The sickened luna’s last chance

Chapter 85

Ella

My heart came screeching to a stop in my chest.

The locket. Lilith’s family heirloom.

I’d thought it was ruined beyond repair at the auction.

“He asked you to pick up my locket?” I blurted out. “I thought it was broken.”

Gabriel’s jaw tightened, and he admitted quietly, “Alexander told me to have it repaired.”

I couldn’t believe it. Alexander had told Gabriel to take the broken locket, the trinket I’d thought he didn’t care about, and have it repaired.

Something warm bloomed in my chest at the thoughtfulness of Alexander’s actions. He must have wanted to make up for what Sophia had done. Maybe Alexander actually-

“Don’t get your hopes up,” Gabriel muttered, apparently reading the expression on my face. “It wasn’t out of love.”

The warmth in my chest immediately turned to ice. “What do you mean?”

Gabriel’s eyes flashed with something that looked an awful lot like that twisted sense of satisfaction I’d grown to know so well.

“Alexander realized the locket was valuable,” he said with a one–shouldered shrug, as if it were nothing to him. “Antique silver, probably worth a small fortune given its age and craftsmanship. He wanted it appraised and repaired so it could be added to the Alpha Collection.”

Lilith stiffened beside me, and my stomach dropped. The Alpha Collection was Ashclaw’s finest and most expensive collection of artifacts: jewels, artwork, trinkets, even bars of solid gold. It existed deep beneath the estate, locked behind a solid iron door that only Alexander and Gabriel knew the

code to.

So Alexander wanted to take Lilith’s locket and lock it away in the vault like it was a trophy to him. He actually thought he had a right to keep it just

because it was valuable.

“And the reason why I didn’t want to go to the jeweler,” Gabriel continued, “is because I already picked it up yesterday and put it in the safe. Forgot to mention it to Alexander with everything that happened at the hospital, and obviously I couldn’t tell him with you standing right there.”

No wonder Gabriel had wanted me to leave the room earlier. He was probably intending to tell Alexander that their precious necklace was safely locked away, but they knew I would freak out if I found out.

That locket belonged to Lilith’s family. I

how? Gabriel had already made it clear that as far as he was concerned, the locket now belonged to the pack’s collection. Alexander would probably be thrilled when he found out it was already safely

But

my

was marked and mated and stronger than I’d ever been. I wouldn’t let them take

me home,” I

raised an eyebrow.

me

out of the parking lot. Lilith, who had been quiet throughout the entire exchange, shot me a

She was the only one who was truly

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Mon 25 Aug

Chapter 85

have survived that

get that locket back for

way, I was out of the car before Gabriel had even turned off the engine.

the front door

you should rest. You’ve had quite a week with the hospital

to face him. The Beta skidded

“I’m sorry, what?”

locket.” I folded my arms across my chest

that’s appropriate. The Alpha collection is Alexander’s private domain I can’t

voice. I wasn’t afraid of using it anymore, and now that my wolf had returned, all it took was the slightest change in timbre and

he muttered, clearly struggling to hold

can’t. Take

he wanted to refuse, but the

to disobey. With obvious reluctance he added

“This way.”

front door and down the hallway. We passed Alexander’s office, the formal dining room, and several other room Gabriel stopped in front

small keyring out of his pocket, he unlocked the door and pushed it open, revealing the narrow staircase that led down to the basement. I wrinkled my nose at the musty smell; I never went down there, finding the entire space creepy, and Alexander had never given me access to the Ashclaw jewels like a

wasn’t worthy of wearing

I just wanted a little silver locket that was far more valuable to

the bottom,” Gabriel said, flicking on the light switch and illuminating the stairs. “But Luna, I really think you should reconsider. Alexander won’t