Chapter 35
Maya stormed into her home, her heels clicking angrily against the marble floor. She didn’t pause to greet the staff or acknowledge her family’s presence in the living room. Instead, she made a beeline for her bedroom, slamming the door shut behind her with such force that the walls seemed to shake. She paced back and forth, seething, her hands clenching into fists.
“Azalea,” she hissed under her breath, the mere thought of the woman making her blood boil. The way she had dared to show up at the meeting-Maya’s territory, where she was supposed to be the one standing at Federico’s side. Yet Azalea had waltzed in, full of grace and confidence, making it clear she wasn’t backing down.
There was a soft knock on her door. “Maya?” came the voice of her younger sister, Marie, from the hallway. “What’s wrong?”
Maya spun around, her eyes flashing with irritation. “Go away, Marie!”
Marie opened the door cautiously, peeking inside. “You’ve been acting strange since the meeting with Federico. What happened?”
Maya’s patience snapped. “I said leave!” she shouted, her voice echoing in the room. Marie, startled by the outburst, quickly stepped back and closed the door behind her. She didn’t need to be told twice.
As the door clicked shut, Maya let out a frustrated groan, sinking onto her bed. Her mind was racing with thoughts of Azalea-how she had walked into the meeting as if she belonged there, how Federico had allowed her to stay, and how no one had stood up to her.
She gripped the edge of the mattress, her knuckles turning white. **Azalea** was a thorn in her side, and worse, she was starting to get in the way of Maya’s long-held plans for Federico. The more she thought about it, the angrier she became, until her anger started morphing into something darker-something more dangerous.
“I’ll make her regret it,” Maya muttered to herself, her eyes narrowing with a glint of malice. “I’ll make her wish she’d never set foot in this palace.”
—
Meanwhile, in another corner of the palace, Thomas and Leandro were seated in Elder Palmer’s office, listening intently as the elder relayed the events of the meeting with Federico.
“It was ridiculous,” Elder Palmer spat, shaking his head in disdain. “Azalea had no business being there. Yet she sat, and Federico-” He paused, his voice dripping with frustration. “He let her stay! He let her defy our traditions, our rules as if she’s one of us.”
Thomas and Leandro exchanged glances, hiding their amusement behind polite nods. They hadn’t expected Azalea to pull such a bold move, but the fact that she had ruffled the elder’s feathers was an opportunity they hadn’t considered.
“She doesn’t belong,” Elder Palmer continued, his voice laced with bitterness. “That woman-there’s something off about her. I can barely stand to be in the same room as her.”
Leandro leaned forward slightly, his expression sympathetic. “We understand, Elder Palmer. It must be difficult to deal with someone who disrespects the traditions of the pack.”
Thomas, always the more strategic of the two, added, “But we’ll take care of it. We just need some time.”
Elder Palmer nodded, his face softening slightly. “Good. I can’t have her thinking she has any place in our leadership. Not while I’m still around.”
“We’ll be back to discuss more,” Leandro said, standing up. Thomas followed suit, both of them offering the elder a nod before making their way out of the office.
As soon as they were outside, Leandro turned to Thomas, his lips curling into a sly smile. “Did you hear that?”
“I heard every word,” Thomas replied, his eyes gleaming with a mixture of satisfaction and ambition.
They paused in the hallway, far enough from the elder’s office that they could speak freely without being overheard. Thomas crossed his arms over his chest, his mind already working through the possibilities. “We can use this.”
Leandro nodded. “Elder Palmer is desperate to get rid of Azalea. If we play our cards right, we won’t even have to lift a finger. He’ll do the dirty work for us.”
Thomas smirked, the plan starting to form in his head. “We just need to nudge him in the right direction. Make sure he knows that Azalea is a threat to everything he values.”
“And that getting rid of her is the only solution,” Leandro finished, his tone gleeful. “No one will ever notice. It’ll be like she never existed.”
The two brothers walked down the corridor, their footsteps echoing through the empty hall. The weight of their plan hung in the air between them, but neither of them felt any guilt. To them, Azalea was nothing more than an obstacle, and obstacles were meant to be removed.
As they reached the end of the hallway, Leandro glanced at his brother, his smile widening. “This might be easier than we thought.”
Thomas chuckled. “It’s almost too easy. All we have to do is keep pushing Elder Palmer until he does what we want. He’s already on edge. A little more pressure, and he’ll snap.”
They both fell silent, the thrill of their scheme coursing through them. It was a dangerous game they were playing, but they had always been good at manipulating others to achieve their goals. This time would be no different.
Azalea wouldn’t see it coming. Neither would Federico.
And when it was all over, they would be one step closer to controlling the pack-and everything that came with it.
—
Back in her room, Maya was still pacing, her mind consumed by thoughts of revenge. The more she thought about it, the more determined she became to make Azalea suffer. She couldn’t stand the idea of Azalea being in Federico’s life any longer. Not after everything Maya had done to secure her position beside him.
“Azalea thinks she’s won,” Maya muttered to herself, her voice low and venomous. “But she has no idea what’s coming.”
Her thoughts spiralled further into darkness as she imagined all the ways she could undermine Azalea, turn her into an outcast within the pack, and ultimately drive her away. Azalea had made a mistake by stepping into Maya’s world, and now she was going to pay for it.
Maya’s lips curled into a cruel smile as her plan began to take shape. She wasn’t alone in this-others despised Azalea as much as she did. And with a few well-placed whispers, and a few subtle moves behind the scenes, she could set the wheels in motion.
Azalea’s time was running out.