Chapter 143: A different monster entirely

HALF AN HOUR EARLIER

Alyssa remained in the room long after Dorian left. She hugged her teddy tightly against her chest, burying her face into its soft fur and breathing in the scent of Dorian’s cologne that clung the toy.

Tears prickled behind her eyelids, but she gritted her teeth and fought with everything in her to keep them from falling.

She had endured far worse horrors than a broken heart in her life. Her first love had betrayed her by sleeping with her stepsister. So this wasn’t the first time she had felt her heart being shattered into pieces.

But this pain was a different monster entirely, because she didn’t just love Dorian. She worshipped him. He was her anchor, her protector, her whole world.

If he ever abandoned her for Elvira, especially after admitting that the mate bond between them was still alive, she would lose her mind.

"Love is such a destructive feeling, isn’t it?" she whispered into the empty room, her voice breaking. "I wish I didn’t love him like this. Then my chest wouldn’t feel like it’s being ripped open from the inside out."

She pressed her face deeper into the bear, dampening its fur with her tears. She had never imagined that seeing Dorian in another woman’s arms would inflict such agony on her soul.

A soft knock suddenly sounded on the door, startling her. She wiped her tears and turned around, assuming it was either Pandora or Henna.

"Go away!" she yelled out, her voice trembling with emotion.

Silence followed, but a few seconds later, the knock sounded again.

Suddenly annoyed, Alyssa dropped the teddy bear and marched across the room. She yanked the door open, fully prepared to scream at Pandora to leave her alone–only to freeze when her eyes landed on Samantha.

Samantha stood quietly in the hallway, holding a covered silver tray in her hands. She caught the tear-streaked state of Alyssa’s face and cleared her throat.

"Sorry," she murmured, her tone cautious. "I had no idea you were..." Her words trailed off into awkward silence.

Alyssa roughly wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and frowned. "What do you want?"

Samantha lifted the tray slightly toward her. "I thought you might want some tea. It’s a specialized herbal brew, and it helps soothe migraines and physical stress. There are some pastries too."

Alyssa blinked up at her, sniffing softly in confusion. This was entirely unprecedented. Was this some kind of peace offering from her?

Ever since the incident with the archer and the revelation of Fabian’s involvement, the hostility between them had lessened considerably. Samantha was still distant and cold, but she now addressed Alyssa with respect.

When Alyssa remained silent, Samantha let out a small breath and took a step back. "Forget I brought it. I’ll take it back to the kitchen."

"Wait," Alyssa blurted out, her hand shooting out to catch Samantha’s wrist. "I’ll take it. Thank you."

She accepted the tray just as the sound of footsteps echoed down the hallway and Pandora and Henna rounded the corner.

"What the hell are you doing?" Pandora shrieked, bounding forward and shoving Samantha back. "Get away from her!"

"Pandora, stop. It’s fine," Alyssa protested immediately, stepping between them. "She didn’t do anything. She was just bringing me some tea."

"Tea?" Pandora spat, her suspicious glare cutting into Samantha like a blade. "What is this? Are you trying to poison her for revenge?"

"Stop it!" Alyssa yelled, reaching out to pull Pandora back by her shoulder. "You can’t just throw baseless accusations at her like that!"

Through the entire confrontation, Samantha didn’t flinch or raise her voice. She simply leveled a cold stare at Pandora.

"I only brought the Luna some tea," she stated flatly. "I have zero intention of poisoning her. Feel free to throw it into the garbage if you don’t trust me."

"Oh, I sure as hell will!" Pandora shot back.

She watched with narrowed eyes as Samantha turned and walked away without another word. Once she was gone, she turned to Alyssa, her expression softening. "Are you alright?"

"You didn’t have to treat her that way," Alyssa murmured, taking a step back into the room. "She meant no harm."

"You can’t trust her, Alyssa," Henna chimed in gently as she followed them inside. "I know she helped the Alpha identify the archer, but she also tried to kill you."

"Henna is right," Pandora added, shutting the bedroom door. "You never know when a snake like that will strike."

She took the tray from Alyssa’s hands, walked straight into the bathroom and poured out the tea into the wash sink. Henna grabbed the small plate of pastries and tossed them into the trash bin.

"We are just looking out for you," Pandora said as she stepped back into the bedroom.

Alyssa didn’t even care about the tea. She walked over to the bed, picked up her teddy, and crawled under the covers.

"Why are you two even back up here? I thought you were downstairs with Dorian in his study."

"We were, until he asked us to leave," Pandora muttered, rolling her eyes in annoyance.

That caught Alyssa’s attention. She sat bolt upright, a deep frown knitting her brows. "He did what?"

"He ordered everyone to leave the study," Henna repeated. "Elvira kept dodging questions about where she’s been all these years."

"Wait, are you telling me Dorian is alone in his study with Elvira right now?" Alyssa demanded, flinging the covers off. "Like, just the two of them?"

Pandora and Henna exchanged confused glances.

"Uhh, yes," Henna nodded slowly. "They are alone in the study."

"But it doesn’t mean what you think!" Pandora added hastily. "Dorian just wants to get answers out of her without an audience..."

Alyssa was already off the bed, sprinting toward the door before Pandora could even finish her sentence.

She flew out into the hallway, her heart pounding against her ribs as she raced down the stairs to the second floor where the study was located.

As furious as she was with Dorian, there was no way she would let her husband sit alone in a room with his first love.

She reached the door of the study and threw it open, barging inside without bothering to knock.

The moment she crossed the threshold, her eyes locked onto Elvira, watching as she pulled Dorian’s face down and kissed him.

A wave of violent rage suddenly surged through her chest. Before she could take a step forward, Dorian shoved Elvira off him.

He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, spinning around to face the doorway, his eyes wide with panic.

"Alyssa..." he said, taking a tentative step toward her and completely ignoring Elvira on the floor behind him. "I swear, I didn’t kiss her. She did."

Alyssa didn’t even look at him. Her eyes remained locked on Elvira who was sprawled on the floor, wiping tears from her cheeks. Her hands balled into fists at her sides, her entire body shaking with tremors.

"Get out of here!" she hissed.

Dorian froze at the sound of her voice. But when he looked closer at her face, his heart nearly stopped. The pupils of her eyes were swirling, and a flash of crimson bled through her irises.

He snapped his head toward the floor, glaring down at Elvira. "Get out! Get out now!" he barked out, rushing forward to wrap his arms around Alyssa’s shaking frame.

"Dorian, please..."

"JUST GET THE FUCK OUT!" Dorian roared.

Elvira couldn’t ignore his Alpha voice. She scrambled to her feet and sprinted out of the study, her sobs echoing after her as the door slammed shut.

Dorian pulled Alyssa tightly against his chest, framing her trembling body in his arms. She was burning up, her skin radiating a scorching heat. But this time, she wasn’t whimpering in pain. Her eyes had changed completely into a vivid crimson hue.

"Alyssa? Alyssa, look at me! I need you to calm down right now," he urged, his voice as soft and steady as he could make it despite the panic in his chest. "Please, baby, your powers are surging."

A loud crack suddenly snaked up the window, spreading out like webs. The pressure radiating off her body was rapidly expanding, seconds away from shattering every pane of glass in the room.

Desperate to calm her, Dorian cupped her hot cheeks in his hands, lowered his head, and slammed his lips onto hers in a kiss.

But the moment their lips met, a gut-wrenching pain ripped through his stomach.