Chapter 871: A Round Lost (Ch.872)
The courtyard had once again fallen into silence. This ti it wasn’t a calm hush like it had been earlier, but rather, an anxious, oppressive silence.
With the assassination attempt quelled and Alessio’s wrath brewing beneath the surface, the courtyard was littered with blood and corpses. But not nearly enough blood had been shed to sate Alessio.
The guests waited with bated breaths for the horror that was about to unfold.
Alessio’s attention was now fully fixated on the Eclipse Hunt wolves. His eyes glead with sothing feral, his killing intent was palpable, and he didn’t even attempt to hide it.
Vincent made to stride forward but Alpha Dane held him back and took a few steps forward himself. He stopped, now standing a short distance from Alessio, with his head held high. His expression was calm and gave nothing away.
"That is correct." Dane confird, his tone stiff.
"ira is a loyal child and naturally, her heart aches for her husband’s imprisonnt hence her rash actions." He continued,
"Given the prestige of this ceremony and the fact that no harm has been done and no one was hurt. It would be most honorable if Your Grace would magnanimously overlook her lapse in judgent and spare her life." His words didn’t allow Alessio the opportunity to make a connection between the Eclipse Hunt and the assassination attempt.
But Neveah knew Alessio well enough to know he wouldn’t back down so easily. And he was the farthest thing from honorable and magnanimous.
Dane speaking up for the assassin at all didn’t help his case. And the Eclipse Hunt wolves knew it.
ira Varleston must have been important enough to be worth the risk they were undertaking, especially when their situation was already precarious even without her involvent.
"I should..." Alessio concurred unexpectedly.
Dane looked taken aback by Alessio’s response. Even ira Varleston stiffened visibly.
The sense of foreboding in Neveah’s gut grew stronger.
Sothing wasn’t right with this scene. She felt it strongly in her bones and so she braced herself, pursing her lips.
Just then, an eerily familiar voice cut through the tension, sharper than a blade.
"You’re not in any position to speak up for soone else, Alpha Dane."
She knew that voice. She’d hoped never to hear it again.
Lado. The monster that should have been dead three days ago. But here he was.
Very much alive. And furious while he was at it.
Neveah had known from the mont he’d reportedly disappeared that there was either one of two ways this could go.
A win...or a total failure.
Though she’d hoped for the forr. Not everything in life went as planned. And that was fine.
A slew of murmurs passed through the guests as a battered, bandaged Lado stepped into view, supported by Laila.
Laila... she’d switched sides again, but what else was new? She kept her eyes lowered and didn’t dare look up.
Neveah smirked slightly. She wished it’d co as a surprise. But it didn’t.
They were never allies. Only temporarily united by a purpose and since that purpose had fallen through, it was only fair she reassessed her loyalties.
Neveah leaned back on her seat, her expression unchanged as she watched Lado make his way through the crowd, pointing an accusing finger at the Eclipse Hunt wolves.
Dane and Colleen were shocked to silence. Vincent’s face was as white as a sheet.
They hadn’t expected this to happen, Neveah noted. That provided her so asure of comfort.
"You orchestrated an attack on
and left
for dead!" He snarled furiously, "And all of it was masterminded by..."
Lado turned to Neveah, his eyes glowering with rage as he stretched a hand out to the platform she sat on. "Alpha Queen Neveah!"
The words dropped like a lightning bolt through clear skies.
Neveah smirked slightly. All eyes turned to settle on her, including Alessio’s. For a mont, the courtyard fell into pin drop silence.
She couldn’t help but wonder what they were waiting for. They surely didn’t expect her to speak, did they? Whatever for? The situation was clear enough.
"Laila already confessed to everything!" Lado snarled, "How you turned her against
and used her to slip out of the pack house and et with the Eclipse Hunt wolves!"
’Of course she did.’ Neveah thought,
"You..." Lado’s rant was interrupted.
"Do not say another word, Lado." Alessio warned in a low tone.
Lado fud, but he backed down.
The Eclipse Hunt wolves were imdiately surrounded by Alessio’s warriors and Dane’s eyes narrowed, his muscles pulled taut and ready.
"Veah..." Alessio’s eyes found hers, searching.
Neveah maintained a blank expression, and he must have found whatever he needed because he finally said, "Go in and rest. I’ll take care of this."
"You can’t just let her get away with this!" Lado raged, "She’s not above the law!"
Neveah resisted the urge to scoff. Lado was one to talk about laws.
"The Eclipse Hunt wolves simply obeyed my orders." Neveah said as she got up to her feet.
"Veah!" Dane began to protest.
Neveah shot him a warning look. She didn’t need the Eclipse Hunt wolves interfering at this point. They had failed to do their part and brought about this complication.
"Neveah..." Alessio warned,
"I wanted Lado dead because he gets on my nerves and you let him." Neveah carried on, ignoring Alessio’s warning. "Am I not allowed to? I am after all... Alpha Queen."
"If I can’t even get rid of one annoyance..." She left her words hanging.
"If you must punish soone, you should punish ." Neveah finished, her tone unfazed.
Alessio stord over to Neveah, stopping a few inches away from her.
"You already lost this round, Veah." His tone was only audible to both of them. "Did you think I wouldn’t find out about you plotting behind my back? You forget how well I know you, Neveah."
It didn’t co as a surprise to her that Alessio already knew more about this situation than he let on. Perhaps he’d orchestrated it himself.
Between Lado and the Eclipse Hunt wolves, he wanted both parties dead. And the best turn of events was if it happened without his involvent.
She didn’t feel cheated, or tricked. Only accepted the fact that she had once again underestimated Alessio.
She smiled slightly. "When you toss a dice, you must be prepared for every possible outco."
Alessio’s brows furrowed into a frown. "Are you really going to insist on protecting them to the end?
"Even if it ans standing against ?" He asked.
Neveah wondered if he’d ever been misled to think she stood by him in the first place.
"Yes." She confird.
Alessio stiffened visibly. A conflicted look flashed through his eyes before his expression settled into sothing solemn.
"Seize the Eclipse Hunt wolves..." He ordered, his eyes fixed on Neveah’s. "And Escort Lady Neveah to her quarters. Karan is waiting."
Karan... the only explanation for why he would be here is if Alessio intended to ss with her mories again.
She had known that he wouldn’t lie low for too long. All this while, he must have waited for her to make a move, and when she did, he would retaliate in this manner.
Neveah smiled. "Is this truly how you want this to go?"
Alessio pursed his lips. "Whatever cos between us... I’ll make sure you watch
trample on it. Be it the Eclipse Hunt wolves...or Eira."
"Everything you love that isn’t ... I’ll ruin it, so all you have left is ."
Neveah nodded slowly. "Very well..."
In one swift move, she pulled out the dagger tucked in her sleeve.
Alessio’s eyes darted to the blade. His eyes narrowed slightly. "You won’t harm ." He stated confidently.
"If you were going to do so, you would have already." He paused, a small smile lingered on his lips. "But you’ve never once considered hurting , have you? And you won’t let anyone else do so either."
Neveah shrugged casually. "You don’t fear death. There is only one thing in this world you truly fear,"
"And it’s not if I’ll kill you in your sleep or not..." She trailed off.
Before Alessio could react, she lifted the blade to her wrist. Alessio’s eyes widened in horror. He dove for the blade but it was already too late.
Neveah slashed it across her wrist just before he knocked it out of her hand. A sharp pain jolted through her as blood spurted out of the slashed vein.
The dagger clattered to the ground and Neveah staggered backwards, blood pooling at her feet.
"Karan’s tonic suppresses my wolf..." She whispered, her tone slow and pained.
Her vision swayed, the strength leaving her muscles. She could hear screams all around, but they sounded too distant.
"Without her, I’m not much more than human. And humans... don’t heal." She continued weakly.
Alessio’s face paled at that. He reached for Neveah, but she stepped away, dropping to her knees as she bled out.
"Now, you have a simple choice..." She stared up at him, a lazy smile on her lips. "Give her back and lose ...or don’t, and still lose ."
"This...is your greatest fear, Alessio."
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