Claimed by My Bestie's Alpha Daddy novel Chapter 44

When he saw me, he went still.

For a split second, his eyes softened, so subtle I wouldn’t have seen it if I hadn’t been staring. Then the mask slammed back into place.

“Amelia,” he said evenly. “You have something?”

I forced my chin up. “Yes.”

The room fell silent.

Emma nudged me forward.

I cleared my throat. My voice sounded steadier than I felt.

“Stonepeak Treaty. Clause 14-C. Any Pack that enters an exclusive military arrangement with an external aggressor voids their Stonepeak protections. David’s’ protection deals’ would trigger it.”

Nathan blinked. “Shit. That’s… that’s good.”

Paul frowned, leaning forward. “You’d have to prove it’s an exclusive military arrangement.”

I held his gaze. “I can. They’ve already used the phrase’ exclusive defensive agreement’ in their press releases.”

Richard’s gaze didn’t waver. But his fingers tightened around the edge of the table.

“This would give us real leverage,” Emma added quickly.”Stonepeak would have to cut them off or look complicit.

It’s a political time bomb in David’s lap.”

Silence.

Then Richard spoke, voice like a blade.

“Good work.”

I tried not to flinch.

It would have been fine, professional, cold, controlled.

Except the Crosthorn Pack’s liaison had just entered the room.

Kellan Rath.

He smirked from his stance leaning in the doorframe.

“Cute trick, little miss wolfless,” he drawled.

My head snapped toward him so fast it hurt.

Kellan didn’t blink. “Digging through treaties like a rat in the archives. Did you even read all the words or just the ones with pictures?”

The silence was instant and suffocating.

My fingers curled into claws.

Richard’s voice cracked like a whip.

“Enough.”Kellan’s mouth twisted into a smirk. “Just saying what everyone’s thinking. Maybe if she spent less time spreading her legs for Alphas

The next sound was a chair scraping violently.

Richard didn’t move toward him. Didn’t snarl. Didn’t touch him.

He just spoke, voice so cold it felt like being doused in icewater.

“Kellan. Get. Out.”

The man froze. Color drained from his face.

“I said out.”

Kellan swallowed and shoved his chair back, boots thudding on the floor as he left without another word.

Silence fell.

I realized my breathing was ragged. My vision blurred.

Richard turned back to the table, voice clinical.

“I found my mother’s old journal.”

“What? How did you even find it?”

“It was just there when I opened my suitcase after the summit. I have no idea how it got there.”

Emma blinked.

I stared at my knees.

“She was part of the negotiations that signed Stonepeak.

That’s how I found the clause.”

Emma’s eyes softened.

“She… she wrote about what it meant. How desperate they all were. How many concessions she made. She wrote about being proud of it. Of making something that might keep people safe.”

My voice broke.

“I think she would have hated seeing me here. Selling pieces of myself for leverage. Watching people call me a whore.”

Emma’s voice was gentle. “She wouldn’t. You’re fighting for them. For us.”

I laughed wetly. “She’d say I’m fighting wrong.” Emma sat beside me, her hand resting on my back.

We didn’t say anything else for a long time.

Through the cracked doorway, I saw her. Jenny watching us.

Her eyes were sharp and calculating.

I knew that look.

She had heard every word.