Chapter 224: Chapter 224

I paused, heart pounding, and looked straight at him. "Uncle," I said, quiet but steady, "I have a plan. Let me handle this. I’ll make sure everything is back in order."

For a while he didn’t speak. The candle between us flickered, throwing shadows across his face, making him look more like stone than man. His eyes were sharp, weighing every word I had said.

At last, his voice cut through the silence. "Will it work?"

I swallowed, forcing the word out like a vow. "Yes."

He leaned back slightly, his face unreadable. "Fine. I will leave you to it."

Then his tone shifted, harder now, stripped of any softness. "I must leave, Belinda. If I remain here too long, it will draw suspicion."

I sighed, though inside I agreed with him. I waved my hand, pretending it was nothing, though my stomach churned. "Very well. Go. You’re right. If anyone sees you here, questions will follow, and we cannot afford even the smallest crack in this game."

Uncle Fridolf’s gaze lingered on me, as though he were trying to read the thoughts behind my face. It was the kind of look that pressed heavy on my skin, weighing my truth and my lies together. Then, without another word, he turned. His cloak whispered against the floorboards, boots striking firm and measured steps.

When the quiet settled again, I tilted my head toward the side door and called softly, "Adrik."

He entered almost immediately, as though he had been waiting just outside, eyes lowered in respect.

"Close the door," I ordered. He obeyed.

I studied him for a long moment, enjoying the way he stood so stiffly, loyal and tense like a hound waiting for command. Finally, I asked, "Tell me, Adrik... how did you meet Uncle Fridolf?"

He blinked, caught off guard, but answered with a steady voice. "When I was a boy, I was nearly killed by a pack of rogues. Fridolf found me. He cut them down before they could tear me apart. Since that day, I owed him my life. I served him out of gratitude... and respect."

A smile curved across my lips, slow and dangerous. I leaned back, resting my chin against my knuckles. "So, loyalty built on debt, then? How noble." I let out a low laugh, shaking my head. "But tell me, Adrik... why serve him alone? Why not serve me?"

His brow furrowed faintly. "You are asking...." ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡~𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚~𝙣𝙚𝙩

"I am asking why you settle for being his shadow," I interrupted, my voice low, teasing, seductive. "Do you not see what I see? Damon, Rowan, and Kael, all of them can fall. Fridolf can fall too."

I rose slowly from my chair, letting the silence stretch between us. Each step I took was careful, unhurried, like a predator circling its prey. My hips moved with intention, soft and measured, the sound of my skirts brushing the floor the only noise in the room. Adrik did not move, but I could see his chest rise and fall faster than before.

When I stopped in front of him, I tilted my chin up, just enough that my lips nearly brushed against the line of his jaw. He froze, stiff like a soldier, but his body betrayed him in the little ways.

"You and I..." I began, my voice a low murmur, warm against his skin, "...we could take everything."

His eyes shifted back to me then, uncertain, but he did not pull away. I smiled faintly, the corner of my lips curving as I leaned in closer, my breath teasing his neck.

"The throne," I whispered, each word slow, deliberate, "the lands... the packs. I could make you Alpha."

I let that word, Alpha, linger in the air like a drop of honey. Sweet. Heavy. Dangerous.

"Imagine that," I continued, my voice dropping to a whisper so soft it was almost sinful. "You, not groveling at Uncle Fridolf’s side... but ruling. With me at yours."

I moved even closer, my lips brushing the air near his jaw, not quite touching, but close enough to burn. His breath hitched, sharp and quick, and that sound made me smile.

"Think of it, Adrik," I murmured, dragging his name slowly across my tongue. "All the power. All the pleasure. All... of me."

I drew back just slightly, just enough to see his face. His eyes betrayed him, conflict, desire, fear. It was all there, swirling like a storm he could not hide. I saw it, and it thrilled me.

"Why serve scraps," I asked, my tone softer now, wicked and coaxing, "when I offer you a feast?"

His lips parted as though to speak, then closed again. He swallowed, hard, and his jaw flexed. I could see the struggle, the way his hands clenched at his sides as if to keep himself from reaching for me.

Finally, his voice broke the silence, low and rough, almost strained. "You speak dangerous words, my lady."

I leaned in again, just close enough to let my breath ghost across his ear. My smile widened, slow and wicked.

"Danger," I whispered, "is what makes it worth it."

I tilted my head, my lips curling into a sly smile. "Dangerous?" I whispered, my voice like a soft thread slipping into his ear. "Or tempting?"

My breath brushed against his skin, and I felt him shiver. I lowered my voice even more, until it was just a whisper. "You’ve spent your life in someone else’s shadow, Adrik. Don’t you crave the light? Don’t you crave... more?"

A soft laugh escaped my lips, slow and low, curling into the space between us. I began to circle him, moving like a cat around a trapped bird. My fingers trailed lightly across his shoulder as I passed behind him, a casual touch, but I felt his body tense under it.

I came around to his other side, close enough for my skirt to brush his leg. My eyes lifted to his face. "I don’t see weakness in you," I murmured. "I see strength. I see hunger."

His breath came heavier now. He turned his head slightly toward me, his eyes searching mine. "You would have me betray him?" His voice was low, rough, like a stone scraping against another.

I pressed my hand a little harder against his chest, feeling the thud of his heart under my palm. "This isn’t betrayal," I whispered. "It’s destiny. It’s your chance to become what you were meant to be."

I smiled faintly, tilting my chin up. "When the time is right," I continued, my tone like warm honey, "you will not regret it."

I leaned closer until my lips were near his ear, my breath warm on his neck. "Because I will give you everything Fridolf never could."

His jaw tightened. His hands, clenched at his sides, twitched slightly. He swallowed hard, but said nothing.

I smiled wider, a slow, dangerous curve of my lips. "Power," I whispered, dragging the word out. "Freedom. And me, Adrik. All of me."

I eased my hand away and stepped back slightly, my smile still playing at the corners of my mouth. "And when that day comes, Adrik," I said, voice low and certain, "I will be there. And you will not regret it."