Eller POV:
An hour later, I was "invited" to Meredith's private sitting room.
It was a space designed for intimidation, all silk upholstery and gilded furniture, smelling faintly of potpourri and power. Victoria and Blake were already there, arranged on a velvet settee like a panel of judges.
Meredith gestured to a stiff-backed chair opposite them. "Eller, dear. Sit."
I did, my spine straight, my hands folded calmly in my lap.
"We were so worried about you," Meredith began, her voice oozing a false sweetness that made my teeth ache. "We want you to understand that Chace's decision, while difficult, is truly for the best. Accepting the subordinate position... it's a way to protect you. To give you a home."
"She's right," Victoria chimed in, her eyes glinting. "Without the pack's protection, a wolfless girl on her own... well, things can happen. The remnants of your Dawson kin might face... misfortunes."
It was a thinly veiled threat. My family, what was left of them, were scattered and struggling. They were my one vulnerability, and she knew it.
Blake, ever the actress, leaned forward and reached for my hand. I let her take it. Her skin was soft, her touch cloying. "Eller, please," she pleaded, her voice a breathy whisper. "I don't want to see you hurt. This is the only way for us all to have peace. Just say yes."
I looked at their three expectant faces, the web they were weaving around me. My heart hammered against my ribs. But on the surface, I allowed a flicker of pain, of indecision, to show in my eyes. I let my shoulders slump just a fraction.
Seeing my resolve crumble, Meredith pressed her advantage. Her voice hardened, the velvet glove coming off. "You don't have long to consider. The Alpha will be making the official announcement tomorrow. Accept, or you will leave this estate with nothing but your shame."
I pulled my hand from Blake's grasp and looked down at my lap. I let the silence stretch, filled with their smug certainty.
Finally, I looked up, meeting Meredith's gaze. I gave a small, defeated nod.
"I... I understand," I whispered, letting my voice crack. "I will think on it."
The collective sigh of relief in the room was almost audible. They had won. They thought they had broken me.
I walked back to the guest suite they had assigned me, my steps measured, my head held high until the door was closed and locked behind me.
The mask of fragility shattered.
The room felt suffocating. I strode to the window, throwing it open to the crisp evening air. Below, the vast, manicured lawns of the Johnston estate stretched out into the twilight. This land, this pack... they owed me a blood debt. And I was here to collect.
My hand went to my encrypted phone. I dialed the only number stored in it. It connected on the first ring.
"Eller?" Briar's voice was a low rumble, laced with worry. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," I said, my own voice flat, devoid of the emotion that churned inside me. I recounted the events of the afternoon, clinically, as if describing a scene from a book.
When I finished, the silence on the other end was heavy. Then I heard it—a muffled roar of fury, followed by the distinct sound of something heavy splintering against a wall.
"Briar," I said, my voice sharp, commanding. "Calm down. I need you to listen to me. I have a plan."
The sound of his ragged breathing came over the line. "What plan? Eller, you should leave. We can find another way."
"There is no other way," I said, my gaze fixed on the main house, a fortress of secrets. "First, I need you to start moving all my liquid assets. Everything in my personal accounts. I want it transferred, small batches, untraceable, to the new offshore account we set up. Now."
This was my escape fund. My war chest. If everything went wrong, it was the only thing that would keep me and my people alive.
"Consider it done," Briar said instantly. His loyalty was absolute. "What's the second thing? What's the plan?"
I took a deep breath, the cool air filling my lungs. I watched a lone hawk circle high above the estate.
"I'm going to become Edmund Johnston's widow."
The silence that followed was so profound I thought the line had been cut. Briar was a man who had faced down rogue alphas and assassins without flinching. But my words had stunned him into speechlessness.
"His... widow?" he finally managed to say, his voice barely a whisper. "Eller, he's dead."
"Exactly," I said, a grim smile touching my lips for the first time that day. "It's the only way. If I'm Chace's subordinate, I'm nothing. Powerless. But as Edmund's widow... I become the Luna of the main family branch. My status will be higher than Chace's. Higher than Blake's. They won't be able to touch me."
Understanding dawned in Briar's voice, mixed with awe and terror. "It's insane. But it's brilliant."
"It's necessary," I corrected him. "Which brings me to your second task. I need everything you can find on Edmund Johnston. Every detail about his death six months ago. His service records, his personal effects, his business dealings. Most importantly, I need to know who was loyal to him. Who still is."
"I'm on it," Briar said, his voice now firm, resolute. "Be careful, Eller."
"I always am," I replied, and ended the call.
A wave of exhaustion washed over me, so potent it made my knees feel weak. But as I stood there, silhouetted against the darkening sky, my eyes were clear and hard.
