All at once, they said it.
"Kade?!"
The man—the Old Wolf—stood before them, eyes sharp as ever, his presence commanding the entire room.
Kade let out a slow breath, shaking his head.
"You idiots just woke up the nastiest evil in this town."
Elias winced, still rubbing the side of his head from the bottle hit.
"What the hell are you talking about?"
Kade ignored him. His gaze swept the room—then locked onto her.
Lucien.
Something shifted in his face. His breath caught. His expression twisted—then rage exploded in his eyes.
In a blink, he crossed the room, standing over Lucien's unconscious body.
"Who's responsible for this?!" he roared.
Silence. Not a single breath.
His fists clenched, trembling with fury. The air turned heavy—like the walls themselves were bracing for him.
Then, slowly, he knelt beside her and brushed a strand of hair from her face.
His voice lowered.
"You look just like your mother…"
A pause. Then darker, heavier:
"My beautiful daughter."
He let out a laugh—but it was hollow. Then, he whispered:
"I'm back, my dear daughter."
Dead silence.
And then—
"WHAAAAAT?!"
Jonas, Dave, and Evelyn shouted in unison—so loud even the birds outside rustled.
Jonas blinked like his brain short-circuited.
"Did he just say—"
Evelyn's jaw dropped.
"No way."
Dave jabbed a finger at Kade.
"You're telling me—Lucien is your daughter?"
Kade smirked.
"Problem?"
Jonas threw his hands in the air.
"This night just keeps getting better and better."