Lily’s POV:
Three words—I nailed it.
Everything had fallen into place perfectly. Marcus? Gone. Leila? Instigated, confused, and soon enough, she’ll be out of the picture too. And the best part? Not a single thing leads back to .
Damn, I’m a genius.
Honestly, if there was a dal for masterful manipulation, I would deserve it. Hell, I deserve a standing ovation for this one. Every detail, every twist in the plan worked like clockwork. And now? Now I just need to sit back and let the rest unfold.
Leila’s health is deteriorating, Drake’s already questioning her loyalty, and now with that wolfbane planted in her drawer, things are about to implode. How poetic.
Drake loves her, sure. But love isn’t enough when doubt eats away at you like a parasite. It festers and grows, and soon it’ll be all he sees. She’s already on the edge, spiraling with the guilt and confusion, and when the doctor’s test ca back positive for wolfbane? Beautiful.
I made sure that bottle ended up in the perfect place, in her drawer, hidden among her things. And I knew exactly when Drake would find it. He’ll never trust her again, not with their child’s life at stake. Poor Leila. She has no idea how deep she’s in.
I smirked to myself, a sense of satisfaction washing over . This is going even better than I thought.
But the real masterpiece? That’s yet to co. Damien is my endga. Everything I’ve done has been for this mont—when Drake is at his weakest, when he’s broken and vulnerable. That’s when I’ll step in, slowly, like the caring, understanding friend he’ll need so desperately.
It’ll start with small things. I’ll be there for him when no one else is, when Leila’s betrayal is all he can think about, and when he feels like the whole world has turned against him. And that’s when I’ll work my way into his life.
Wallah, I’ll enter his life slowly, like a quiet storm, until he won’t even realize how deeply I’ve embedded myself. He’ll lean on more and more until one day he won’t be able to imagine a life without . That’s how it always works, doesn’t it?
It’s perfect. A flawless plan.
The beauty of it is, no one suspects a thing. I’m just Lily, the one who’s been in the background all this ti. I played the role well, kept my head down, acted like I’d changed. And everyone believed it. They thought I’d turned a new leaf, that I was over my old ways. Even Leila, with her insecurities, never saw coming. She thought the rivalry between us had ended.
What a fool.
But in this ga, you can’t afford to let your guard down, not even for a second. Leila was weak, distracted, and too busy trying to prove herself as Drake’s mate. She never realized I was always there, watching, waiting for the right mont to strike.
Now, Marcus? That was the easiest part. He was so desperate to get out from under Raphael’s shadow that he didn’t see how easily I manipulated him. Poor Marcus. He thought he had a future, thought he’d be free. But no one betrays and gets away with it.
Taking him out was simple. I just had to make sure he never had a chance to talk. And as for Raphael’s plans? They died with him. No loose ends, no trail to follow.
Now, back to the plan.Damien is the key. Once I have him wrapped around my finger, everything else will fall into place. I’ll be the one by his side when he’s Alpha, not Leila. She’s already lost Drake’s trust. It’s only a matter of ti before their bond breaks completely. And when it does, I’ll be there to pick up the pieces.
I can already picture it—, standing by Damien’s side as his trusted partner, the one he confides in, the one he’ll choose to lean on. Leila will be nothing but a distant mory, a casualty of her own foolishness.
But I have to be careful. I can’t rush it. Drake is still protective of her, even if his faith in her is crumbling. He’s still Alpha, still sharp enough to see through obvious moves. That’s why I have to play this perfectly, like a chess ga. Every step calculated, every move precise.
I chuckled to myself. It’s funny, really. They all think this is about revenge, that I’m doing this because of so old grudge. But it’s not. This is about power. This is about taking what should have always been mine. I was never ant to be in the shadows. I was always ant to stand at the top, and soon enough, I will.
With Drake, I’ll make sure he’s too broken, too lost in his grief and anger to think straight. And with Leila? She’s already crumbling. The wolfbane will finish the job for .
And when it’s all over, I’ll be the one in control.
They never saw it coming.
Grinning, I looked out the window, imagining the future that was now within my grasp. Soon enough, I’ll be exactly where I belong.
As I wallowed in my misery, sothing strange began to happen. My chest tightened painfully, and I struggled to catch my breath. It was like a vice squeezing the air from my lungs. Panic surged through as I gasped, clutching at my chest. What’s happening?
"Layla?" I called out to my wolf, hoping she could help understand what was going on. Her presence inside felt faint, almost distant. She was always there, a part of , but now... it was like she was fading away, slipping through my grasp.
Sothing is wrong. So wrong.
’Layla, what’s happening?’ I begged her through the bond, but she didn’t respond imdiately, her usual strength absent. I could feel her struggling, just like . Then, after what felt like an eternity, her voice ca, weak and strained.
’The wolfbane... it’s too much...’ Layla managed to whisper, before going silent.
Too much? My mind reeled with confusion and fear. But how? How could there still be wolfbane in my system? I hadn’t taken any, and yet... the doctor had confird it, and now it was overwhelming both and Layla. The realization hit like a brick—this wasn’t just about the bottle Drake found. Soone had done this to . Soone had been poisoning all along.
But who? And why? My mind raced, but I had no answers, only the crushing weight of fear and betrayal bearing down on . The pain intensified, and I collapsed onto the floor, gasping as my vision blurred.
"Help," I whispered, though I knew no one could hear . Drake had left, angry and hurt. He probably thought I was guilty of trying to harm our child. I couldn’t bla him for thinking that, not after what he saw. But the truth was, I never wanted this. I never wanted any of this. I would never hurt our baby.
Tears stread down my face as I realized just how helpless I was. No one would believe now, not with the wolfbane confird in my blood. Not with everything pointing to as the culprit. And with Layla too weak to heal us, I felt the weight of despair settle in, heavy and suffocating.
I tried to reach out to her again, desperate for any connection, any spark of strength that could help us fight back. But there was nothing. Only silence.
Layla, please... don’t leave .
I could feel her slipping further and further away, as though the wolfbane was tearing us apart from the inside. Every breath I took was a battle, and my vision began to darken around the edges.
Was this it? Was this how it all ended? Poisoned, alone, and frad for sothing I didn’t do? The thought of leaving this world without a chance to clear my na, without a chance to tell Drake the truth, was unbearable. But even more unbearable was the thought of losing the life growing inside , the life I had co to cherish despite my initial doubts.
"No," I whispered to myself, gritting my teeth against the pain. I can’t let this happen. I had to fight, even if I didn’t know how. I couldn’t let whoever did this to win.
But my body wasn’t listening. Every muscle was seizing up, my strength fading by the second. The darkness closing in on my vision beca more oppressive, threatening to swallow whole. I didn’t know how much longer I could hold on.
In a last desperate effort, I crawled toward the door, hoping, praying that soone would find before it was too late. But each movent was a struggle, each breath a fight. I couldn’t make it much farther.
Drake...
I wanted to scream his na, but my throat was raw, and the words wouldn’t co. Where was he? Had he really given up on ? Had he truly believed I was capable of this?
I reached out with trembling fingers, trying to pull myself forward, but I collapsed halfway, my body refusing to go any further. The pain was unbearable now, tearing through with every heartbeat.
Please... soone... anyone... help .
But the room was quiet, the world around slipping away into nothingness.
And then, just before everything went black, I heard a voice. Not Layla’s, but soone else’s. Faint, distant, but it was there.
"Leila!"
It was Nelly.
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