Chapter 71: Apologize To Her

"Did you see her steal anything?" Edgar cut in, his golden eyes locking onto Stephanie with a suffocating, lethal pressure.

Stephanie froze, her words catching in her throat. She looked at Valentina, then back at Edgar, her confidence crumbling into dust under the weight of his Alpha aura. "W-Well, no, but... she’s poor! She doesn’t belong here, so we just assumed—"

"You assumed," Edgar repeated flatly, his disgust completely transparent. He couldn’t trust a single word coming out of their mouths.

Loosening his hold just enough to look down at me, his gaze softened as his golden eyes swept over my damp, dark hair sticking to my neck.

"What were you actually looking for in the vanity, Brianna?" he asked softly.

I sulked, my brows furrowing into a tight knot as I looked away from his intense gaze. "A hairdryer," I muttered, my voice dripping with pure annoyance. "My hair was damp."

Edgar took in my answer, his thumb lightly stroking the side of my waist as the corner of his mouth twitched with a microscopic flicker of amused disbelief.

He looked up, turning his full, terrifying Alpha aura back onto Valentina and Stephanie. The temperature in his golden eyes plummeted straight to absolute zero.

"A hairdryer," Edgar repeated flatly, his low voice echoing off the high ceilings like a thunderclap. "She was looking for a hairdryer in the suite I brought her to. And for that, you accused her of stealing and threatened her father?"

Stephanie gasped, taking a panic-stricken step backward until her heels hit the baseboard. Valentina’s face went completely ghostly white, her lips parting as her brother’s heavy, suffocating pressure slammed directly into her chest.

"B-Brother... we didn’t know—" Valentina stuttered, her voice shaking uncontrollably.

"Shut your mouth, Tina," Edgar cut her off, his tone laced with a terrifying, absolute authority that left no room for debate.

He didn’t yell. He didn’t need to. The sheer weight of his presence made the very air in the suite feel heavy enough to crush bone.

"You and your little court are leaving. Right now," Edgar commanded, his eyes narrowing into deadly slits. "If I hear so much as a single whisper about you, Jane, or anyone else coming within a mile of Brianna’s family, she won’t just be the one coming after you. Am I clear?"

Valentina flinched violently, tears of genuine fear finally spilling over her cheeks. She looked at her brother, then darted a terrified glance at me—at the blood-red rage burning in my eyes as I leaned against Edgar’s chest. She knew he meant every word.

But even then, she could not accept it.

"WHY?" Valentina asked, the word escaping her as a pathetic, disbelieving whisper before her voice tore into a hysterical scream. "Why are you taking her side?!"

She scrambled desperately to her feet, her hands clawing at her dress as fresh tears ruined her face.

"I’m your sister! Your flesh and blood! Even if I’m in the wrong, you’re supposed to take my side! MY SIDE!" she shrieked, her voice echoing off the high marble ceilings of the suite. "It’s not fair! She’s no one! She’s nothing!"

Edgar looked down at her, his golden eyes darkening not with rage, but with heavy pity. Had he spoiled her too much? The realization settled in his chest like lead. He had let her run wild among the lower-caste wolves for far too long, mistaking her cruel tantrums for harmless high-society pride.

"Tina," Edgar said, his voice quiet, almost mournful, yet anchored with absolute authority. "You did something wrong. You threatened someone’s family. You’re not a street thug, so you should apologize."

Valentina gasped as if she had been slapped across the face, her ego shattering into jagged pieces. "What?! No way! I will never apologize to a—"

"Tina," Edgar called again.

He didn’t raise his voice. He simply lowered the register into a freezing, murderous pitch, his golden eyes locking onto hers with a stern, predatory coldness that stripped the air right out of her lungs.

Valentina’s entire body froze up instantly, her jaw locking, her throat seizing as a violent tremble ran from her shoulders down to her knees. Her instincts as a wolf screamed at her to bow, to run, to survive. Just what was happening? Her brother—the brother who cherished her—was threatening her over a wolfless Omega. A nobody?

Stephanie didn’t wait for another word. Sobbing in terror, she grabbed Jane by her collar and began dragging her unconscious body out the double doors as fast as her arms could carry her. Valentina, trembling violently under Edgar’s suffocating aura, backed away step by step, completely broken, before turning and fleeing out into the hallway. She did not apologize in the end.

The double doors slammed shut, leaving only the sound of my shallow, hot breaths in the vast, quiet suite.

"They’re gone, little cat," Edgar murmured softly near my ear, though his arms remained firmly wrapped around my waist, keeping me pinned against his chest until the white mist rising from my lips finally faded. "You can put your claws away now."

"Just being gone doesn’t solve anything," I said, pressing my hand firmly against his broad arm as I tried to push away. "They will target my family. To avoid loose ends, I have to end her, even if she is your family."

I waited for the usual Alpha response—for him to bark orders, to act arrogant, or to command me to stand down simply because he held the power here.

He didn’t.

Instead, Edgar leaned down, dropping his head onto my shoulder. His deep breath fanning against the side of my neck, right over the bruised scent gland he had just touched moments ago.

"I’ll apologize on her behalf," he whispered softly, his low voice vibrating straight into my collarbone. "This time, please let her go, little cat. I’m at fault since I spoiled her too much. I’ll make sure she doesn’t get near your family, and I’ll revoke her privileges until she learns her lesson."

I didn’t answer.

My mouth remained shut, my jaw locked tight as a cold, hollow silence settled between us. Edgar must still believe his sister had a good heart somewhere deep down. That this time was the only time, and that she would stop if he told her to stop.

He didn’t know she was a snake. Revoking her allowance and keeping an eye on her wouldn’t stop her rotten heart from plotting. It never did with her kind.

What would you say if I told you that she shoved me off the rooftop to die? I thought bitterly, the words burning in the back of my throat, never making it past my lips. Would you ask me to let that go, too?

Valentina was his family. His own blood. If I spoke the truth, he would likely just rationalize it, shield her, and ask me to move on. And I would be left standing here, choked by useless resentment.

The thought left a foul, bitter taste on my tongue. A cold ache churned in the pit of my belly, and an unexpected, humiliating sting pricked the back of my eyes. I was not ready to hear it.

In this world, no matter how strong my assassin instincts were, I was still an Omega standing in a room full of Alphas who protected their own.

"Let go, Edgar," I said flatly, my voice dropping all its warmth, turning as cold as ice. "I’m tired,"