Ninety six
*Freya*
“You just thought of something and blocked out your mind. For you to do that, it means you don’t want me to know about it.” Rafe sounded offended.
“Well.. I..” I thought of what I could say to save myself
“Just tell me…. What are you thinking about?” Rafe’s voice was like a velvet caress, his eyes boring into mine with an intensity that made my heart race. I had to think fast. If he knew I was dwelling on Kelly and Jessica’s mean-spirited antics, he would be furious. He despised them for their cruelty towards me.
I took a deep breath, letting it out slowly as I summoned up the right words to distract him. “I was just thinking about how much I love you,” I said, my voice soft and sincere. “And how thankful I am that you didn’t die when you sucked the poison out of my body.”
He smiled, his fangs glinting in the dim light of the room. “You have nothing to worry about, Freya. I will always protect you.”
The tension between us was palpable, like a physical force that pulled us closer together. We stared at each other across the room, our eyes locked in a silent exchange of longing and desire. Rafe was breathtakingly handsome, with his dark hair falling over his forehead and those piercing green eyes that seemed to see right through me.
Suddenly, he was there, standing before me, his strong arms encircling me in a possessive embrace. Our lips met in a passionate kiss that left me gasping for air, my body trembling with anticipation. His tongue danced with mine, exploring every inch of my mouth as our hands roamed over each other’s bodies, seeking out areas of sensitive skin to tease and stroke.
Rafe broke away from the kiss, his face flushed and his breath coming in ragged gasps. “You are my life, Freya,” he whispered hoarsely. “I cannot wait to make you my true queen.”
I smiled up at him, my heart swelling with happiness even as my nerves jangled at the thought of becoming his queen. Would his people accept me? Or would they see me as an outsider, unworthy of their respect?
Either way, I knew that Rafe loved me. And that was all that mattered.
****
It hurt. It hurt so bad! Kelly held her forehead in her hands, trying to will the pain away. She winced as she pressed a damp cloth against the gash on her forehead. The wound throbbed angrily, a cruel reminder of Freya’s vicious assault. Her stepsister’s smug face swam before her eyes.
With a scream of rage, Kelly swept her arm across the vanity, sending perfume bottles and jewelry boxes crashing to the floor. Glass shattered and liquid splashed as she upended a chair, releasing her pent up fury on the innocent furniture.
“That wretched little witch!” Kelly snarled through gritted teeth. “How dare she lay a hand on me! I’ll make her pay if it’s the last thing I do.”
Freya’s taunting words echoed in her mind. “If you bother me again, I will make you regret ever setting foot in this palace. Do you understand me?”
The humiliation burned like acid. When Kelly had entered the competition, she had been so sure the Alpha King would pick her as his bride and Luna. She was far more beautiful and worthy than her wretched stepsister.
With an anguished wail, Kelly slammed her fist into the full length mirror. The glass exploded, shards raining down around her. A sharp sting lanced through her toe. Looking down, she saw a shard embedded in her flesh, crimson blood welling up.
“Damn you, Freya!” Kelly yanked the glass free with a gasp of pain. “You’ll regret ever crossing me. I won’t let you take what’s rightfully mine!”
Clutching her bleeding foot, Kelly collapsed onto the bed, angry tears pricking her eyes. She would destroy Freya for this insult and claim her destiny as Alpha Rafe’s chosen Queen, no matter what it took. Freya would rue the day she challenged her.
Kelly’s mind raced as a sinister smile curled her lips. She had always despised Freya, her perfect stepsister who could do no wrong in their father’s eyes. Freya’s beauty, grace, and kindness had won her all the praise and adoration, while Kelly was forever relegated to second place.
“She’s always been Father’s favorite,” Kelly muttered bitterly. “No matter how hard I tried, Freya always outshone me. And now, she dared to follow me to the palace and compete for the title of Queen? The audacity!”
Pacing the room like a caged tigress, Kelly’s mind churned with malicious schemes. She had bullied and tormented Freya for years, relishing the power it gave her. But now, with the stakes higher than ever, she needed to take more drastic measures.
“I won’t let her steal Alpha Rafe from me,” Kelly vowed, her voice laced with venom. “I’ll make her life a living hell and ensure that I’m the one wearing the crown beside him. Freya doesn’t stand a chance.” She would make sure Freya consumed another substance. Something that would make her misbehave in front of Alpha Rafe. He would be so disgusted by her that he’d have no choice but to avoid her.
Kelly had planted a poison for Freya that would ensure she never gets pregnant. The substance was also supposed to make her very weak and powerless so she wouldn’t be able to spend any time with Alpha Rafe. But when Kelly had seen Freya, she’d been shocked to see that she was completely fine. Kelly paced her chambers, her mind consumed with thoughts of Freya’s current state. The poison should have worked, weakening her despised stepsister to the point of sickness. Yet, as Kelly peered out the window, she caught a glimpse of Freya strolling through the palace gardens, arm-in-arm with Alpha Rafe, her laughter carrying on the breeze.
“Impossible,” Kelly muttered, her fists clenching at her sides. “How exactly is she still fine? Does she have Some powers that I don’t know about? What if I didn’t stop her from getting pregnant for Rafe.” Kelly asked herself.
Rage bubbled up inside her, threatening to spill over. How could Freya still be standing, let alone thriving, after all the efforts Kelly had put into bringing about her downfall? The thought of her stepsister’s resilience made Kelly’s blood boil. She had once tried to kill her by pushing her off the tower but it didn’t work.
“I’ve tried everything,” she seethed, her voice rising with each word. “Poisoning her food, spreading rumors, sabotaging her at every turn. And yet, she persists, like a cockroach that refuses to die.”
Kelly’s desperate gaze darted around the room, searching for something, anything, to vent her frustrations upon. Her eyes landed on a delicate vase, a gift from her mother. With a primal scream, she grabbed the vase and hurled it against the wall, watching with satisfaction as it shattered into a thousand glittering shards.
As the remnants of the vase settled on the floor, a cold clarity washed over Kelly. She knew what she had to do. If the initial poison hadn’t been strong enough, she would simply need to administer a more potent dose. A lethal dose.
“Freya doesn’t deserve to live,” Kelly whispered, her voice as sharp as the broken glass at her feet. “She’s taken everything from me-my father’s love, my rightful place in this palace, and now, Alpha Rafe’s affection. It’s time I take something from her. Her life.”
A smile, as cold as it was determined, spread across Kelly’s face. She would find a poison so deadly, so swift, that Freya wouldn’t even have time to utter a final prayer. And then, with her stepsister out of the way, Kelly would finally claim her destiny as Alpha Rafe’s one true Queen.
****