Chapter 453\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lucien\u2019s POV\u00a0<\/p>\n
:\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMy Alpha, about the socks\u2026 Can I get reimbursement?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cApproved,\u201d I said flatly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
76\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finished\u00a0<\/p>\n
Duke grinned like I\u2019d just handed him a promotion. \u201cAlpha, you\u2019re the most handsome man in the world in my eyes.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cKeep talking and you\u2019ll be the only one left at headquarters doing overtime.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He snapped his mouth shut immediately and trailed behind me in silence, practically wagging his tail.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The night outside had thickened into a pitch-black shroud, stretching across the mountains like a predator on the hunt. Streetlights flickered like distant embers, and the moon hung low- nearly full, silver and sharp like a blade.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The black Rolls-Royce gleamed under the lights. My driver noticed us and quickly stepped forward, holding the door open with practiced precision.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I adjusted the girl in my arms. Riley. Her name lingered in my mind like a forbidden spell.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She was curled up against my chest, soft and limp, completely unaware of the storm she slept through. Her breathing was steady, almost fragile, and her lashes fluttered against her cheek like trembling feathers.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I hadn\u2019t meant to carry her this far.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I should\u2019ve let one of the omegas take her to her room, but something about her asleep like this-so vulnerable, so trusting-kept my arms locked in place.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then, out of nowhere, a shadow lunged at us, slicing through the warm amber glow of the overhead lamps.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A fist came flying toward my face.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It never reached me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
There was a sickening crack as Duke intercepted the attack midair. Bone snapped. The assailant let out a low grunt of pain and collapsed to one knee, breath hissing through clenched teeth.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLucien Duskgrave!\u201d the man spat, struggling in Duke\u2019s grip. \u201cWhat the hell is wrong with you? You crippled my parents! You sent my sister to prison! What more do you want from us?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
15:17 Fri, Jan 16\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 453\u00a0<\/p>\n
OA\u00a0<\/p>\n
76\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finished\u00a0<\/p>\n
I narrowed my eyes, my senses sharpening. That voice was painfully familiar.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cKael Vale,\u201d I said slowly, recognizing the man beneath the disheveled mess.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Once the proud eldest son of the Vale family, now reduced to a shadow-his tailored suit wrinkled beyond saving, collar torn, his face gaunt and peppered with stubble. He looked like he hadn\u2019t slept in days. The bags under his eyes were so dark, it looked like someone had socked him in both eyes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I barely registered his presence before Riley stirred in my arms.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She let out a small whimper, her brow twitching. Then her lashes fluttered open, and her eyes- still glazed with sleep-met mine.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Shit.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She blinked rapidly, taking in our closeness, the warmth of my embrace. And then she saw her brother-bruised, raging, shackled in Duke\u2019s hold.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAlpha\u2026 put me down,\u201d she said softly, almost shyly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I hesitated.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But I felt her tense. The moment between us shattered. I let her slide from my arms.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She smoothed the folds of her dress, clearly flustered, and avoided my gaze. The cold air rushed in between us.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kael saw it all. The flicker of something tender that passed between me and his sister. His jaw tightened like a coiled spring.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cRiley!\u201d he barked, voice hoarse and cracking. \u201cMom and Dad are still in the hospital! You\u2019re standing beside the bastard who had their legs broken-and you\u2019re acting like it doesn\u2019t matter!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Riley\u2019s expression didn\u2019t change.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She stared at her brother with a calm that unnerved even me. No tremble. No panic, Just a deep, bone-deep weariness in her gaze.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cFamily?\u201d she repeated, as if tasting the word for the first time. Her voice was soft, but it cut sharper than any dagger. \u201cWhen have I ever had one?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kael froze.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI was just your burden. A stain on your perfect pack reputation. You used me, abandoned me, and when I finally had something of my own, you let them take it from me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
15:17 Fri, Jan 16\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 453\u00a0<\/p>\n
He opened his mouth. Nothing came out.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Riley stepped forward, just once.\u00a0<\/p>\n
:\u00a0<\/p>\n
76\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finished\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been beaten, locked up, and left to rot. For what? Loyalty to a name that only brought me pain? You want to talk about family, Kael? Family doesn\u2019t throw their own into a prison cell. Family doesn\u2019t let their adopted rogue daughter take my place and watch silently while I disappear.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her words were steady, but I could hear the strain. I knew the signs-every wolf in this cursed world had their limit. Hers had been broken a long time ago.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I stepped forward, my voice like ice.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou should be glad it was only your parents\u2019 legs.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kael turned toward me, eyes bloodshot, body trembling.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou like her, isn\u2019t it?\u201d he hissed. \u201cYou think this justifies what you did to us?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I took a step closer, each movement deliberate, exuding the quiet power that had made entire rogue packs submit without a word.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kael flinched, even if he tried to hide it. He wasn\u2019t used to looking up at someone who could end him in a single breath.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s under my protection,\u201d I said, voice low and clear. \u201cThat means anyone who lays a hand on her-anyone who schemes behind her back, locks her up, starves her, humiliates her-answers to me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kael\u2019s mouth twitched. \u201cYou think because you\u2019ve got power, you can just rewrite what\u2019s right and wrong?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d I said. \u201cI think because I have power, I don\u2019t need to explain myself to people like you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u3002\u00a0<\/p>\n
1.0K\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 453 Chapter 453\u00a0 Lucien\u2019s POV\u00a0 :\u00a0 \u201cMy Alpha, about the socks\u2026 Can I get reimbursement?\u201d\u00a0 […]<\/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-20728","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-pack-princess"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20728","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=20728"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20728\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20728"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20728"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20728"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}