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CHAPTER EIGHTEEN – God Save the Villain
The rain hadn't stopped in days.
It made Crestwood look haunted — its cobblestone paths glistening like broken glass, the ancient towers hidden behind sheets of grey. Inside the walls of power, Emily Hale stood alone in the Wolves' private chamber, lit only by the flickering gold of the ceremonial fire. She wore her black circle ring like it was born onto her skin.
But her hands trembled.
Because Luke was gone.
And the file that could destroy them all?
He had it.
---
Two days earlier, she'd begged him not to walk away.
"I didn't know what they made me into," she had said, tears thick in her throat. "But I swear—what I felt for you wasn't a lie."
Luke's voice was ice.
"You wrote it. Every kiss. Every breakdown. Every time I confessed something real, you were studying me like a subject."
"It changed," she'd whispered.
He laughed without humor.
"So did I."
And then he left.
---
Present day.
At 3:15 PM, Emily's burner phone buzzed. A blocked number. She answered without a word.
A voice disguised by distortion came through.
> "The file's been copied. If you want to protect him, meet me in the archives. Come alone."
The line went dead.
Emily stared at the fire.
Then pulled on her leather gloves and walked into the storm.
---
The underground archives were silent, cold.
She descended the iron stairs like a shadow, her boots echoing on the wet stone.
In the dim light stood Noah Hale — Tessa's younger brother. Smart, spiteful, and desperate to climb the Wolves' hierarchy.
He held a flash drive between two fingers.
"Trade," he said.
"For what?"
"You step down from the Circle. I take your seat. You get the file, and Luke stays clean."
Emily's eyes narrowed. "You think I'd hand over the Circle to a boy who still asks for permission?"
Noah grinned. "Then I leak this file to the press. To Luke's father. To the board. You'll both burn."
She stepped closer. "You think I'm afraid of fire?"
Noah leaned in, mouth inches from hers.
"No," he whispered. "I think you're afraid of being alone in it."
---
In a blur, Emily drew the dagger hidden in her sleeve and slammed it into the wooden post beside his face.
He didn't flinch — just smirked.
"I'll give you twenty-four hours," he said. "Decide what matters more. The Circle… or him."
Then he dropped the flash drive onto the floor and vanished.
---
Emily collapsed in the dorm shower later that night, fully clothed, water pounding against her skin. Every word, every lie, every kiss and plan and secret rushed through her head like lightning.
She'd tried to outplay the game.
But now, the board was flipping.
And Luke was the only piece that mattered.
---
Meanwhile…
Luke sat in his father's penthouse, staring at the flash drive in his hand.
Senator Bennett walked in, pouring himself a drink.
"You look like hell," he said, not bothering to ask why.
Luke didn't answer.
His father sat across from him, fixing his cufflinks. "You remember what I told you about love?"
Luke clenched his jaw. "Yeah. It's a liability."
"Exactly," the senator said with a smile. "One you can't afford. Not when you're this close to legacy."
Luke stared at him. "You knew about Project Omega, didn't you?"
Silence.
The senator's lips curled.
"Of course. She was supposed to mold you. Make you ready. But now… she's the threat."
Luke stood. "If you come after her—"
"She's already marked, son."
Luke's stomach twisted.
"You have until Monday," the senator said. "Choose your future. Or I'll choose for you."
---
That night, Luke drove back to Crestwood.
He didn't go to Emily's room.
He went to the Circle chamber.
And took his seat at the far end of the table.
The Wolves stared in silence.
Then one said, "You're either with the monster or the men."
Luke raised a brow. "Funny. I thought she was the one cleaning up all your messes."
He laid the flash drive on the table.
"Let me make something clear," he said coldly. "If Emily Hale falls, every single one of you goes down with her. This? This is a bomb. And I'm the one holding it now."
No one moved. No one breathed.
Luke leaned back.
"So if you're planning to betray her... pray I never find out."
---
Emily was waiting on the roof.
Soaked from rain.
Hair plastered to her face.
Eyes wide and glassy.
He approached, slow.
"You talked to my father," Luke said.
"I know," she whispered.
He pulled out the drive.
"You made me into something I didn't recognize."
Emily shook her head. "No, Luke. You always were that person. I just let you see it."
They stood in the storm, silent.
And then she said something that knocked the breath out of him.
> "I'll give up the Circle. For you."
He stared at her, stunned.
"I'll burn it all down. Walk away from everything. From the Wolves. From the throne. If you ask me."
Luke's voice cracked. "And what about who you are?"
"I'm still her," Emily whispered. "But I don't want to rule alone."
He closed the distance, cupping her face.
> "Then don't."
And for the first time in weeks — no lies, no pain, no power plays —
They just kissed.
It wasn't sweet. It wasn't soft.
It was survival.
---
But downstairs…
Noah Hale watched them from the shadows, a different flash drive in his palm.
He wasn't bluffing.
And tomorrow, the world would know everything.
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