Chapter 24
Chapter 24
The night’s drama ended with Ellen and Melissa getting locked up. Ellen’s image as a virtuous wife and mother, and a kind Luna, was shattered overnight, while Melissa turned from a naive, beautiful princess to a tainted murderer.
Michael had never expressed his opinion at home, and I always had the impression he was even afraid of his wife. But when it came to the interest of the Pack, he would still make the most beneficial decision. This was perhaps the cruel responsibility of being a Pack’s Alpha. I pushed open the door of the confinement cell where Melissa sat in the corner. Her hair was disheveled, and her arms were crossed. The delicate makeup on her face was all smudged, and she was wearing a prison uniform.
She looked up slowly when she heard the door open and met my eyes. She seems sane now. “Are you here to gloat?” she asked.
I frowned at her. ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .
She stood up and tried to approach me, but the chains on her ankles limited her range of motion.
“Why else would you be here? To show off? To provoke me? To gloat about your victory?” Melissa screamed, glaring at me. I narrowed my eyes slightly. After considering a few moments, I sighed. “You don’t seem afraid that I’m a ghost here to claim your life now.” Melissa froze momentarily before throwing her head back and laughing maniacally. “Melissa,” I called out. She stopped laughing. Tears slid down her cheeks.
“I… always thought of you as my best friend-,” I started and looked at her. “Who wants to be friends with you? Who do you think you are? I’m the Alpha’s daughter, and you’re just a slave! No one would be friends with a slave!” Melissa interrupted me and screamed.
“Yeah, I know.” I nodded, looking at her calmly. “Since you know, why else are you here? What do you want to prove? Your benevolence? Your kindness? What a joke!”
I was silent for a while. Then, I looked at her directly and asked something that had kept me wondering.
“You’ve never considered me a friend all this while, have you? Not even for a second?” Her eyelashes trembled, and she gave me a confused look. After a moment, she sneered. “Andrea, you’re unbelievably naive! I’ve already told you that
you’re just a doll I raised. Didn’t you understand?” I lowered my head and took a deep breath, pushing down the sourness that welled up in my throat.
“… I’m here to return something to you,” I said after calming myself.
She narrowed her eyes.
I raised my hand and took off the rose necklace that hung on my neck, then placed it in the center of my palm.
She tilted her head to the side as she lowered her eyes. She squinted at the necklace in my palm but made no move to take it.
I waited for a while, then placed it on the table.
I squeezed the corner of the table so tightly like I wanted to shatter the light that had shone on me for the past eighteen years. This necklace was the beginning of our false sisterhood and let this entire farce end with it as well.
I hated her, but human emotions were never so clear cut. I still missed the kindness that she had showered on me in the past eighteen years, even though they were all a lie.
She had gotten what she deserved, and I wanted to sever our ties cleanly.
I let go of the table and walked out of the cell without turning back to look at her.
“Andrea! Just you wait! I’ll never let you off! Not even in death!”
Melissa’s voice rang out behind me, and her voice eventually cut off once the door closed behind me.
I gritted my teeth, wiped away the tears that welled up in my eyes and left the place.
***
I pushed open the door next to the kitchen. It had been a week since I was here, and it had already been converted into a storeroom. My things had all been thrown away, including the mattress that Melissa had given me.
No one had cleaned this room for a while, and sunlight shone from the small window, enabling me to see the tiny dust particles that floated in the air.
I stood in the room with my arms crossed. This was the place I had lived in for more than ten years, and there was a complexed feeling in my heart as I looked around. “I’ll take you out of this place.” Enzo had walked in at some point, standing not too far behind me. “As your marriage partner?” I asked with my back to him. “As my mate.”
He countered my words, emphasizing my status as his mate once more.
I nodded silently.
Staying at his side as his mate seemed infinitely better than being his marriage partner in this union, but I was still uncomfortable. Though, I still couldn’t pinpoint the reason for it.
“Okay, don’t think about it so much. All your suffering here is over now.”
Enzo moved forward to try to hug me, and I could feel the scent of wine that belonged to him come closer.
But perhaps because he had previously agreed not to touch me without my permission, he eventually dropped his arms before reaching me. I turned to look at him and stared into his golden-brown eyes for a long moment. “Why are you looking at me like that?” The corner of his eyes curved as he smiled.
I opened my mouth, but no words came out of it. Was it because I didn’t like that he only treated me as his mate? That didn’t seem like the reason. To us werewolves, being someone’s mate was the most secure feeling one could have. So, why in the world was I dissatisfied? “You’re standing there with your mouth open with no word. Are you inviting a kiss?” He lowered his head and approached me, the tip of his nose touching mine. The strong scent of wine wafted into my nose ruthlessly, tempting me.
I swallowed, moving my eyes from the bridge of his high nose to those seductive lips.
I had to admit, although I didn’t think of this at the start, my heart was sorely tempted now. Enzo had successfully seduced me. Damn it. My desire overrode my logical senses, and I wanted to be near him so badly. “If you don’t object, I’ll take it as you agree.” Enzo brought his hand up to caress my face tentatively. The warmth from his palm felt as though it had heated my entire body. “I’m going to kiss you.” He exhaled, his hot breath fanning my face, and gradually closed the distance between us.
The atmosphere was great…
“Oh! Shit!”
Someone roared.
Kyle took a big step back and slammed into the door.
Enzo raised his eyebrows impatiently as he turned around to meet Kyle’s eyes. He said in an irritated voice, “Is there something you want?” “There is something indeed,” Kyle said as he rubbed the back of his head. His beautiful, soft blond hair now looked like a bird’s nest.
He glanced at me and hesitated. Kyle seemed like he didn’t want to say it in front of me.
“It’s fine. Tell me,” Enzo said as he looked over at Kyle. “I just caught a guy who wanted to poison Ellen.” Enzo’s face changed. “What do you mean?” “‘That person has our Pack’s mark on him. I’ve checked it out and found that it’s someone from our entourage. If I didn’t happen to pass by the cells, I’m afraid that person would have succeeded.”