Chapter 97: Chapter 97
Kyra’s POV
I stopped by Snow’s hospital bed, breathing a sigh of relief as my daughter’s bright eyes met mine. The doctor was right—it had just been a fever, nothing serious enough to truly worry me. Going to work and leaving her here today had made me feel very sad, as if my heart were aching.
"I’m just going to meet someone," I explained to Mary as I gathered my things at the office.
Her forehead immediately creased with suspicion, a knowing smirk playing on her lips. "Hmm..."
I shook my head and grabbed my bag before walking toward the elevator. Mary wouldn’t stop teasing me unless I set her up with Luke. I knew she’d fall silent the moment she had to face the guy she secretly liked.
I arrived early at the karaoke bar—a perfect meeting spot where no one would suspect anything serious was going on. While waiting, I scrolled through news articles about Kieran and his leadership. The public had no idea what kind of person my stepbrother truly was. His role as leader of a rogue faction remained hidden from the world. He was powerful enough to disguise his real identity behind the veneer of a legitimate businessman.
"You’re so early for someone who doesn’t need help."
I looked up to meet her gaze. "I didn’t say I don’t need your help."
Emily scoffed and lit a cigarette, the smoke curling between us. "I didn’t feel the need to help when you ignored my messages."
I shook my head and poured drinks for both of us. "You could have just written your name in that message."
"You have no sense of thrill," she replied with a hint of amusement in her voice.
I smirked and crossed my legs. "I need you to represent me at the shareholders’ meeting next week, Emily."
Emily had been the sender of those anonymous messages. No one except her knew exactly what had happened to me. When I returned, she’d immediately tracked me down—she’d been monitoring me all these years. I’d learned she’d been deliberately misleading Kieran’s private investigators about my whereabouts.
I didn’t have that kind of power, but Emily’s family was influential enough to play games with someone like Kieran. If not for her, he would have found me long ago.
"You can just reveal yourself," she suggested. "That would shock him."
I shook my head firmly. "I can’t. Not now. You know him, Emily. Kieran can get away with anything. Even if I successfully cut off his limb, he’d find a way to rise again and make my plans backfire on me. I can’t let that happen."
"What about your father’s case?" Emily asked. "You can use that to put him behind bars."
"I will, but to do so, I need to find evidence proving he’s the leader of the rogue faction. That would definitely clip his wings; he won’t be able to rise from the dirt anymore."
Emily nodded slowly and sipped her drink before smirking at me. "If the other packs found out that the respected Alpha of Raven Shadow is actually running a network of rogues, he’d be finished. You know how the Alpha Council feels about rogues."
I nodded grimly. "Exactly. Legitimate packs would call for his execution. Even his business partners would turn on him overnight."
"It’s brilliant leverage," Emily admitted. "Most werewolves would rather die than associate with rogues. They’re seen as traitors to all packs—no honor, no loyalty."
"And that’s why he’s kept it hidden so carefully," I said. "The irony of a high-ranking Alpha secretly commanding the very rogues most packs hunt down and destroy..."
Emily nodded slowly and sipped on her drink before smirking at me. "Smart. So, that’s all I need to do."
I nodded. "Yes."
She cocked an eyebrow, staring into my eyes. "That’s all? Where’s the thrill in that?"
"The thrill is you’re going to anger Kieran with what you’re about to do."
She chuckled and lifted her glass again. I raised mine in response.
"Congrats on your wedding, by the way. How is it living with a devil?"
She rolled her eyes. "How did you last a few months living with him?"
I took a deep breath and rested my head against the couch, massaging my neck as I stared at the ceiling. Memories flooded back—painful ones I tried so hard to suppress.
"He loves me," I answered after a long silence. "But his love was too toxic. It ruined me."
I squeezed my eyes closed, remembering the brief happy moments with Kieran. He had been caring and gentle with me at times, but that was all superficial. He’d ruined my father’s life and mine, too. I couldn’t forget it. I couldn’t forgive him for what he’d done to us—not to mention his plans to harm Snow simply because she was Nathan’s child.
"He’s obsessed with you, Kyra," Emily said quietly. "He’s using my father’s connections to find you. He’s powerful now, and I don’t believe he hasn’t discovered the identity of the new shareholder in your father’s company. He knows it’s you."
I met Emily’s gaze. "I know. That’s why I rushed my plans."
She smirked and shook her head. "He was so in love with you that he didn’t sabotage your plans. He must think you’ll still accept him if he lets you do this."
I pressed my lips together. I knew that. I definitely knew that. I wasn’t the kind of person who could execute plans without considering others. The fact that I couldn’t do this alone didn’t mean I was incapable; I simply lacked certain qualities—like the cold-heartedness needed to destroy someone completely.
Emily stood up and looked down at me. "I’m leaving now. Wait for my message before you leave this place. Kieran’s men are always following me around."
My wolf Sylvia immediately went on alert, scanning the room for potential threats.
I looked into Emily’s eyes and smiled genuinely. "Thank you, Emily."
She winked at me. "I’m doing this for your child."
A smile remained on my lips even after Emily disappeared from sight. I grabbed my glass again and sipped my drink. Emily wouldn’t let me down—I knew it. I’d hated her at first, seeing her as my enemy, someone like Sophia—self-centered and manipulative—but I was wrong. Emily had proven herself a true friend that night when I was losing hope.
When I finally got to the hospital, Snow was sitting on her bed playing with her doll. Luke sat on a chair beside the bed, scrolling through his phone. I approached them quietly, then frowned when I caught a glimpse of what Luke was looking at—a photo from my old social media account, taken during my college years.
"Mommy!" Snow’s bubbly voice startled Luke. He accidentally dropped his phone on the bed but quickly retrieved it.
I smiled at Snow, pretending not to notice. I didn’t know why Luke had been looking at my old pictures, but if the reason I suspected was correct, it explained his unwavering loyalty.
"How’s my pumpkin?" I sat on the bed beside her and pulled her into a hug. I glanced at Luke, who couldn’t meet my eyes.
"I’m gonna leave now, Miss Kyra," he mumbled.
I nodded. "Take care, Luke."
I watched as he left, then noticed Snow staring at something. Following her gaze, I realized she was watching a father and daughter walking past the room just before Luke closed the door.
I bit my bottom lip as realization dawned. She was becoming curious about other kids having fathers.
"Mommy, do I have a daddy?" she asked, her innocent question piercing straight through my heart.
