Page 176 of Theirs to Possess: The Marriage Claim

“I don’t need a lecture.”

He lifts a shoulder as if to say,Too damn bad.Then he goes on. “Real dominance is about control over yourself and your emotions. It’s about responsibility. For their hearts, their safety, their trust.”

“I make sure they’re safe.” Even now.

“What about the rest?”

The ring in my pocket feels like a brand, burning through my resolve. Lena’s ghost hovers at the edge of my mind. Her smile. Then her blood.

I’ve been running from that pain, from the fear that I’ll lose Isla the same way. But Altair’s right. I’ve been a fool, thinking I could chain her to me, thinking I could keep Brennan’s loyalty without giving something of mine in return.

“What the fuck do you want from me?” The desperation I’ve been feeling now leaks through despite my best efforts to hide it.

“Fix your fuckups.” Over the rim of his glass, he regards me. “You’re a smart man. You know what to do. Now find the courage to do it.”

The words carve into me, each one a truth I’ve been dodging since Isla escaped. Since Brennan walked out the door and didn’t return.

My chest tightens, a vise of guilt and fear. “Maybe they’re better off without me. Safer.”

“That’s the coward’s way out, and you know it.” Altair’s laugh is short, humorless. You’re a bastard sometimes, but you don’t quit.” He taps the folder that’s on the table beside the chessboard, and he slides it toward me. “This is the intel you came for. Marco Gallo’s been talking to the feds. Everything he’s said is in here. Names, dates, shipments. Including yours. And Moretti’s.”

Fuck it to hell and back.

And how the fuck does he have the information?

“Intercepted en route to a certain senator.” His grin is cold.

I scowl. “How the hell did you get this?”

He doesn’t reply.

Even I had no idea he possessed that kind of power.

“You’re welcome.”

I put down my drink to analyze the information.

“I bought you some time. Get your house in order, Vale.”

Every line inside the folder is damning.Jesus.

“You need Brennan with you, not on the other side of a goddamn wall.”

I nod, the weight of his words settling into my bones. The ring in my pocket feels heavier, a reminder of what I’ve lost—and what I still might save.

“You need to decide what you’re fighting for. Your empire? Or your family?”

The question hangs in the air, sharp and unrelenting.

But I know.

There’s a spark inside me, one that I thought had been extinguished with Lena’s death. It’s not hope, not exactly. But purpose. Isla’s face flashes in my mind—her green eyes, her defiance, her fire. And Brennan’s steady presence, the anchor I’ve taken for granted too long.

I have a lot to atone for. A lot to fight for.

I set the folder down and move my queen to f6, a bold strike. “Your move, Montgomery.”

There’s a glint of approval in his eyes. “About damn time you showed up, Vale.”