Chapter 48

“It’s unfortunate that I’m stuck with you.” Skylar scrubbed a hand down her face. “I can’t even tell Bethel because who knows what hoe he’ll blab it to after getting high.” She hissed, falling into a seat.

“Do you have a plan, or did you call me out to nag at me?” I eyed her, propping my elbows against my thighs as I leaned forward in my seat.

“Their Mating Ceremony can’t happen, so we’re going to disrupt it.”

“How do we go about doing that?” She looked at me with disgust shining in her eyes. It wasn’t my fault I wasn’t an evil mastermind like her. I’d grown up with love and care so I had no reason to be such a schemer. Unlike her.

“We need something against Aysel.”

“Why her? Why not Valens?” Again, she gave me a disgusted look. “Stop looking at me like that.” I fingered the neck of my shirt.

“You are idiotic. I knew you didn’t have a lot of sense but I’m surprised I’m only now seeing how daft you are.” She stood again, pacing the room. “Because he can leave her. She can’t leave him, you daft punk.”

“Why can’t she leave him?” I admitted to being confused then.

“Imagine this. We tell her he’s been cheating on her so she decides to confront him. Do you think he would let her go without clarifying things? No, of course not. He’s the Alpha. A simple command will make her listen to him but what if the case was reversed?” My eyes widened as I finally grasped the beginning of a wonderful plan.

“So we are going to say she cheated on him?” I smacked my forehead. “We could have done that a long time ago and saved ourselves all this emotional stress.”

“You’re an idiot and I’m only telling you this because you’re important in this plan.”

“Okay, I’m listening.” My heartbeat spiked with anticipation. I wanted to hear everything and I wanted to hear it fast. The earlier we broke them up, the better for me.

“Bethel knows a dealer in wolf’s bane. We will need some for this to work.” Her eyes brightened the way they did before she said something magnificently despicable. “That Clover girl is smart playing you like this but she doesn’t know you’re a daft fool.”

“I don’t get why you have to insult me to tell me anything these days.” She ignored my protest. “Seriously, it’s like you become a bigger bitch every day.” She cut me a sharp look that had me leaning back. In that look was enough spite and venom to make my skin crawl and my heart leap into my throat.

There was no trace of the sweet girl Skylar used to be. Granted, she was always pretending to be sweet and was never actually sweet, but it was scary to see her so comfortable in her wickedness these days, that it felt like she’d grown even more wicked.

“We are going to set Aysel up using wolf’s bane. We just have to find a way to lure her out and get her to take it. When it intoxicates her, you can do what you want with her while I film.” My stomach turned when I understood her drift.

“Are you insane!” I burst out. “What do you mean – what do you mean by that?” My skin crawled just from thinking of it. I felt as if I would vomit. I wanted to vomit!

“Don’t raise your voice at me, dimwit!”

“Are you really suggesting a*s*ult?” Oh, goddess. Oh, goddess.

I would never do that to Aysel. I loved her and I was desperate to get her back but I would not do something like that to her. I was an a*****e and I had done a lot of awful things to her but this – this was something I would never do. I would never!

“I am not suggesting anything. You’re the one who is a perverted motherf*cker.” She slammed her hand down on a table. “I am not saying you actually have to do anything to her. You just have to make it seem like there is something going on between you two so I can take pictures to blackmail her with.”

“That’s despicable.” My disgust leaked through my words.

“Well, all is fair in love and war.” She snarled at me. I was too stunned to speak for a long time after that.

“But – but it’s not though.” My voice was thin. If this was the only option then there was no option at all. I couldn’t do that to Aysel. It was sick and disturbing and not something I imagined even someone as wicked as Skylar would ever come up with.

“Do you want her back or not?” The energy seemed to go out of her as she fell into her seat.

“I can’t have her back like this. She would never forgive me,” I spat at Skylar.

She was a narcissist and had never been in love before. She was not used to considering other people when she pursued what she wanted but I loved Aysel and it would ruin her if anything like that happened to her.

I wanted her back. Desperately. I said I would do any and everything to have her back but this wasn’t what I meant. I didn’t have anything like this in mind when I said I would do anything.

“Lucien –”

“No.” My voice was firm when I refused.

“You don’t actually have to do anything with her. You don’t even have to touch her. I – ” I looked at Skylar and I saw tears in her eyes. “I am not such a horrible person to suggest something like that. It would only be pictures that look like something is going on. Nothing will really happen and I swear to you, she would never see the pictures. We’d send them to Valens and he would break up with her.”

“No, you don’t know that. You can’t predict how he would react!” I imagined the look of horror on her face if Aysel ever saw herself like that. “I would never violate Aysel.”

“He’s a proud man. He wouldn’t say anything about it to anyone. He would just disappear. I know you care about Aysel and I know it would leave her heartbroken to wonder why Valens would leave her without any notice but that’s where you come in. You will be there for her when he leaves and she would come to love you again.” Skylar’s soft voice deceived me.

It was too good to be true. Would Valens really leave without a fight? What if he attacked her?

As a proud man, if something like that happened to me with my partner, I would leave the pack without a word or backward glance. I would hate her for the rest of my life and never want to see her again for fear of what I would do.

“This is inhumane,” I whispered to myself.

“Yes, it’s something you will have to carry around but it’ll be worth it when you have her back. She would never know. You will be there to comfort her when he leaves and by the time you have a family together, it will all be worth it.”

“I – are you sure she would never find out?”

“I am a hundred percent positive.”