Casaio uncuffed Zilia, the tallic click echoing in the quiet room. She stared at him blankly, her wrists slightly sore from the restraints.
"Follow ," he said curtly, already turning toward the cell’s gate.
Zilia narrowed her eyes. "Where are you taking ?"
He paused, glancing at her over his shoulder. Then, in his cold voice, Casaio inquired, "Don’t you want to see your brother?"
"Idris is in the capital!?" Zilia’s eyes lit up with sudden hope as she quickly followed Casaio out of the prison corridor.
"Unlike you, we keep our promises," Casaio said with a mocking edge to his tone.
Zilia’s steps faltered slightly, his words stinging more than she expected. A flicker of sha crossed her face, but she pushed it aside. "Why hasn’t the Alpha King punished yet?" she asked, glancing at him. "I haven’t heard anything about my sentence. Will it be decided after I see Idris one last ti?"
Casaio didn’t slow his pace. "No," he replied. "There won’t be a punishnt. Because from now on, I’ll be using you."
"Using ? How?" Zilia asked, her brows knitting tightly in confusion.
Casaio abruptly stopped walking and turned to face her. Without a word, his hand shot out and gripped her throat with bruising force, pressing his fingers against her windpipe.
Zilia gasped, her eyes widening in shock. Her hands flew to his wrist, trying to pry him off, but his grip was unrelenting. The pressure on her throat stole the air from her lungs, and her face began to flush red from the lack of oxygen.
"You don’t ask how, Zilia," Casaio growled nacingly. "You will obey my every command. You lost the right to question the mont you betrayed . So, stop thinking that you and I can talk normally anymore."
Her nails dug into his skin as she struggled, but she was weakening fast. Just when her legs began to wobble, Casaio suddenly released her, letting her stumble back, coughing and gasping for breath.
He stared down at her, his eyes void of the warmth they once held. "From now on, you’ll do exactly as I say. The mont you defy , even slightly, I will torture you to the extent that you’ll beg for your own death. I was the one who loved you beyond what anyone could ever imagine, Zilia. But now... you’ll face the weight of my hatred, every single day. That’s the price you’ll pay for murdering the love I once had for you."
Zilia lowered her gaze, her throat still burning from his grip. She didn’t argue or plead. She had betrayed the only person who had once stood by her without question, and now... she was prepared to accept whatever tornt ca her way.
"Don’t go easy on ," she whispered as she slowly lifted her eyes to et his.
A shadow passed through Casaio’s expression. His jaw clenched, and a bitter smirk curved his lips.
"If that’s the challenge you’re giving ," he said coldly, "then rest assured... I won’t be easy on you."
~~~~~
Katelyn knocked on the door and waited, her fingers clenched tightly at her sides. Monts later, the door creaked open to reveal Alie’s bright and welcoming face.
"You ca at the perfect ti. Gabriel isn’t ho. Co in," Alie said warmly, stepping aside to let her in.
Katelyn entered without a word, her smile already gone. A storm brewed behind her eyes. She didn’t et Alie’s gaze as she walked in.
"Take a seat," Alie offered, motioning toward the sofa chairs with a gentle gesture.
Katelyn remained standing.
"Why did you tell Gabriel about my feelings?" she accused.
Alie’s smile slowly faded, replaced by a flicker of regret in her eyes. Her lips parted slightly, but for a mont, no words ca out.
Katelyn turned sharply, facing Alie fully now. Her eyes glistened with emotion, but her tone was cutting and firm.
"I trusted you," she began in a quivering voice, but filled with anger. "And the first person you went running to was Brother Gabriel! Why, Alie? Why would you betray like that?"
Her voice rose as she continued. "And that’s not even the worst part. You dared to call Karn! You talked to him behind my back, and then had the audacity to smile at like everything was fine? Pretending to be innocent?"
"That’s not true, Kate. You’re misunderstanding everything. Please, just listen—" Alie tried to interject, but Katelyn cut her off.
"Listen to you!?" Katelyn scoffed, bitterness pouring from her voice. "Now I understand why Mother can’t stand you. You’re untrustworthy. You really thought that becoming my brother’s mate gave you the right to interfere in everyone’s life? Especially mine?"
Alie took a shaky breath, trying to keep her composure. "Kate, I didn’t an to hurt you. I only asked Karn to be honest with you, so that you wouldn’t keep hoping for sothing that wasn’t real. I didn’t want you to keep holding on and hurting later."
But Katelyn’s jaw tightened. The wound was already too deep.
Katelyn’s words ca like daggers—sharp, fast, and unforgiving.
"And who do you think you are to make that decision for ?" she hissed, her voice shaking with fury. "Just because I once called you a friend, you thought you had the right to interfere in my life? You couldn’t stand the idea that I might actually have a chance with Karn. That’s why you did all of this, isn’t it?"
Alie froze, her lips parting slightly in shock as she stared at the woman she had once shared secrets and laughter with. But Katelyn wasn’t done.
"You’re jealous, Alie. Admit it!" Katelyn’s voice cracked, her accusations gaining more weight with each word. "You couldn’t bear to see soone else get close to him. And I know why, because I introduced Jodie to you, and she tried to harm your pup. You’ve held that against all this ti, haven’t you? This is your revenge."
Alie’s eyes widened in disbelief, her heart sinking.
"Kate..." she whispered, stunned. "You really think I’m that kind of person?"
"You are that kind of person!" Katelyn snapped, her voice rising. "Cunning, manipulative, and fake! You seduced my brother to make him the father of your pup and worm your way into this family," Katelyn spat sharply with accusation. "You’re really clever, Alie. My mother kept warning us, kept screaming about it, but none of us listened. I see it now, why she was so against letting an oga live in the palace."
Alie took a shaky step back, as if the words had physically pushed her.
"Katelyn..." she whispered.
"You ogas," Katelyn continued, sneering, "you get a taste of comfort, of kindness, and suddenly you think you rule the world. That you’re entitled to everything."
The insult hit Alie harder than any of Katelyn’s previous words. It wasn’t just the betrayal anymore, it was the judgnt of her very identity.
"I never—" Alie started, her voice breaking.
But Katelyn cut her off. "Spare the act. I see you for who you are now. And I’m done pretending."
Alie’s hands clenched at her sides. She wanted to scream, to defend herself, to remind Katelyn of every ti she had stood by her, protected her, supported her. But nothing ca out.
Her eyes welled up with tears. She never expected Katelyn to be this harsh on her.
Alie stood frozen, her vision blurring as tears stread silently down her cheeks. She never imagined that Katelyn, whom she had once embraced as a sister, could cut her this deep.
"I admit it was a mistake on my part to call Karn here," Alie said softly, her voice trembling as she tried to hold herself together. "But I swear, I never wished anything bad for you. You don’t have to be so brutal..."
"Why? So you can go crying to Gabriel again?!" Katelyn snapped, spinning around, her eyes burning with fury. "Are you going to twist this in front of him like you did with everything else? You even poisoned his mind against our mother. Don’t think I don’t see what you’re doing, it’s all part of your little plan, isn’t it?"
Alie’s lips quivered. "That’s not true..."
"You were never acknowledged by your own pack, and now I see why." Katelyn’s voice was laced with venom. "I wouldn’t be surprised if it was you who betrayed your sister and blad Flora for it all."
"Princess Kate, please..." Alie whispered, barely able to breathe through her tears. "I—I never did that."
"You better leave this palace. I hate you. I hate everything about you," she muttered and stepped toward the door.
"What the fuck did you just say to Alie?" Gabriel’s voice growled, his violet eyes burning with fire.
Alie turned around to look at the door and shook her head.
"Gabriel, don’t..."
"Speak before , Kate. I dare you to say the sa words you said to my mate in front of ," Gabriel ordered his sister in a nacing tone.
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