Chapter 40
Chapter 40
Elara’s POV
The clang of silver utensils on porcelain echoed through the dining hall as we finished our meal. Elara, Cael, and I had all been quiet for the most part, digesting the exhausting day of training. There was something weighing heavily on each of us, but we didn’t speak of it until we got back to our suits.
I opened the door to our room, half–expecting it to be empty, but there she was.
Fenna.
She stood by the door, wringing her hands nervously. When she saw us, her eyes darted to the floor. Her posture was a mix of apprehension and guilt, and I couldn’t help but roll my eyes.
“Seriously, what are you doing here?” Vessa’s voice was thick with annoyance. “Didn’t we tell you to report back to your masters?”
Fenna flinched, but she didn’t answer right away. Her voice came out in a whisper, barely audible, “I… I did…”
Cael raised a hand, cutting off the tension before it could escalate. “Let’s not do this here. Come inside.”
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 Miela… she wants me to come back and, well, be with Alpha Cael a few more times. She says there’s a party next week, a big one for all five packs, and she needs to keep Alpha Cael… occupied until then.”
I could feel Vessa’s body stiffen next to me. The disgust in her voice was palpable when she spoke. “That manipulative little – Did she promise you some reward after this? Maybe a spot as Cael’s concubine?”
—
Fenna’s eyes flickered with something guilt, shame, maybe even fear. “No… No, Miss Miela… she wants more.”
Vessa and 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 was about to reveal.
She hesitated, glancing at Elara. Elara 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 Miela… 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.”
A stunned silence gripped the room. It was a moment before anything happened. But then…
“WHAT?!” Cael’s voice broke the stillness. His anger flared 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 a civilian like her think she can just ruin you like that, Cael?”
But I wasn’t as outraged. I wasn’t surprised either. Instead, I was watching it all play out with a calm that seemed almost out of place in the moment.
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everyone. At the party. Can you imagine the chaos?”
The air in the room went dead. Fenna’s face paled, her hands shaking as she glanced nervously at me. Cael was silent, his jaw clenched so tight it looked like it might crack. Vessa’s eyes darted between me and Fenna.
“Is that true?” Vessa asked in disbelief, her voice a low growl.
Fenna nodded quickly, her tears now barely contained. “Yes. She… she wants to ruin you, Alpha. She wants everyone to believe… that I… that you…”
“HOW COULD SHE?!” Vessa’s scream was loud enough to make Fenna jump. Her face was red with fury, but I could tell there was something deeper in her anger fear, too.
–
“Miela’s just one person. She’s a nobody!” Vessa continued, pacing the room, voice trembling. “Cael is Alpha, she has no power here.”
But I couldn’t let this go any further without driving the point home. “That’s where you’re wrong, Vessa.” I stood, eyes narrowing. “If this plays out exactly how she plans, 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 Vessa seemed to freeze mid–step.
A long silence passed before Cael gritted his teeth. “That vicious woman. And you want us to just let it play out?”
I met his gaze with a calm I didn’t feel. “Of course we do.” A grin slowly crept onto my lips. “Because Miela 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, calculated tone. “Here’s the deal, Fenna. I think you now realize I’m a far better person to work with than Miela. From this moment on, you follow my lead. No questions, no hesitations. Understood?”
Fenna’s face turned ashen, and she nodded, her body trembling. Then, without warning, she collapsed to the floor, burying her face in her hands.
“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 Elara. Please.”
Vessa snorted 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 Miela has been a nightmare. Ever since you left Direstone Pack, Gamma Elara, 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, Miela threw her under the bus, claimed 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…” Vessa whispered, shaking her head.
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Only I wasn’t surprised. I had known Miela’s darkness for a long time.
Cael’s voice cut through the silence. “Elara, has she ever done something like this to you?”
I shrugged, nonchalant. “Of course. You know her. She bullies everyone.”
He stood up, rage flaring in his chest. “I’m going to kill her. Right now.”
I grabbed his arm before he could move toward the door. “No. Calm down, Cael.” I looked at him, my eyes steady. “We need to keep our cool. We’re going to let Miela have her little moment. And when the time is right, we’ll pull the rug from under her.”
His chest heaved with anger, but he nodded, barely able to contain it. “Fine… Next week. At the party.”
“Yes.” I turned to Fenna. “Three days until then. You stay here until the party. Keep reporting back to Miela. Let her think everything’s going according to plan.”
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 plans fall into place. This wasn’t just about ruining Miela–it was about watching her realize she’d played the wrong hand.
