I thought about telling him that he was my mate, but I decided he wasn’t worth it. Come on Eloise, he killed your sister. He’s evil.
Besides, I can’t wait till I meet the man of my dreams. The golden masked man I’d had explosive sex with, the night of the festival. He was much better than Roman, right?
I watched Alpha Roman turn to leave, anger and a sickening feeling of betrayal roiling inside me. Before I could stop myself, the words burst from my mouth.
“Who was it?” I called after him, my voice sharper than I intended.
Alpha Roman paused, his hand on the door. He glanced over his shoulder, his face caught in a shadow. “Who was what?” he asked, his tone dismissive, as though I was wasting his time.
I forced myself to sit up, leaning forward despite the pain still lingering in my body. “The traitor. In our group. Why did you choose Malia?”
He regarded me for a long moment, then a slow smile spread across his face, chillingly amused, as if I’d said something naive and childish. His laugh was low, dark, slipping under my skin like ice.
“Jacky…” He stepped back into the room, his gaze locking onto mine with the kind of intensity that sent a ripple of unease through me. “There was no traitor.”
I blinked, the shock making my voice falter. “What?”
Roman let out a slow, satisfied chuckle. “There was never a traitor, not in your group or in any other. I simply wanted you all to believe there was.” His tone held a gleeful darkness, like he was revealing a trick he was particularly proud of. “I wanted you to see shadows and ghosts where none existed.”
The sick realization of it made my stomach twist. “People killed each other,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper, horrified. “Other teams… people were murdered by their own members, their own friends… because of that lie.”
Roman’s smile only widened, his eyes gleaming with the satisfaction of a predator savoring his kill. “Precisely,” he said, his tone thick with satisfaction. “They tore each other apart, just as I intended.”
I stared at him, disgust boiling over into fury. “Why?” The word escaped me, laced with raw, bitter anger. “Why would you play such a game, watch people kill each other over nothing?”
Roman took a slow step closer, his eyes narrowing with a dangerous gleam. “Because, Jacky, being queen means fighting battles against shadows, against rumors, whispers in the dark. The real threats are never right in front of you, never tangible.” He paused, studying me as if I were a stubborn child who needed to be taught a lesson. “It’s about survival, and only the sharpest minds and most ruthless hearts will thrive.”
The silence between us felt thick and suffocating. I could see now why he’d done it, why he’d wanted to instill fear and paranoia in us from the start. It was a twisted, sick strategy, but one that came from a place of cold, calculated brilliance. He leaned forward, his voice lowering to a predatory whisper.
“People believe what they fear, Jacky. The real enemy hides in their minds. When you’re queen, they’ll whisper about you, they’ll question your every move, conspire, just like you did with Malia and Jessy. This… exercise merely showed you what it’s like to be hunted by something that doesn’t exist.”
I swallowed, feeling a shiver run down my spine. “You did this just to prove a point?”
Roman’s expression hardened. “I did it because *I* am the only one fit to decide who is worthy. People need to be sharpened, honed to perfection, and the weak… they deserve what they get.” He straightened, his voice shifting to a softer, almost sing-song tone. “Do you know the riddle of the hunter and the shadow?”
I didn’t respond, and he went on, his voice deceptively calm, like he was reciting some ancient wisdom. “The hunter watches the shadow, hunts it, waiting to trap it. But the shadow, Jacky… the shadow is the hunter’s own. The more he chases it, the more it controls him. Only when he realizes he’s his own prey does he truly understand fear. And fear,” he said, with a pointed look, “that is what creates loyalty. And loyalty… that’s what keeps a kingdom alive.”
The words hung between us, twisted and chilling. He tilted his head, studying my reaction with cold satisfaction, savoring every flicker of anger and disgust in my eyes. “This is why I’m here, why I lead, Jacky. I’ve kept this pack strong because I’ve never shied away from doing what must be done, however distasteful others might find it.”
“You’re a monster,” I spat, barely holding back the bile rising in my throat. “All of this, just to make us paranoid, make us afraid of nothing. You’re willing to watch people kill each other just to prove that *you* control us?”
Roman leaned in closer, his face a mask of ruthless determination. “Yes, Jacky. And that’s why I’ll still be here long after everyone else who questions me has fallen. People fear me. They respect me. And that,” he said with a soft, sinister smirk, “is all I need.”
His words settled over me like a death sentence. I had nothing left to say, nothing that could convey the revulsion twisting through me, but he seemed pleased, satisfied with the dark truth he’d just revealed.
As he turned to leave, he gave me one final look, a warning hidden behind that cold, predatory gaze. “Learn from this, Jacky. See what fear can do. Only then will you understand why I saved you.”
“You only saved me hoping I’m as stupid as Malia. That’d I’d fall on my knees and bow to you. That i’d offer loyalty.”
Loyalty is a fickle thing, Jacky. I needed to see who would stand firm and who would crack under pressure. Those who survived this test… those are the ones worth trusting. Those are the ones who understand that loyalty isn’t given; it’s earned through hardship, through sacrifice.”
I felt a sick sense of dread creeping up, my heart pounding in defiance. “You sound like a tyrant,” I spat the words out before I could stop them.
Roman’s smile twisted, his eyes narrowing. “A tyrant, you say? Perhaps. But a tyrant is still a ruler. And a ruler doesn’t concern himself with the opinions of those below him. I’m not here to make friends, Jacky-I’m here to lead. And if I must be a monster to protect this pack and keep it thriving, then so be it.”
The nurse shifted uncomfortably beside me, her gaze darting between us, her posture tense as though she wanted to disappear from the room. Roman didn’t care; he didn’t even acknowledge her. His entire focus remained on me, his stare unrelenting, as if daring me to push further, to challenge him.
“So, I’m nothing to you but an asset,” I said, trying to keep the tremor out of my voice. “And if I win against Malia, then what? Do I just become another pawn in your little empire?”
Roman shrugged, his tone as casual as if we were discussing the weather. “If you survive, you’ll have earned your place. You’ll be an asset, yes, but a valuable one. And I reward value, Jacky. If you fight well, if you prove yourself worthy of the title, you’ll have power, influence… perhaps even a say in this ’empire’ you claim to hate so much.”
“Power?” I shot back, bitterness tinging my voice. “All you’re offering is the illusion of freedom, of choice. You’re just dangling a carrot in front of us, and when we reach for it, you snatch it away.”
Roman’s expression grew cold, almost disappointed. “That’s where you’re wrong. I don’t dangle illusions, Jacky. I offer reality-a harsh one, perhaps, but reality all the same. The sooner you accept it, the stronger you’ll become.”
He turned, pausing just as he reached the door. His back was to me, but his voice carried through the room like a chilling breeze. “Rest up,” he said, his tone dismissive, final. “You’ll need every ounce of strength when the time comes. The world I’m preparing you for… it doesn’t tolerate weakness.”