Chapter 226: Chapter 226

When I got back to my chamber, I shut the door quietly and leaned against it. A slow smile spread across my face. My hands clasped behind my back, and I let out a low chuckle that grew louder and louder until the walls almost echoed with it.

Everything was falling into place.

Belinda, foolish, desperate Belinda, thought she was playing her own game. She thought she was clever. She thought she could use me. But she didn’t know that she was already caught in my web. She was a tool, nothing more, and tools always broke when their use was done.

And Lisa. Sweet, innocent Lisa. She had no idea she was already serving my plan as well. Damon thought he was protecting her, cherishing her, hah! He was blind. His obsession was his weakness. And I was going to tear him apart with it.

I poured myself a cup of wine, savoring the bitter taste. Sitting down by the fire, I let the flames flicker across my face.

"Oh, my nephews," I whispered into the empty room. "Your downfall will be the sweetest thing I’ve ever tasted."

I laughed again, this time softer, almost like a purr.

Forty minutes passed in this sweet haze of victory. The fire burned low, the storm outside rattled against the windows, and I felt at peace. Then I heard the knock.

Three soft raps. Controlled.

The door opened, and Adrik walked in. He bowed low, his dark hair falling across his face. "My lord," he greeted, his voice steady, though I noticed the faint flush in his cheeks.

"Adrik." I leaned back in my chair, gesturing for him to sit. "Come. You’ve kept me waiting."

He crossed the room, sat opposite me, and kept his eyes lowered. I studied him for a long moment. His posture was stiff, but there was something else there... something different.

He shifted uncomfortably, his eyes flickering toward the fire before he finally muttered, "I had my way with her."

I froze for a second, then leaned back in my chair, my grin stretching so wide it hurt my cheeks. A sharp laugh tore from my throat. "Of course you did. Hah! I knew it. I knew Belinda was nothing but a fool who wants anything under a trouser."

Adrik’s jaw tightened, but he stayed quiet.

"Oh, don’t look so stiff," I chuckled, wagging a finger at him. "I told you, she can’t resist someone like you. Young, strong, dangerous. Women like Belinda, oh, they melt the moment you brush their skin. She thinks she’s cunning, but she’s ruled by her hunger."

Adrik finally lifted his gaze, his voice low. "She also said something else."

I tilted my head. "Oh? Do tell."

"She said she was ready to betray you," he confessed. "She has her own selfish reasons. She thinks she can kill the Alphas... and then kill you too. She wants power for herself."

I stared at him for a long time, then slowly clapped my hands together once, the sound echoing sharply in the chamber.

"Marvelous!" I exclaimed, clapping my hands once, the sound sharp in the quiet room. "Absolutely marvelous. Did I not tell you? The woman is nothing but greed wrapped in silk. A fool with sharp lips. She doesn’t even hide her poison well. She thinks she’s playing the game, but she’s only exposing her throat for the blade."

I leaned forward, elbows on my knees, eyes glittering like knives. "And she told you all this because of what? Because you kissed her? Because you touched her? Ha!" My laugh echoed off the walls, low and cruel. "She is more foolish than I thought. All it takes is a man’s touch and her schemes spill out like wine from a cracked jar."

Adrik’s face hardened. His jaw was tight, his eyes cold. "She thought I’d side with her," he said quietly.

I tilted my head, studying him. "And did you?" My voice was soft now, almost playful, but there was a sharp edge under it. A knife hidden in silk.

His head snapped up so fast it made me grin. "No!"

For a long moment, I just stared at him. The fire popped in the hearth, casting red light over his face. Then, slowly, my mouth curled into a smile of pure satisfaction. "Good. That is why you are mine, Adrik. Not hers. Not anyone else’s."

I stood and moved closer, my voice low and smooth. "You remember who saved you. You remember who gave you life when rogues would have torn you apart. You were nothing before me. Nothing. And now you stand here, strong, feared, desired. Because of me."

He nodded quickly, almost too quickly. "Yes. Always."

"Good," I said again, leaning back and sipping my wine. Then I let a sly smirk play at my lips. "But tell me... how does it feel, hmm?"

Adrik frowned. "What do you mean?"

I chuckled darkly. "To share a woman with the Alphas. To take what they claim as theirs. Does it not thrill you? To know you’ve laid hands on what Rowan and Kael guard so desperately?"

Adrik’s cheeks flushed, and he looked away. "It’s... complicated."

"Complicated?" I threw my head back and laughed. "No, boy. It is a victory. It is a triumph. Every time you kiss her, every time she moans your name, you spit in the face of the Alphas. You defile what they prize. And she..." I sneered, "...she doesn’t even see it. She thinks she is using you. She doesn’t realize you are already mine, and through you, so is she."

Adrik shifted in his seat, clearly uncomfortable, but I pressed on, enjoying his discomfort.

"Tell me," I teased, leaning closer, "was she desperate? Did she cling to you like a drowning woman? Did she beg?"

Adrik clenched his jaw. "She... was eager."

"Eager!" I barked out a laugh, pounding the arm of my chair. "Ha! Just as I thought. The mighty Belinda, reduced to nothing but a hungry fool who opens her mouth for the first man who promises to side with her for power. Oh, this is delicious. Damon would burn the whole world if he knew. And yet here you sit, smiling like a thief in the night."

Adrik finally smirked faintly, almost against his will. "Maybe I enjoyed it." Thɪs chapter is updated by 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩⁂𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢⁂𝔫𝔢𝔱

"There it is!" I shouted, pointing at him with glee. "Finally, you admit it. You enjoyed it. As you should. Why not? You are young, strong, and dangerous. Why shouldn’t you take what the Alphas think belongs to them? You deserve it more than they do."

I leaned back, grinning, and wagged a finger at him. "Careful, though. Women like her bite after they kiss. Keep her close enough to spill secrets, but not close enough to sink her teeth into you. Understood?"

Adrik nodded firmly. "Understood."

"Good," I said, then added with a smirk, "though I imagine the biting wasn’t so bad either, hmm?"

Adrik rolled his eyes, but the corner of his mouth twitched. "You never stop, do you?"

"Why would I?" I laughed again. "This is too much fun."