Nyssa bpov /b

“You’ve got two minutes lett,” I stated, my voice low and emotionless as I stared at Kieran, holding the battle out to him.

His gaze stayed locked on me, his expression frozen in disbelief until I paused and let out a quiet chuckle.

“Oh… actually, it’s not two minutes” I stood and walked toward the nearby chair, then plopped down into it, crossing my legs as stared at the ben people in front of me.

“You really have just one minute lett. I’d need at least a minute to go fetch the antidote and bring it back to give to Aria So you have to decide now, she lives and you die, or she dies and you get to live.”

thold the bottle high in my hand

-The choice is yours, Kieran. It’s all in your hands now.”

Kieran’s eyes were still wide as he listened. He didn’t say a word and I knew it wasn’t because he didn’t want to. He couldn’t

I was asking him to willingly kill himself to save Aria.

And even though I already had a good idea of what he would do next, it was still satisfying, watching him squirm. Watching him break.

But most of all, it was fun seeing Aria like this..

In my past life, when I was at my most vulnerable after being rejected by Kieran and chased out of the pack, Aria hade to my room and boasted about everything. She had made me feel even worse than I already did, especially when she revealed the rogue attack…just to twist the knife deeper

And that wasn’t all Before the bday /bI finally uncovered the truth and died, she had spent every moment doing everything in her power to paint me as the

She once daimed I pushed her down the stairs when I clearly hadn’t. Another time, she said I ordered my maid, Serena, to bully her. And every time, Kieran would believe bher/b, glways taking her side over mine, his own wife.

Back bthen/bb, /bshe must have felt like the blucky /bone. Like Kieran really cared about her.

But now?

Now, I would show her exactly what kind off man Kieran btruly /bwas.

“What do you say, Kieran? Would you do it?” asked, tilting my head. “Would you give up your life for the women you love?”

Kieran’s jaw clenched, and his fists tightened at my words, I watched him re at meb, /bhis eyes shing red. But instead of answering, he turned to Aria, who groaned in pain, her eyes fluttering closedb, /btoo exhausted to scream anymore.

Her clothes were bsoaked /bwith sweat, as though someone bhad /bdumped a bucket of water over her

“Kioran…Kieran…” she kept murmuring his name, barely audible, I wasn’t sure what she was trying to tell him, but when she lifted her hea opened her eyes, I saw it, clear as day.

She didn’t want to die.

Aria didn’t want to die.

Band

And Kieran seemed to realize that tou

How hrious. She didn’t want to die.

THE ET HU

“pth.“Balore I could stop myself,ughter spilled from my lips. I quickly pped a hand over my mouth to stifle it. Kieran bturned /bsharply to me, beyes /bburning with anger, and stepped forward, but I held up my hand to stop him. I already knew what he was thinking. He was too easy to bread/b.

“Don’t think about it, Kieran. If you think forcing me to drink this…I shook the bottle in my hand, smirking, “will make me give up the bantidote/b, you’re wrong. There’s only one battle. One antidote. And even if you poison me, I won’t use it to save Aria

Theld up a single finger in front of him.

“One minute left, Kieran. I see you’ve made your decision–not to save Aria.”

bMy /btone bwas /bcold, and Aria’s cries grew louder as Kieran’s bshoulders /bbshock /band he lowered his head.

“No…I want to save Aria,” he muttered, almost bhelplessly/bb, /bas she whimpered in pain,

I scoffed and stood, walking toward him with nothing but bhatred /band disgust in my eyes.

“If you really want to save Aria, then take the poison. It’s goddamn simple, so why can’t you?” I asked. “You know, you’re funny, Kieran. I told you the antidote was outside this ce, and if you really cared, you would’ve rushed out to search for it. But instead, you stood here arguing with me about pointless things, trying to convince me that nothing is going on between you and Aria.”

Itilted my head slightly and sneered. “Why didn’t you run out? Why didn’t you take the poison when I first offered it? if you truly cared about her, if you really loved her, your so–called mate, then why are we even still here?”

As soon as I said that, Kieran’s bhead /bbsnapped /bup in shock, his eyes going so wide they looked like they might pop from their sockets

“Mate?” he whispered. “How did you know she’s my mate?”

Now it was my turn to freeze. My eyes widened, and I nearly lost my footing as I stared at him.

Oh, goddess.

He heard me.

He heard the word mate even though he wasn’t supposed to

“Sheb, /bwhat’s going on? I thought I couldn’t say anything about the past?” I asked, my voice low and confused, panic slipping in.

But before She could respond, Aria’s screams tore through the room again, and Kieran instantly turned his head toward her.

Perfect

Using bthat /bsplit second distraction, I slipped my hand into my pocket and pulled out a small white substance, I held my breath, then tapped his shoulder. The moment he turned back to me, I threw it in his face.

His expression twisted into a frown, then realization hit him,

He growled in rage, but it bwas /btoote.

His knees buckled, and with a groan, Kieran copsed to the ground.

I almost cheered for myself as I watched him lose consciousness, his eyes fluttering shut from what I had blown in his face

Aria, who bsaw /bthis, instantly turned even paler than she already was. And despite the pain wracking her body, she breached /bout toward Keran

Before she could touch him, I kicked her hand away.

Then I dropped to my knees beside herb, /bba /bwide grin stretching across my lips. Her eyes trembled as they looked up at me, full of fear

Leaning in close, I whispered, just loudnough for her to hear,

“Now, Aria… tell me, do you want the antidoteb?/bb” /b

I held up the bottle in my hand, letting her see it clearly.

The same bottle r’d told them was poison.

But it wasn’t

No… It was the antidote.