Done," Kane said without a second's hesitation. He gestured to Gideon, who was standing quietly near the door. "Gideon, have the legal team draft the territorial transfer papers immediately. Strip Richard Hayes of his council seat and assign Harper full administrative control over Cascade."
"Right away, Alpha," Gideon said, suppressing a grin as he quickly exited the room.
Harper blinked, slightly taken aback by how effortlessly he had handed her absolute authority over her home. "You didn't even negotiate."
"You saved my life last night, Harper," Kane said softly, reaching across the table to lay his massive hand over hers. "Giving you a territory you already earned is the bare minimum."
Before Harper could answer, the heavy double doors of the dining room swung open violently.
May you like
Vivian Mercer marched into the room, flanked by two senior members of the Croft Regional High Council. Her face was flushed with anger, her immaculate composure entirely shattered.
"Kane, this is an absolute outrage!" Vivian shouted, slamming a leather folder onto the marble table. "You cannot simply rewrite the territorial management of Cascade without a full vote from the High Council! This girl manipulated the situation!"
