Chapter 428\u00a0<\/p>\n
Third Person\u2019s POV\u00a0<\/p>\n
A wave of murmurs surged through the gathered crowd like wildfire, every whisper laced with disdain as their eyes darted to Riley Vale.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The pack wolves, the ranked Alphas, the Lunas, and elders-none of them even tried to hide their judgment. Their sharp gazes flicked between Riley and her kneeling parents, as though weighing blood ties against honor.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And for once, honor was winning.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Alaric Vale saw it. He felt it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And for a second-just a second-he reveled in it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
You little bitch, his eyes seemed to say. I raised you. I named you. And I\u2019ll break you right here.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cToo long have I tolerated your shamelessness,\u201d Alaric hissed, his voice dark and venomous as he stepped forward. \u201cA disobedient pup shames the Alpha. And today-\u201d he raised his hand, a broad, calloused thing laced with violence \u201c-I\u2019ll teach you what it means to defy your blood.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Zara moved too, rushing toward Riley, her movements frantic and unhinged. \u201cRiley, don\u2019t be foolish! Stop humiliating us like this! Come here and-!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
But neither of them reached her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Before their feet could cross the final distance, two shadows moved faster than any of them could react.\u00a0<\/p>\n
With a grunt and a pair of dull thuds, both Alaric and Zara were sent flying to the ground-Alaric by Duke\u2019s boot to the chest, Zara by the sharp strike of the driver\u2019s foot hooking behind her knees.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The crowd gasped as the two elder Vales crumpled to the marble like sacks of old grain.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Zara tried to rise first-only for the Duskgrave Estate\u2019s elite security to rush forward, pinning them both to the floor in seconds. Alaric snarled like a cornered beast, veins bulging along his neck, his face a flushed mask of shame and fury.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI am the Patriarch of the Vale family! I sit on the Alpha Council! You will regret this insult!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
His voice roared through the hotel foyer, but it echoed hollow.\u00a0<\/p>\n
No one moved to help him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Riley stood a few paces away, her posture regal, chin lifted. Her expression didn\u2019t waver-not even as Zara began to cry.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Tears streamed down the woman\u2019s face, smearing what little grace she had left.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cRiley, please\u2026 we\u2019re your parents! You\u2019re just going to stand there and let these savages treat us like this?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
That word again-parents.\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 428\u00a0<\/p>\n
So convenient now. So fragile on her tongue.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Riley\u2019s eyes narrowed. Memories surged up like shadows-cold meals, locked doors, Scarlett\u2019s smug smirk as Riley was dragged away in chains, the bloody knuckles she wore after each prison fight.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou only remember you\u2019re my parents when I\u2019m useful,\u201d she said coldly, voice calm, but cutting. \u201cWhere was this concern when I was locked in that rogue cell for a crime I didn\u2019t commit? When I came home to broken ribs and blood on my sheets, and you told the pack doctor to say nothing?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Zara whimpered. Alaric growled.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd now that I have power-now that I\u2019ve found a place where I\u2019m valued-suddenly I\u2019m your daughter again?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her gaze dropped to the sight before her: the proud Alpha couple of Vale Pack, pressed to the polished marble floor like beaten dogs.\u00a0<\/p>\n
There was no pity in her heart.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Only satisfaction.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She turned slightly. \u201cDuke,\u201d she said quietly, \u201cdid Lucien send them an invitation?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Duke straightened beside her, his face carved in steel. \u201cNo, Miss Riley. Their names were not on the list.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She gave a soft hum. \u201cThen why are they here?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
His eyes flicked to the head of security. \u201cExplain. Now.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The guard captain paled. Beads of sweat formed instantly on his brow. \u201cI-I\u2019m terribly sorry, Miss Riley. I must\u2019ve\u2026 I didn\u2019t realize they weren\u2019t on the official- I\u2019ll remove them immediately!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
But before he could bark the order, Lucien\u2019s driver stepped forward, calm and composed as ever.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a service alley behind the east wing,\u201d the man said coolly, not even looking at the Vales. \u201cDrag them there.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The captain blinked. \u201cSir, the-what?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The driver\u2019s gaze turned cold. Sharp. Predatory.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDrag them to the alley,\u201d he repeated. \u201cAnd break their knees. Both of them. I don\u2019t want the Vales wandering into places they don\u2019t belong again.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The hotel went silent. Even the chandeliers seemed to stop swaying.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The captain\u2019s lips parted. \u201cB-break their\u2026?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThey weren\u2019t invited,\u201d the driver said flatly. \u201cThey attacked a marked guest of the Duskgrave heir. That is not just disrespect. That is pack treason.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
No one dared argue.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 428\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Vale name had weight. But the Duskgrave name was law.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The security team didn\u2019t need to be told again. They clamped muzzles over Alaric and Zara\u2019s mouths to muffle the screaming and began dragging them across the tiled floor toward the service entrance,\u00a0<\/p>\n
Alaric thrashed. Zara cried. Their eyes were wild with disbelief, fury-and fear.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And Riley?\u00a0<\/p>\n
She simply watched.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For once in her life, she was no longer the girl on the ground begging for mercy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She was the one standing tall while her abusers crawled.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Somewhere behind her, she heard Andy whistle low. \u201cDamn, girl. That\u2019s what I call justice.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Riley didn\u2019t smile.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But her wolf did.\u00a0<\/p>\n
982\u00a0<\/p>\n
Joseph King is an editor and storyteller who ensures every chapter is clear, polished, and engaging for readers.<\/p>\n
Midnight Letters by Daniel Crowe 428 Chapter 428\u00a0 Third Person\u2019s POV\u00a0 A wave of murmurs surged through the gathered crowd […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20703","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-pack-princess"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20703","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20703"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20703\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20703"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20703"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20703"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}