They Buried Me in the Desert. I Built Weapons for the Crown Chapter 06

They Buried Me in the Desert. I Built Weapons for the Crown Chapter 06

“Gideon!”

Octavia’s shrill cry cut across the open tarmac.

Seraphine went pale.

The moment she saw the handcuffs on Gideon’s wrists, she collapsed against Eamon and burst into tears.

“lona, how could you do this to Gideon?”

“He only did it because he was trying to get his sister treated! This is my fault. Everyone has suffered

because I’m so sick.”

“If you

have to blame someone, blame me. Please don’t take Gideon away. I’m begging you…”

She sobbed as though she could barely breathe.

She made it look as if she were taking all the blame herself, when in reality she had immediately reduced Gideon’s kidnapping of me to a desperate attempt to help his sick sister.

Octavia strode over, fury blazing in her eyes.

She glared down at me, her voice thick with accusation.

“lona, you’re being completely unreasonable!”

“Your brother lost his temper and tried to bring you home, and you had Crown Security arrest him? Do you have no conscience at all?”

I said nothing, not even bothering to argue.

But the tickle in my throat made me cough a few times.

Kellan immediately stepped forward, his tall frame blocking Octavia from me.

He looked at her coldly and pulled out a document signed by the alpha king.

“Dr. Octavia, be careful what you say.”

“lona Ashborne is a core researcher on a highly classified Crown project.”

“Your actions have seriously disrupted Crown research and violated pack law.”

Octavia shoved the document aside impatiently and spoke through clenched teeth.

“What Crown research? I gave birth to her. I know better than anyone that she’s nothing more than an

ordinary C-rank wolf!”

“Stop trying to scare us with fancy titles. Ashborne is a major Pack directly under the alpha King…”

“Mrs. Ashborne,” Kellan cut her off. “Take a good look at this.”

Several police cruisers and black SUVS swept onto the tarmac with their lights flashing and stopped beside

The doors opened.

Detectives stepped out alongside financial-crimes investigators in official field jackets.

“Mr. Ashborne, Mrs. Ashborne, we’re with the joint task force.”

“Based on the information provided by lona Ashborne and the evidence gathered so far, Ashborne Pack is suspected of multiple criminal offenses.”

“Ashborne Pack’s operations have been shut down, and all of its accounts have been frozen.”

“What did you say?”

Eamon’s expression changed instantly.

Shock and fury twisted his face.

He stared at the financial-crimes investigators.

“Shut down? Ashborne Pack pays the Crown hundreds of millions of dollars in tribute every year. What gives you the right to shut us down?”

Kellan scoffed, holding an investigative report in his hand.

“For twenty years, you illegally obtained lona Ashborne’s medical exam records from Sable Ridge, colluded with mentors at the armaments base to commit research fraud, and bribed more than one healer to deny a

Crown researcher medical care.”

“And worse, you kept a core Crown researcher under your control as a private backup donor!”

Every charge hit them hard.

Seraphine’s sobs cut off abruptly as she stared at me in disbelief, a flicker of fear in her eyes.

“What…”

“Dad! They can’t shut down Ashborne Pack! What about my surgery?!”

Seraphine screamed and clutched Eamon’s sleeve.

Eamon’s vision dimmed.

Ashborne Pack’s reputation and interests had always mattered more to him than anything else.

Now, with Ashborne’s current alpha under arrest and the pack’s operations shut down, it was as if Eamon had been dealt a death blow.

A strangled gasp escaped him.

His face went ashen. He clutched his chest and collapsed backward.