bChapter /bb40 /b

ra’s POV

The bng /bbof /bsilver utensils on porcin bechoed /bthrough bthe /bdining bhall /bbas /bwe finished our bmeal/b. bra/b, bCael/bb, /band I bhad /bball /bbbeen /bquiet for bthe /bmost partb, /bdigesting bthe /bbexhausting /bday of training. There was something weighing bheavily /bon beach /bbof /bbus/b, but bwe /bdidn’t bspeak /bof it until we got back to our suits.

bI /bbopened /bthe door to our room, half–expecting it to bbe /bemptyb, /bbut there she was.

bFenna/bb. /b

She stood by the door, wringing her hands nervously. When bshe /bsaw us, her eyes darted to the floor. bHer /bbposture /bwas ba /bmix bof /bapprehension and guilt, and I couldn’t help but roll my eyes.

“Seriously, what are you doing here?” Vessa’s voice was thick with annoyanceb. /b“Didn’t we tell you to report bback /bto your mastersb?/bb” /b

Fenna flinched, but she didn’t answer right away. Her voice came out in a whisper, barely audible, “bI/b… I did…”

bCael /braised a hand, cutting off the tension before it could escte. “Let’s not do this here. Come insideb./bb” /b

He opened the door to his room, ushering us all in. The second it closed behind us, Fenna’s words spilled out like a dam breaking.

“Miss Mi… she wants me toe back and, well, be with Alpha Cael a few more times. She says there’s a party next bweek/b, a big one for all five packs, and she needs to keep Alpha Cael… upied until then.”

I could feel Vessa’s body stiffen next to me. The disgust in her voice was palpable when she spoke. “That maniptive little – Did she promise you some reward after this? Maybe a spot as Cael’s concubine?b” /b

—

Fenna’s eyes flickered with something guilt, shame, maybe even fear. “No… No, Miss Mi… she wants more.”

bVessa /band Cael both turned their attention to her, and I shifted in my seat, my arms crossed casually. I needed to get this over with, so I spoke up, “Go on. You can tell us everything. Spill it.”

Fenna’s face twitched as though she was choking on her own words. The air in the room thickened with the weight of what she bwas /babout to reveal.

She hesitated, ncing at ra. ra didn’t flinch. Her expression was calm, almost too calm, as she leaned back in the chair, legs crossed, as if waiting for the chaos to unfold.

“Miss Mi… She said it wasn’t enough for me to… seduce Alpha Cael,” Fenna continued, barely able to breathe between her words. “She wants him disgraced. She wants his reputation destroyed. In front of everyone, at the party.”

bA /bstunned silence gripped the room. It was a moment before anything happened. But then…

“WHAT?!” Cael’s voice broke the stillness. His anger red up so quickly it almost felt like a physical blow. “She’s lost her damn mind.”

Vessa nodded in agreement, her hands forming tight fists by her sides. “She must be out of her mind. How does ba /bcivilian like her think she can just ruin you like that, Cael?”

But I wasn’t bas /boutraged. I wasn’t surprised either. Instead, I was watching it all y out with a calm that seemed almost out of ce in the moment.

beveryone/b. At the bparty/bb. /bCan you imagine bthe /bbchaos/bb?/bb” /b

The air in the room went bdead/bb. /bFenna’s bface /bpaled, her hands shaking as she nced bnervously /bat me. bCael /bwas bsilent/b, his bjaw /bbclenched /bso tight it looked like it might bcrack/b. Vessa’s eyes darted between me and Fenna.

“Is that true?b” /bbVessa /bbasked /bin bdisbelief/bb, /bher voice a low growl.

Fenna nodded quickly, her tears now barely contained. “Yes. Sheb… /bshe wants to ruin you, Alphab. /bShe wants everyone bto /bbelieveb… /bthat Ib… /bthat you…”

“HOW COULD SHE?!” bVessa’s /bscream was loud enough to make Fenna jump. Her bface /bbwas /bred with fury, but I could btell /bthere was something deeper in her anger bfear/bb, /btoo.

–

“Mi’s just one person. She’s a nobody!” Vessa continued, pacing the room, voice trembling. “Cael bis /bAlpha, she bhas /bno power here.b” /b

But I couldn’t let this bgo /bany further without driving the point home. “That’s where you’re wrong, bVessa/bb./b” I stoodb, /bbeyes /bnarrowing. “If this ys out exactly how she ns, Cael would have been with Fenna already. She would have physical proof. Marks. Underwear. Anything. And with that, she could turn the tide. If she presents those in front of everyone and testifies… it will be impossible for Cael to prove his innocence.”

I could feel the temperature drop in the room, the realization hitting both of them hard. Cael’s expression darkened, while bVessa /bseemed to freeze mid–step.

A long silence passed before Cael gritted his teeth. “That vicious woman. And you want us to just let it y out?”

I met his gaze with ba /bcalm I didn’t feel. “Of course we do.” A grin slowly crept onto my lips. “Because Mi doesn’t know that her little pawn is now working for us. She’s about to be her own downfall.“”

Turning to Fenna, I fixed her with a look, my voice dropping to a low, calcted tone. “Here’s the deal, Fenna. I think you now realize I’m a far better person to work with than Mi. From this moment on, you follow my lead. No questionsb, /bno hesitations. Understood?”

Fenna’s face turned ashen, and she nodded, her body trembling. Then, without warning, she copsed to the floor, burying her face in her handsb. /b

“I- I don’t want her money… or the fame… or anything,” she sobbed. “I was so stupid. Please… please protect me from her, Gamma ra. Please.”

bVessa /bsnorted in disbelief. “And you were willing to sell your soul to her for all of that?”

“I… I was just… blinded by what she promised. I always knew what she was. All the maids do.” Fenna’s voice cracked, but she continued. “Miss Mi has been a nightmare. Ever since you left Direstone Pack, Gamma ra, she’s… she’s taken out all her frustrations on us. Beating us. Torturing us.”

“What’s the worst thing she’s done?” Vessa asked, her curiosity piqued despite the disgust in her eyes.

Fenna took a shaky breath, holding her head low. “She made a maid steal Alpha Thorne’s room key once. She wanted to get into his room… but when the maid was caught, Mi threw her under the bus, imed the maid was trying to seduce him. Alpha Thorne believed her. But the worst part… She had the maid tattooed with ‘slut‘ on her forehead. Then she—” Fenna’s voice broke as she shuddered, “—she had her wolf paws cut off. Said she was merciful to let her live.”

The room went deathly quiet. Even Cael, who had witnessed countless horrors, looked at Fenna with disbelief.

“Good God…” bVessa /bwhispered, shaking her head.

Only I wasn’t surprised. I had known Mi’s darkness for a long time.

Cael’s voice cut through the bsilence/bb. /b“bra/b, bhas /bbshe /bbever /bdone something like this to you?b” /b

I shrugged, nonchnt. “Of course. You know her. She bullies everyone.b” /b

bHe /bstood up, rage ring in his bchest/bb. /b“I’m going to kill her. Right nowb./bb” /b

I grabbed his arm before bhe /bcould move toward the doorb. /b“No. Calm down, Caelb.” /bI looked at him, my eyes steady. “We need to bkeep /bour cool. We’re going to let Mi have her little moment. And when the time is right, bwe’ll /bpull the rug from under her.”

His chest heaved with anger, but he noddedb, /bbarely bable /bto contain it. “Fine… Next week. At the party.”

b“/bYes.” I turned to Fenna. “Three days until then. You stay here until the party. Keep reporting back to Mi. Let her think everything’s going ording to n.”

A smirk tugged at the corner of my lips. “And on the day of the party… we’ll take off her mask in front of everyone.”

The smile on my face widened as I watched the ns fall into ceb. /bThis wasn’t just about ruining Mi–it was about watching her realize she’d yed the wrong hand.