Chapter 6

• EVA'S POV
• "Did you see that?" I demanded Hector answer as he dragged me out of the council room. He didn't and no matter how hard I tried to pull away from his hold, he wouldn't let me go. "unhand me, you brute."
• When we were out of sight, Hector finally let my hand go and faced me. "Are you crazy?" He asked me. Without waiting for a response, he continued. "You are about to explode in that council room and for what!?"
• "My father protected her!" I retorted.
• "Alpha Lucian did not do such a thing."
• Hector was a fanboy of the Alpha so of course he was going to protect the man. I didn't expect any less from him. He was used to kissing the feet of those stronger than him. That weakness probably stemmed from his daddy issues.
• "He didn't?" My scoff came naturally. "...remember that vile as she is, my daughter is the granddaughter of Abigail De'crescent and could be a major asset to this pack. Did that not sound like protection to you?"
• "No. Alpha Lucian sounded like someone who was looking out for the future of the pack. Your jealousy is really starting—"
• He didn't get to finish his sentence. I would never let him. My palms swung for his face. It was like hitting a brick wall but it did the job. It kept his ugly mouth shut. "Don't you dare!" I warned. "I am not jealous of that runt. I just want justice and if the council will keep kissing my father's feet instead of enacting justice. We should get it ourselves."
• "What are you saying, Eva?"
• Hector was a weakling. I knew he wouldn't give in to my demands so easily. But I had to try.
• "She killed the pheasants out of blind rage. If you ask me, probably because she found out we were together," I began, cradling his face to effectively send the message across. "If she gets out of this, who knows what she will do to us to get revenge? We need to act now. We need to—"
• Hector's face twisted into disgust. "Kill her?" He completed. "Eva, have you gone mad?"
• "This is what disgusts me about you, Hector. For the son of this pack's beta, you are unbelievably soft. Camille will not grant us the same mercy when she gets out of this bender."
• "No, I know Camille. She is not like that."
• My eye twitched from rage. I wanted to hit him again for how difficult he was being but I needed to be nice. I just needed to appeal to his emotions. He loved me. He would do anything for me. Anything. I just needed to know the buttons to touch.
• "You sound protective of her." I choked out, retreating from him. "Are you going to abandon me like the rest of them?"
• It worked just like I had intended. Hector tried to touch me but I flinched away. "I am not the original after all. Your political position can soar higher if you side with her."
• "I just rejected her, Eva." He told me. "I did that to be with you and you alone. Of course, I love you."
• "Then prove it." I cut in, closing the space between us. He was hesitant. Murder was going too far for him. But I couldn't let this continue. Camille was a threat to my position in the Dumont house. Sure, I had the grace of the relationships I had built growing up in the Lily of the Valley pack, but there was no way any of them would choose a relationship over a true bloodline. "Hector, you are the son of this pack's Beta and powerful in your own right. The sentinels of this pack would listen to you. They would do anything you command. You don't have to use your hands. Just use them."
• "Use Sentinels who have sworn loyalty to this pack to kill the Alpha's biological daughter? That is beyond madness, Eva."
• He tried to pull away but I wouldn't let him. He was my trump card. His father was influential with the sentinels of the pack. Soldiers listened to orders. Soldiers would carry out the vilest of them if they were rewarded just as equally. "A daughter that put the pack in jeopardy. She killed the pheasants for the Lycan King and now the Lycan King pays up a visit when we do not have an alternative. It's like she wants the pack to burn. If the sentinels are loyal to the pack, if they are true to their oath, they would kill her. She is a threat to our pack."
• "Killing her is still a bit too—"
• Goddess. Goading him was getting exhausting. I released him from my hold. "Then, what use are you by my side?"
• "Eva, you are still Alpha Lucian's daughter. He raised you like his own. You aren't a fake and even if Fate decides to be cruel to you, I wouldn't. I will stand by your side because I love you."
• "If you had any love for me at all, you wouldn't let fate attempt to wrap its cruel hands around me. You would cut it down now. You saw the state Camille was in, if she hanged herself in her cell now with the Lycan King visiting, no one would suspect a thing. I would get to keep my position. I would get to keep you and when the time is right, you could be an honorary Alpha. Doesn't that sound right?"
• "It does but–"
• "But, it will not be possible if Camille is still alive."
• I was certain that was the moment I hit the nail on the head. The mention of becoming an honorary Alpha was when I knew I had him. Hector's obsession with my father had been a weakness I knew to exploit. It all came full circle when I realized it wasn't my father he cherished. It was the title itself and all it had to offer.
• "Being Alpha does sound good." Hector's eyes flickered with a mixture of desire and conflicted emotions.
• I could sense his internal struggle, torn between his love for me, his ambition to attain power and that paralysing fear his father had coddled him with.
• The game I was playing was a delicate dance, one I had practised masterfully over the years to manipulate those around me.
• "But Eva, it's not just about power. It's about loyalty, trust, and the responsibility that comes with being an Alpha," Hector finally spoke, his voice tinged with that same uncertainty.
• I took a step closer, closing the distance between us, my eyes locked with his. "And who better to uphold those ideals than someone who has proven their loyalty time and time again?" I whispered seductively, emphasizing every word. "You would make a phenomenal Alpha. One I would feel honoured to stand beside as his Luna. Those who make history were never ethical. They were people who took what they wanted, damning the consequences. I have a life planned for us Hector. You can either choose that life and choose me or choose to stand on the other side of history. You will forfeit me though."
• His gaze softened, and he reached out, gently taking hold of my hand. "You know I would do anything for you, Eva," he admitted, his voice filled with both devotion and resignation. "But we must tread cautiously. Killing Camille would bring unnecessary suspicion upon us. We need to be patient and plan our moves carefully."
• Patience. That word grated on my nerves. I had been patient for far too long, enduring the whims of fate and watching as others took what should rightfully be mine. Camille would take it all away whether it was her intention or not. She just needed to prove she was gifted like her grandmother and the rest would fall in place. I wouldn't sit by and wait for that to happen before I took action.
• "Hector, if we wait for the opportune moment, it may never come. Fate has a way of twisting things beyond our control. We cannot afford to be passive spectators any longer," I urged, my voice filled with determination.
• His grip on my hand tightened, his eyes reflecting a mix of fear and desire. "I understand your frustrations, my love. But we must strategize and create the illusion of innocence. Once we have gathered enough evidence against Camille, we can expose her true nature and take control of the pack in a way that won't raise any suspicion. In a way that is just."
• If killing Camille wasn't necessary for what came next, I would see the logic in his words.
• Hector had always been the cautious one, the voice of reason that balanced out my impulsive nature. Together, we were formidable. But I had outgrown him now. I needed to spread my wings and fly, especially with the Lycan King here.
• "Very well," I conceded, offering him a wry smile. "You choose to be on the other side of history. You choose to forfeit me." I pulled my hand away from him, hiding the smirk threatening to tear out of my mouth as I watched his eyes darken in horror.
• "No," He practically yelled, holding my hands in place. "If you want her dead so much, I'll do it. I'll do anything for you."
• "You will?"
• "Of course," he told me. "I would do anything for you."
• I brought him closer and planted a kiss on his quivering mouth. He was afraid. Deadly afraid. But Hector would do it. He loved like a fool. And Goddess was I glad he did.
• "I knew you would choose me."
• "I should go," Hector continued. He was starting to look green now and it was repulsive to look out. But I could stomach it. Soon enough, I wouldn't have to see his face.
• I nodded and stood in place as he walked away. Soon enough, he was out of sight and Adele, my stepmother propped out of the woodwork with a wicked smile playing on her lips.
• "Ah, Eva, my dear daughter," she said, a prideful tone threading through her voice, "you have truly mastered the art of manipulation."
• My gaze locked with hers and a smirk mirroring her own formed on my face. "Yes, Mother," I replied, "I learned from the best."
• "Is he your fall guy?" She demanded, her voice bubbling with satisfaction.
• "Of course, what other gullible idiot do you know?"
• "Don't be mean now, child."
• "The hitmen are in the palace, I trust?"
• "Sure, Hector should find them and convince them to commit treason alongside him with ease," Adele answered.
• "Good."
• The thrill of seeing my plans fall into place danced inside me. "And the explosives, Mother? Are they ready?"
• Her eyes widened even more. "Oh, they are ready," she confirmed, relishing in the anticipation of what was to come. "We have placed them strategically throughout the banquet hall. Once I give the signal, chaos will reign."
• Adrenaline coursed through my veins, pulsating with each beat of my heart. All the years of careful plotting, the web of secrets and lies I had spun, were finally reaching their climax. The power that I had yearned for, the sweet taste of revenge that I craved, was within my grasp. And I would stop at nothing to seize them.
• "Excellent," I whispered. "This shall be the downfall of my father and this pack for daring to scorn me. We will rise, Mother, and they will fall."