All Chapters of WICKED PROVIDENCE Book 2: Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

Avery emerged from the shadows with a calculated fragility, her palms framing the heavy swell of her womb. Victoria met her with a smile that was all predator, no sister."So, my instincts were sharp as silver," Victoria remarked, her voice a low purr. "White is actually Hudson, isn't he?"Avery’s muscles locked, her pulse drumming a frantic rhythm against her ribs, though she kept her expression as cold as a winter moon. "I have no idea what madness you’re howling about," she countered.Victoria closed the distance in a blur of lupine speed, seizing Avery’s wrist. Her grip was a vice. "I know Harrison dragged you to the Ridge as a prize, and I returned to watch your flame snuffed out. I’ve been scenting Hudson on that healer for days. When White is in the pits, Hudson is nowhere to be found. It’s a clumsy masquerade. Do you remember how your manipulations drove a wedge between Hudson and me, forcing my exile from the neutral territories? I’ve spent every moon since then tracking your

Miranda Shaw's wolf surged beneath her skin, but she forced the transformation back, baring her teeth at Bennett Montgomery. "What kind of madness is this? By what right do you cage a high-ranking member of the Ridge?"Bennett’s lips curled into a jagged, cruel sneer. "I had my suspicions, but now the scent is undeniable. You’ve been running with Avery Monroe’s pack all along. You treacherous stray! Has the Montgomery family not fed you, housed you, and given you rank? And this is how you repay the blood-bond? You thought you could betray the High Alpha and remain within the walls?"Miranda’s pupils dilated. How had the scent of her betrayal reached them so swiftly? But she was a warrior of the Ridge; she would not break easily. "I have worked with Avery for the good of the pack, but I have never violated my Mate-Contract with the Montgomerys. You need more than accusations, Bennett. You need the Elders to witness a crime before you spill my blood."Bennett let out a dry, raspy laugh.

Five tense minutes elapsed before the young girl finally expelled a lungful of river water and clawed her way back to consciousness. A collective breath of relief swept through the crowd as the Montgomery Pack medics rushed to secure the small girl on a litter.But just as the panic began to subside, the girl’s high-pitched voice sliced through the air. “Why did you shove me into the rapids like that?” Her accusation was shrill and unmistakably clear, sending a jolt of shock through the lupine onlookers.Madison Clarke’s expression flickered with a brief moment of hurt, but she maintained the regal composure of a future Alpha. She responded with quiet authority, “I understand you are frightened, but slandering those who risked their lives for you is beneath a wolf of rank. If my brother hadn't sensed your scent in the current, you would have been lost to the gorge.”The girl’s face twisted, her bottom lip trembling as tears pooled in her wide eyes. She was an undeniably beautiful chil

Hudson did not care who might be listening in the sterile corridor. "Victoria, how long do you intend to maintain this facade? I have consulted the Elder archives. There is no record of a Mate-Contract between us. Yes, my wolf was shattered and my memories are gone, and I am indebted to what you and Blake have provided for my recovery, but I require the truth."Victoria Victoria Montgomery—formerly known as Victoria—would not yield. "If no bond existed, then how do you explain the pup? Hudson, you have been a different wolf since the mountain collapse. You have forgotten the passion that once bound us. Think back to the hunt at the Great Gorge. I fell into the churning rapids, and you plunged into the depths to retrieve me. That was when the trauma fractured your mind. My only desire is for you to reclaim your spirit and find happiness at my side again."Hudson’s claws bit into his palms as his hands tightened into fists. His primal instincts screamed that her scent was wrong, that he

Harper’s voice acted like a splash of cold stream water, jolting Avery back to the waking world. She offered a sheepish, lopsided grin. "Forgive me for the alarm," she murmured, her voice still scratchy from the spirits.Harper’s brow furrowed, her scent heavy with sisterly concern. "Do not ask for forgiveness. You have carried enough weight for ten Alphas." She gently pressed a cool palm to Avery’s forehead. "Good, the fever of the drink has broken. When I found you in the courtyard yesterday, your wolf was in turmoil. You were weeping and burning up. I truly feared the moon-madness had taken you."Avery winced, the memory of her feral meltdown at the tavern returning in jagged shards. She made a silent vow to her inner wolf to show more restraint at the next gathering.A sudden, sharp thought struck Avery, and she fixed Harper with a piercing stare. "Do you recall seeing another wolf near me when you arrived? There was a male... it was Hudson. I was deep in the haze, and a rogue tri