Chapter 117: A Familiar Presence

Words : 1518 Updated : Sep 17th, 2025

Chapter 117: A Familiar Presence Jacob~ Darius stared at the royal scepter in my hands, his face draining of color. His nostrils flared, his breath coming in short, sharp bursts. His black eyes widened in raw disbelief. For the first time since I had walked into this room, he looked shaken. His lips parted, but no sound came. Then, finally, in a voice that a mortal could barely hear, he asked, "Who the hell are you?" I tilted my head, letting his question hang in the air. I had expected this reaction, but seeing it firsthand was... satisfying. I took my time, watching him squirm before answering. "Like I said earlier, I’m Garrick Wilson." I paused, enjoying the total confusion in his eyes. I was about to tell him. About the lie, I had come to deliver. About my role as the king’s secret royal advisor. But then, a scent breezed into the room. Faint. Barely there. But unmistakable. My entire body went rigid. It wasn’t fear that gripped me—no, I had no concept of fear—but something close. A primal warning from instincts honed over centuries. This scent... it belonged to someone I had hoped never to cross paths with again. Damn it. Natalie. We needed to leave. Now. I forced my body to relax, my movements slow and deliberate as I rose from my seat. I couldn’t let Darius see the shift in me. If he noticed, he would ask questions, and I didn’t have time for that. With a flick of my wrist, the royal scepter vanished from my hand into thin air. Darius gasped, his head snapping up in shock. "What—" "Jacob," Natalie’s voice filled my mind through our link, confusion laced in her tone. "What’s going on?" I didn’t answer her yet. Instead, I reached deep into the ancient well of power inside me and sent a silent pulse of magic outward, weaving an invisible barrier around Natalie and myself. A scent-erasing spell. Just in case. Darius’s voice cut through the heavy silence. "Wait." I turned back to him, arching a brow. His expression was controlled, but there was something in his eyes. Something calculating. "Was that real?" His voice was lower now, careful. "Was that the real royal scepter?" A slow smirk curved my lips. "What do you think?" Darius’s jaw clenched. He wanted to push, but something held him back. "When the time is right," I said smoothly, "I’ll be back. And I hope you’ll welcome me better than this." Natalie’s voice returned in my mind, sharp this time. "Jacob, why are we leaving? Remember what I came here to—" I cut her off. "I’m sorry, Little Moon. But your revenge will have to wait. Something very important has come up." She didn’t like that. I could feel her frustration. But to her credit, she didn’t argue. "Stand up slowly," I told her through our link. "But keep your head high. Walk with confidence." She hesitated for only a second before rising gracefully, as if nothing was amiss. She met Darius’s gaze with the same fearless defiance she had held throughout the entire meeting. We turned toward the door. Darius stood abruptly, his power surging outward like an invisible force, slamming against us. "Don’t you dare take a step out of this room?" Darius said, his Alpha command wrapping his words—an attempt to hold us in place. A foolish attempt. I barely flinched. Instead, I turned my head slightly, meeting his gaze with cold eyes. "Darius," I murmured, my voice calm, almost gentle. "If you stand in my way, or in Natalie’s..." I took a step forward. His power wavered. "You will regret it." Darius’s hands curled into fists. His teeth clenched so hard I thought they might crack. I waited. Letting the moment stretch. Letting him feel the seriousness of what I was saying. Then, finally, he looked away. Smart. Natalie, never one to waste an opportunity, smirked. "I’ll be back, Darius," she purred, tossing her hair over her shoulder. "Try not to miss me too much." I nearly laughed at the way his face twisted in barely restrained fury. And with that, we left the office and walked out of the house. Natalie and I could have teleported but I didn’t want to. Not yet. The stench of a familiar, foul presence clung to the air like a sickness. Hidden in the shadows, it watched—calculating, waiting. A predator studying its prey, patient and relentless. I could feel its gaze locked onto Natalie and me, probing, searching for weakness. But I wouldn’t give it the satisfaction. Not here. Not now. Instead, I took a slow, measured breath and walked forward, guiding Natalie through the Silverfang pack with the same unbothered confidence as before. She moved beside me, graceful yet alert, her piercing gaze scanning the lingering pack members still gaping at us in confusion, anger, and barely concealed fear. Their fear was justified. Just a few steps ahead, the guards I had stripped of their wolves stood waiting, their faces filled with something I had seen countless times in the eyes of those who had lost their power—desperation. They dropped to their knees the moment I approached, hands trembling as they reached for me, pleading. "P-please," one of them stammered, his voice hoarse from exhaustion. "We’ve learned our lesson. Have mercy." Another guard, the one who had tried to intimidate Natalie when we first arrived, practically crawled forward. "Give us back our wolves! We swear—we swear we won’t ever defy you again!" Natalie stiffened slightly at my side, her brows furrowing as she glanced at me. I could feel the question brewing in her mind, but she didn’t voice it. Not yet. I looked down at the men, their eyes filled with raw panic. I wanted to give them back their wolves. Truly, I did. But not now. Not yet. That would expose Natalie and I. "The lesson isn’t over," I said simply, my voice even and cold. Their eyes widened. One of them let out a strangled sob. "Please, Sir, have mercy—" I turned away, already walking past them. Their cries followed me, but I didn’t stop. Natalie kept pace beside me, silent but watchful. Only when we reached the pack’s main gate did she finally speak, her voice measured. "That was... unexpected." I glanced at her. "You think I was cruel?" She shook her head, a wry smile playing on her lips. "Not cruel. Just... different. I thought you would have ended their suffering the moment they begged." "End it?" I let out a short laugh. "No, Little Moon. Not today. There’s too much at stack today." Natalie arched a brow at me, but she didn’t press. The entire pack had gathered by now, watching us from a distance. Some whispered in hushed tones, others glared outright. A few—likely the ones who had once known Natalie before her exile—looked as if they wanted to say something but didn’t dare. I met their gazes with the same detached amusement I had shown Darius. Let them watch. Let them wonder. And then, we stepped through the Silverfang gates. The moment we crossed the threshold, I let out a slow exhale, finally shaking off the weight of that wretched place. But we weren’t done. Not yet. I led Natalie toward a large, ancient tree standing just a few meters from the gates. I could still feel the guards watching us from behind, trailing at a careful distance. It was time. "Natalie," I murmured, grabbing her wrist. She turned to me, her expression shifting into something more serious. "What is it?" I didn’t answer. Instead, I pulled her behind the tree and— Vanished. The world blurred for a fraction of a second. Darkness. Silence. Then— Light. Warmth. Home. We reappeared in the living room of Zane’s house. The room was empty, the quiet almost unsettling compared to the chaos we had just left behind. The fireplace crackled faintly in the distance. A lingering scent of something rich and smoky—probably whatever Fox or Tiger had last cooked—hung in the air. Natalie stepped away from me, crossing her arms as she turned to face me fully. "Alright, Mist," she said, her voice laced with that sharp, playful sarcasm I had grown to love. "What the hell just happened? You looked like you saw a ghost back there." I didn’t answer immediately. Instead, I turned my gaze toward the window, scanning the estate and beyond. The presence I had felt back at Silverfang... was it still watching? Natalie stepped closer, poking me in the chest. "Jacob." I finally met her gaze, my expression darkening. "Something very serious just happened." Her teasing smirk faded. "Explain." I hesitated. Not because I didn’t want to tell her, but because I wasn’t sure how. "I wasn’t afraid of Darius," I said carefully. "But there was someone else there. Someone I didn’t expect. Someone who shouldn’t have been there." Natalie frowned. "Who?" I exhaled slowly. "A shadow from the past." Her eyes narrowed. "Jacob." I reached out, brushing a loose strand of hair from her face. Where do I begin?

Chapter 117: A Familiar Presence

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