"You could also have warned me that the price for protecting my daughter was for her to lie with you as one of your whores."
"That's not how it happened. I married her! I fell in love with her!"
"That's why you still have your tongue in your mouth, talking to me. Do you think I wouldn't scour the world for something that could destroy bizarre animals like you and your brother? You're like venomous snakes. We need to guard against your attacks."
"You've always known what kills werewolves, Henry."
"Yes. But you're unusual. Your father, it wasn't too difficult. I could have given him a fatal dose, but... I wanted the pleasure of seeing him wither away. And I hear that you've found the antidote to that poison, and that all werewolves can already smell it, but the weapon I have now is implacable and indestructible."
"My son." Adam said without surprise.
"Conveniently, it can destroy creatures just like your brother, too."
"I never imagined that you would betray me like this. Why didn't you tell me you brought my son with you? And why do you think you need to destroy Maxwell and me? You know it's not that easy, or you would have eliminated each of us by now."
"I don't want to destroy you, Adam. But I will if I have to. But what I want is power. I'm going to get it soon. Let's talk about you... How do you feel about your son? Or what would you do for him, now that you know of his existence?"
"I will do everything in my power, and I will protect him with my own life."
"That's the answer to why I didn't tell you anything. And you know what? You only found out about this child because I let you. I could have kept it from you. I knew you'd come here."
"I imagine your undercover informant in my house told you. I just don't understand how she found out."
"Do you really think you'd make a move without me knowing? I was behind you the whole time, Adam. Genevieve couldn't follow you and give me all the answers I needed, because she's a monster just like you."
"Why all this interest in my affairs, if your daughter was no longer in my company?"
Anna's father smiled.
"Adam, I've been around the world, and few people I've met were really evil. Most people just took out their frustrations on their victims, and others were psychopaths with mental problems, and felt guilt after their evil deeds. As it happens, you don't fit into either of these two categories. Not even the videos you record of your tortures, just to scare people who see them, are enjoyable for you. You're the most dangerous kind of monster there is. You're simply indifferent. Calculating. You feel nothing for the cries of pain and the pleas for mercy. My daughter was here, under my protection the whole time, but her mother was not. I will never allow you to harm them. And I know you're capable of it. You're not the kind of person who forgives, and I couldn't leave you without knowing what you were doing."
"But, as far as I can tell, you're not against me raising my son." Adam said, feeling in his heart regret for what his son's grandfather thought of him. He wasn't so bad. At least, he didn't think so.
"Maxwell is a good man with inviolable principles. I need Ian to have the influence of someone like you. I want him to see and learn how you treat your allies and how you treat traitors. I tried to do that here, but Anna and Maxwell stopped me. Ian will inherit everything that is mine, and everything that is yours, and I want him to know what to do with the empire he will have in his hands. I also want him to uphold good morals and have values like Maxwell's, but I need him to have both sides weighing heavily inside him. He needs an internal balance. And who better than two opposing brothers to set an example for Ian? Never before has an Alpha had a son, Adam. We're dealing with something we've never seen before and you'll realize that Ian is a unique child, which makes him unpredictable."
Adam became pensive. A smile began to fight on his lips.
"Maxwell will hate you for that."
"I don't think so. He knows that Ian has different natures within him and that for him to become a strong-willed man, he needs to know and control all his gifts."
"Anna will try to stop me from bringing up Ian my way."
"That won't stop you, will it? She'll oppose you, but I know she'll let you do what you want with Ian's education for a while."
"Why do you say that?"
"She has a mission that will take up a lot of her time..."
"What mission is that?"
"It won't take you long to find out... For now, just carry out your plans." He said and stood up. "But I warn you, I won't let you touch a strand of Anna's hair if she doesn't want me to. You can take her, Adam, but in your bed, you'll only have her with her consent. I'll be around to make sure of that." He said and walked away.
Adam became reflective. Henry claimed that he had poisoned his father. Adam knew who planted the poison, but he had never suspected the mastermind. He would die slowly when the time came. For now, I'd let him think he had a weapon that could take out the two most powerful creatures in the world. He could still be useful.
Adam waited a few minutes thoughtfully, and looking at his son's room more closely, he realized that it didn't look like a room inhabited by a four-year-old. It was too tidy, and very few toys could be seen on a shelf attached to the wall. He got up and opened the closet, discovering that he had very few clothes. Did they think they were fooling him? Was there more to know? He frowned. His intuition told him it was better not to know, but his curiosity and hunger to know the mysteries of life made him decide to investigate. He tried to call Vicenzo, but his answering machine kept going off. So he decided to call Vicenzo's office, met his partner and asked him to get him the information.
Then he left the room, as if he wasn't suspicious, and went into the kitchen to enjoy his son's presence. And Ian smiled at him as soon as he saw him, and ran over to hold his hand, in a childlike display of affection and trust.