Adrian could only see red. He had known it. He had fucking known it that something anout his complete memory loss didn’t sit right with him but he had taken Ivy’s word for it.
He had lost Ava because of the lies of this deceitful woman. He recalled how Ava had cried and how she had rejected him causing herself immeasurable pain because she thought he had betrayed her.
He felt her struggle against his grasp, her hands slapping against his hands uselessly. He would not let go of her. Her life was a gift that she didn’t deserve.
“Adrian, Adrian let go of her.”
Someone was speaking but the words warped before they reached his ears due to the extent of his rage.
“Adrian.” He looked away from Ivy’s pleading gaze to see Calvin next to him, his hand on his shoulder.
“What she has done is wrong but she Is still carrying your child, you can’t kill her like this.”
It was like he had cold water doused on him. He let go of her and she collapsed on the floor grasping her throat and coughing trying to gasp in her lost breaths.
Adrian looked away from her before his anger made him harm his unborn child. This was the only reason she had survived that she would remain alive. Once she gave birth–
“What were you doing, Adrian? I give you my daughter as a consort and you try to murder her in front of the entire pack over accusations from an enemy?” Elder Elvis retorted.
Right. Even he must be aware of the plan. Had they all been laughing at him behind his back?
Adrian turned to look at him, his gaze shuttered as anger boiled in his heart.
“Rhea, heir to the Silverwolf pack is to be escorted to her pack safe and sound.”
Rhea bowed. It was only his word that kept him from killing her as well. Ivy might have perpetuated the act but she had watered the field.
“Ivy, for her traitorous acts will be sentenced to isolation and house arrest until the birth of her child after which a sentence will be decided for her.”
Ivy looked at him with eyes as large as saucers. Did she think that he would let her off after discovering her deceit?
“Elder Elvis for hiding the sins of his daughter to ensure she became a consort will, as of this moment and henceforth no longer be identified as an elder of this pack, all his power and dispositions have been stripped henceforth.”
Elder Elvis’s mouth opened and shut in disbelief.
“Alpha, I–”
“My decision is final.” But it wouldn’t bring back his mate.
Ivy was thoroughly fucked. She touched her neck feeling the phantom touch of Adrian. He would have killed her. She had seen her death in his eyes. If it hadn’t been for the child that she carried, she would be dead and gone.
That little bitch had played her so well. She must have realized that if she had insisted that she couldn’t bribe her, Ivy would have had her killed before her testimony. But she had been blindsided. The girl had successfully deceived her.
She should have killed Rhea when she had the chance. Now she was well out of reach that Ivy with Adrian letting her go.
She would be trapped here and the moment her baby popped out, Adrian would execute her. He had even taken away her father’s power as well. He must have been waiting for the right excuse to do that and she had given it to him.
There was a knock on her door and a warrior stepped in. He was the no-nonsense type with his shorn-off hair and numerous scars from the many fights he had been in. She would be unable to bribe him to let her out.
“Your father has sent something for you.”
It was then she noticed the hamper in his hands.
Had her father left her a secret message? Dare she hope that he would get her out of this situation?
But then again there was no way her guard hadn’t already searched the hamper. Adrian had been thorough in drafting her punishment. She would have no visitors apart from the pack doctor once a week. No phones, no laptops she was surprised he even let her use running water.
“Thank you.” She took the hamper hoping she didn’t look too eager.
The moment the door shut, she offloaded the hamper pouring everything out. It contained chocolate bars, fruits and gummies. There was nothing else. Was it possible that Adrian had intercepted the message?
Surely her father must have hidden it so that it would be identifiable at first glance. She looked at the contents of the hamper again. The fruits were good, she felt something in one of the chocolate bars. It felt a little bit thicker than the others.
She tore open the wrapper and sure enough while there was chocolate, there was a chocolate-stained paper. She wondered how he had been able to reseal the wrapper but as she read the note, she realised she didn’t care.
“You are a failure, you could have at least killed her but what is done is done. You must escape before Adrian completely strips our family of power. I have discovered where Ava is, you should get her and use her as leverage to get my title reinstated. I trust you will not fail me this time or Adrian will be the least of your problems.”
Then beneath he wrote a time and what part of the house she should stay in to escape and the place he would leave a bag containing her essentials for travelling.
Ivy smiled. A holiday in Spain sounded fabulous.
The only thing was she didn’t plan to follow her father’s directives. She didn’t particularly care if he got his title back or not. Once she had put to bed and gathered sufficient allies, she would make a return and oust Adrian from power.
He had no other heirs. All she had to do was manufacture a small accident for him and viola she would be in.
She would keep an eye on Ava anyway to ensure she didn’t return. That could disrupt her plans. If she showed any signs of doing so then she would end her.
********
“Ivy what?”
The pack warrior in front of him bowed contritely.
His anger soared above and beyond. After ruining the relationship between him and Ava, she had the guts to escape from his watch. Perhaps he should have killed her earlier but his child…
“How the hell did she get out? Where were the guards?!”
“Alpha, they were fending off Elder… um, Elvis who was insisting on seeing Ivy. She escaped from a window during the chaos.”
Adrian saw red. Of course. What should he have expected? The man must be under the delusion that Adrian would be unable to punish him because of the position he had been holding or perhaps he felt like if he could save his daughter and her child then he would be able to use them as a trump card later
He would soon get a rude awakening and so would Ivy once he caught her.
“Detain Elvis and bring him to me right now.”