NEGOTIATIONS

          Kade 

Before I can even get a word out, he’s already lunging toward whatever benefits him most. That’s the thing about Alpha Kade—he doesn’t listen, he calculates. He doesn’t hear, he hunts. But that’s fine. Let him chase the scent of profit. It keeps his eyes off her long enough for me to keep mine on the real goal.

Get her out of here.

Get her away from this cold, rotting packhouse and the man who treats her like a stain on his boots. Get her home—really home—where Sammy and I can make sure she’s actually safe. Warm. Fed. Treated like a person again. My mother and father will absolutely adore her; I already know it. And Rosalie? She’ll be over the moon. She’s been praying for someone gentle to bring into the family. Someone she can love. Someone she can protect. She’ll lose her mind when she finds out who I’m bringing back.

Focus.

Stay sharp.

The offer comes first.

“So, Alpha Kade,” I begin, folding my hands as if I’m calm, “let’s talk alliances. I want your pack’s protection and access to your resources.”

Kade smirks like he’s already won. “I wanna make a counter offer,” he says, leaning back as though the world kneels for him. “I can provide what you want. But I want somethin’ in return.”

“Anything you want, my friend,” I say easily. I already know where this is going—his greed has the subtlety of a cannon blast.

“I want the girl.”

He says it like he’s asking for an extra bedroll or a replacement horse. As if she isn’t standing right outside the door, probably holding her breath, hoping someone—anyone—sees her as more than what he’s twisted her into.

“What? No. Why would you possibly want her?” Kade snaps, instantly agitated. That reaction alone tells me everything. He doesn’t want her out of loyalty—he wants control. Wants to know why someone else might find value in what he’s thrown aside. Even now, fear flickers in his eyes. Fear of what she could become without him. Fear of what she might say once she’s free.

“I want her gone,” he mutters too quickly. “What could be made of her that makes you fearful?” I counter, forcing him into his own suspicion.

“She’s the only one I’ve got,” he blurts—an admission he definitely didn’t mean to give. His jaw locks instantly after, like the words clawed themselves out before he could stop them.

“So she’s just a servant, isn’t she?” I ask, voice cool. “Surely she isn’t worth losing an alliance over.”

“I—I don’t know, really,” he stammers.

The first crack.

Good.

I narrow my eyes. “Are you hiding something? Because if you are, you need to tell me. Otherwise this deal can’t go any further.”

That lands like a hammer. His nostrils flare; he looks trapped. Cornered. Good. Let him feel it.

Finally he grinds out, “Okay. Okay, fine. You can have her. But my conditions are that you take her immediately. And you never return her.”

The desperation in his voice is pathetic. It’s not protectiveness. It’s fear of losing face. Fear of being exposed. Fear of how little power he’ll have once she’s out from under his shadow.

“You’ve got yourself a deal, Alpha,” I answer, letting satisfaction seep into my tone. Yes, I think. This feels right. She’s mine to protect now, and I will give her a life ten times better than the one he forced on her, you dirty scumbag.

“One more thing,” Kade mutters, trying to reclaim some scrap of dignity. “You will be leaving soon. Really soon. Tomorrow, perhaps.”

“Tomorrow works,” I say, rising from my chair. “Pack her things. Anything she wants goes. Anything she doesn’t want stays here to rot with you.”

He doesn’t respond. He just watches me with that hollow, shrinking glare of a man who realizes he’s lost something he never deserved in the first place.

Tomorrow she walks out of this place.

And this time, she won’t be coming back in chains.