Page 89 of Rejected By the Shifter King

Oh.

“Since our betrothal can no longer be enforced, I expected the two of them to marry after a respectable amount of time has passed. But it’s been over a year, and that’s made me realize how badly I’ve underestimated my brother. And that he’s too honorable for his own good.”

“I see.” And this time, I did mean it, unfortunately. I see more than I wished. And it’s not something I can un-see no matter how badly I want to.

“What I am prepared to pay you will be enough to set you up for life. You will never have to work again. All you have to do is turn my brother down.”

Chapter Four

THE HIDDEN PANEL SLIDshut behind Hexius with the stealthy efficiency of advanced preter engineering, sealing him inside a room that didn’t officially exist. No blueprints filed with the city. No contractor records. Just thirty feet of reinforced steel and silence, buried in the heart of his penthouse like a secret wrapped in glass and money.

This wasn’t the kind of study that appeared in architectural magazines. No leather-bound classics or crystal decanters catching light from tall windows. The walls were lined with gun safes and weapon racks, each piece meticulously maintained and ready for use. Akatanahung beside tactical body armor. Throwing knives shared space with encrypted communication devices that could reach any snow leopard territory in under sixty seconds. All of it, the natural outcome of a pack lifestyle dedicated to training for war even before the human race forged their first sword.

Because for the snow leopards, the rule was simple, three words that he first heard from his grandfather.

Trust. No. One.

The massive tactical table dominated the center space, its surface scattered with intelligence reports, territorial maps, and photographs that would makeL’Alliancerepresentatives very uncomfortable if they knew they existed. Snow leopards had never joined the supernatural United Nations for a reason. They preferred to handle their own problems their own way.

Hexius stepped between the weapon racks and intelligence displays, each item positioned exactly where it needed to be. Everything had its place. Everything served a purpose. Unlike the rest of his life, which seemed to be spiraling into complications he couldn’t solve with superior firepower and ancient training.

His encrypted phone sat silent on the metal surface where he’d left it. The display showed seventeen missed calls, all to the same number.

She had never refused his calls before, but she did so now. For three days and counting. Too bad for her, that would never be enough to deter him. Some conversations needed to happen whether she wanted them or not.

A soft knock interrupted his brooding, three quick taps followed by two longer ones. The code meant intel, not emergency. Hexius touched the panel beside the hidden door, and it slid open to reveal Ajax, one of his most reliable lower-ranking pack members. The younger man’s nervous energy filled the doorway like static electricity.

“Report,” Hexius said without preamble.

Ajax stepped inside, the door sealing automatically behind him. “Ms. Hondros maintained her usual routine until approximately fourteen hundred hours. Then something changed.” He paused, swallowing hard under his alpha’s steady golden stare. “Your brother paid her a visit.”

The temperature in the room seemed to drop several degrees. Hexius didn’t move, didn’t speak, but something in his stillness made Ajax take an involuntary step backward.

“Go on.”

Relief flooded Ajax’s system. For a second there, he had been worried that his alpha would forgetnotto shoot the messenger.