Page 34

The Buyer

The county jail stands out, all sharp angles and cold concrete. It’s the kind of place that eats men alive, grinds them down into nothing. Hudson Ellis has been sitting in one of those cells for the last week, rotting, stewing, waiting. And now, I’m here to remind him exactly how deep in the shit he really is.

I straighten my suit, smoothing out invisible wrinkles, adjusting my tie with precision. This is just another business meeting. Another deal. Another loose end that needs tying up. The persona I hold during the day pales in comparison to these moments that I get to be the real me.

I step inside, nodding at the officer at the front desk as I drop my phone, my watch, and my keys into a plastic bin. The process is routine, unquestioned. They know who I am. They know why I’m here. The escort leads me down the hallway, past thick metal doors and flickering lights, past cells filled with men who have no future left to salvage. Hudson should be one of them. He should have known better.

I’m taken into a private room, empty except for a metal table and two chairs, one on each side of the table. I settle into one, legs crossed, hands folded neatly on the surface, waiting and that’s when the door across the room opens, Hudson shuffled in.

The Alpha is a wreck. His hair is unkempt, his jumpsuit wrinkled, his face drawn and pale. He looks smaller than he did before, his confidence stripped down to nothing but the raw nerves underneath.

Good.

The guard shoves him down into the seat across from me, locking the cuffs to the table. I can see it the moment Hudson registers who he’s sitting across from. His face turns ashen, his mouth opening and closing like a fish gasping for air.

Pathetic.

I don’t say anything, letting him squirm, letting him wonder why I’m here and then slowly put all the pieces together. “I—I’m sorry,” he stammers, blubbering already. “I didn’t mean for things to go south. I didn’t know—”

I laugh, a sound that bellows in the small room. “You’re not sorry about that,” I say, shaking my head, amused at the desperation leaking off him in waves. “You’re sorry you got caught. And you wouldn’t have, had you been a little more careful with the product.” His face blanches as I lean forward, resting my elbows on the table. “But you couldn’t help yourself, could you?”

Hudson shakes his head quickly, hands clenching into fists. “No, no, listen, it’s not like that. Just—just get me out of here and we’ll talk.”

Oh sweet lord, this man is precious. The sheer audacity of the man sitting across from me, the way he still thinks he has even a shred of control, is fucking hilarious. I slam my hands against the metal table with a loud crack, the sound ricocheting off the concrete walls. Hudson flinches, his entire body jolting, his shackles rattling against the surface as his back hits the chair. He looks at me like he’s finally realizing, finally understanding, that I am not here to help him.

"I'm not doing jack shit for you,” I muse.

Hudson’s mouth opens, but I don’t give him the chance to speak.

"I’ve covered for your ass more times than I can count,” I say, my fingers pressing against the cold surface between us, my patience snapping thread by thread. “Thrown other people in jail, ruined their lives just so you wouldn’t get in trouble. Made evidence disappear, made sure every single one of your fuck-ups never saw the light of day. And for what?" I click my tongue, shaking my head so that he truly understands. “But this time, I think I’m going to let you rot in here for a little bit.”

“You can’t leave me in here.”

“They found you with a dying Omega at your feet. Bloodied. Unresponsive. I can’t cover for you over that. And there’s no way I’d want to, either. Your aggression is out of control. And it almost took what was promised to me.”

Hudson’s head jerks up, his eyes flashing with something—hope, desperation, a last-ditch effort to save his own skin. "Just let me out. I’ll get him. I'll get Luca and deliver him to you like we promised. Or—or I’ll find another Omega for you. Some pretty young thing. You just say the word and I’ll have them wrapped up with a bow."

I snort, leaning back, resting into my apathetic persona I love so much. Pathetic . "I paid for a certain Omega and that’s the one I’m getting. Your problem was that you always assumed you were untouchable. That you could do whatever the fuck you wanted and someone would clean up after you.” I gesture around the room. “But this? This is what happens when you get too greedy. When you get too sloppy.”

Hudson’s fingers curl into fists against the cold steel of the table. “I just need—”

I cut him off with a sharp laugh. “You don’t need shit. You lost everything the second you decided to rough him up too much. If you’d played nice, if you’d kept your temper in check, maybe we wouldn’t be here right now.”

“You don’t get it,” he finally chokes out. “Luca is pregnant. The Keller pack is going to be highly territorial over him. You won’t get far.”

Hudson is still thinking too small. Still assuming I play by the same rules as him. “I’ve always wanted kids,” I say, adjusting my cuffs like this is just another business transaction. Like I’m not already five steps ahead of him. Hudson watches me carefully, his fear growing stronger, latching onto every word like they might save him. “Did you think I didn’t know? I know everything about Luca. Every little fucking thing. I know that he’s carrying two beautiful boys and that they’re going to be mine.”

Stepping into the Keller pack’s lives, letting them get comfortable, giving them just enough peace to think they’ve won—only to rip away the one thing they love most? Easier than Hudson thinks because I’ve been since day one.

“Ward—”

I cut him off with a sharp tilt of my head, a cold smile spreading across my lips. “I’ve been watching my Omega grow for the past three years. Don’t you think it’s time I claim what’s mine?”

I’ve been patient. I’ve played my part, waited, made sure every little piece was exactly where it needed to be. Everything is ready. The hidden estate, the security, the plan to ensure Luca is mine and mine alone. And then this idiot ruined everything. I’m going to have to start over again, slower, let them trust me before I take what’s mine.

I sigh, rubbing a hand over my jaw, exhaling like I’m inconvenienced more than anything. Hudson was never supposed to lose control. Never supposed to make things this messy.

"Please," Hudson starts again, his voice lower now, pleading. "I can—"

"No." My voice is firm, final. "You played your game, and you lost," I continue, smoothing my tie as I push back from the table. "Now it’s time for mine."

Hudson opens his mouth, probably to protest, to bargain, to beg for one last pathetic lifeline, but I don’t give him the chance. I stand, adjusting my jacket, watching as realization dawns in his expression. "They won’t even see me coming," I murmur, more to myself than to him.

Hudson’s breathing picks up, panic overtaking the false bravado he tried to carry into this room. He yanks at the chains binding him to the table, his mouth opening, his voice coming out broken, strained. "Wait—just wait a second. You think you can get away with this?" he asks, his tone teetering between anger and desperation. "The Kellers aren't stupid. They won’t let you just walk in and take him."

I smirk, tilting my head. "I don’t need to walk in. I just need to wait for the right moment."

He shakes his head, his chained hands curling into fists. "You don’t get it—"

"Oh, I get it," I cut in smoothly. "You underestimated them. You thought you could break Luca, wear him down, turn him into something pliable. You got greedy. And now you’ve lost everything." I gesture toward the cuffs, toward the cold walls surrounding him. "This is what happens when you think you’re untouchable."

Hudson’s jaw tics. "And you think you’re any better?"

I laugh at that, genuinely amused. "Better?" I echo, taking a step closer, lowering my voice. "No, Hudson. I’m just smarter. While you rot in here, I’m going to have the time of my life slowly torturing that family until it’s time to rip my Omega from their hands. And then watching them fall apart, crumble, become nothing more than shells as I start my forever? It’s going to be glorious.”

The last thing I hear before I step out into the cool night air is Hudson snarling, cursing my name.

But it doesn’t matter.

Because Hudson Ellis is no longer my problem.

And Luca Keller is as good as mine.