Chapter 159: Let the mate bond do its thing

Elvira had indeed been standing in the quiet hallway, her ear pressed tightly against the library door.

She had heard every single word; the raw, furious confessions that spiraled into wild passionate sex, and the quiet, devoted declarations from Dorian that followed.

With every gasp and broken whispered vow from inside, the rage and jealousy burning in her chest swelled until she could barely breathe. It was only when she heard the faint rustle of clothing and their approaching footsteps that she forced herself to back away, slipping silently down the corridor toward her room.

The moment she stepped in, she slammed the door shut behind her.

Her hands twitched violently at her sides as she began to pace around the room, back and forth, her breathing uneven. Driven by a wave of pure, unfiltered fury, she reached up, dug her fingers into her hair, and yanked back hard.

A sharp, stinging pain shot across her skull, but the sting was nowhere near enough to drown out the noise in her head.

Grabbing the pillow off her bed, she pressed her face deep into the fabric and let out a scream with all her might.

The soft foam muffled the sound, and when she finally pulled her face away, panting and flushed, a cold clarity settled over her features.

"This can’t be happening," she muttered under her breath, rising to begin pacing again. "I won’t sit back and let that brat take what belongs to me. I didn’t spend all those years getting tortured in an asylum only to lose Dorian to some fucking child!"

In a fit of manic agitation, her hand snapped up again, tearing out a war of hair. She hissed sharply at the pain that hit her, feeling a warm trickle of blood trail down her scalp behind her ear. The pain brought a brief wave of calmness to her frayed nerves.

She had to do something. She had to act fast. Her plan to use the mate bond to come between Dorian and Alyssa had failed; it turned out Dorian was far more obsessed with his little wife than she had predicted.

She had to initiate her next plan.

Staring at her reflection in the mirror, she took several deep breaths to calm herself. She needed to put on that usual calm facade so she wouldn’t draw anyone’s unnecessary attention to herself.

After ensuring the bleeding spot where she had yanked her hair off had healed, she stepped out of the room and made her way to the garden behind the mansion.

She walked toward the spot she and Joffrey had talked the previous night, far away from prying eyes and ears. Then she dialed a contact on her phone and waited impatiently while it rang.

The call was answered on the third ring.

"What?" Conri snarled from the other end. "I told you not to call me unless it’s important."

"This is fucking important, Conri," Elvira snapped. "I don’t think this is working. This mate bond thing... it’s a waste of time."

"It’s not a waste of time!" Conri retorted. "Don’t do anything stupid, Elvira. Follow the plan. Try as much as you can to make Dorian fall for you..."

"He won’t fall for me!" Elvira hissed, her voice dropping into a fierce whisper. "It’s never going to happen. He is madly in love with the bitch he married. I’ve seen it, Conri. He doesn’t give a fuck about me."

"These things take time. Remember you betrayed him with Joffrey. He won’t trust you so easily again..."

"We have to find another way!" Elvira seethed. "I’m not sticking around long enough to wait until he trusts me again. I’m just going to take the talisman off and let the mate bond do its thing."

"He will kill you!" Conri bellowed. "Mark my words, Elvira. The moment you do that, he will murder you. And that is if his wife doesn’t destroy you first."

"His wife?" Elvira scoffed and rolled her eyes. "What can that weak brat do? I will crush her without hesitation."

"Elvira!" Conri’s voice shook with restrained anger. "You don’t know her like I do. Dorian’s wife isn’t what you think she is."

Elvira’s eyes narrowed suddenly. Now that she thought about it, there was indeed something strange about Alyssa. And that red hue in her hair?

"What do you mean?" she demanded. "Isn’t she wolfless? Is there something more to her?"

"Forget about her!" Conri snapped. "Keep your head in the game. Stay away from Alyssa and focus on Dorian, and no matter what happens, do not take off that talisman. Do not ruin our plans!"

Elvira sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly. She looked around, making sure no one was close by. "Fine. Fine, I’ve heard you. But we need to move up our plans. I’ve been hearing rumors from the servants that Alyssa might be pregnant."

"That can’t be possible!" Conri muttered. "It would ruin everything."

"Then do something about it! Before the rumors become true."

Conri was silent for a long moment. After a short bout of static, he grounded out, "I will send Serena over in a few minutes. She will instruct you on what to do."

Elvira nodded even though he couldn’t see her. "Okay. I will be expecting her."

"And Elvira? Don’t call me unless it’s fucking important!"

The call ended abruptly, and Elvira almost flung the phone away in annoyance. But in the end, she managed to control herself and shoved it into her pocket.

She walked back into the mansion to wait for Serena’s arrival. With Jake and the others away, it was completely silent and serene.

The urge to go up to Dorian’s room and eavesdrop or interrupt whatever was going on up there was so strong, but she held herself back. She didn’t trust herself not to do something terrible.

About twenty minutes later, Serena arrived at the mansion, dressed in an expensive fur coat. Without a word, she followed Elvira to the guest room and only spoke when Elvira shut the door and locked it.

"Why is it so quiet in here? Where is everyone?"

"I don’t know. And I really don’t care. They can all go to hell."

Serena paused beside the bed, silently scrutinizing Elvira. She had never been close to her, especially after the affair she had with her brother, Joffrey. But now, her father told her she and Elvira had to get along in order to bring Dorian down.

"You look aggravated," she mentioned. "Did something happen?"

"Nothing happened," Elvira snapped. "I’m just really at my wit’s end. I thought Dorian would easily accept me the moment I came back. Instead, he’s flaunting that brat!"

"Do you blame him?" Serena laughed mockingly. "Considering how you betrayed him by fucking my brother..."

"Did you come here to piss me off?"

Serena shrugged lazily and pulled off her coat. She adjusted her gown and settled on the edge of the bed.

"My father wants you to have this," she said, pulling out a square-shaped box from her bag. "He said you’ll know what to do when you see it."

Elvira frowned. She snatched the box out of Serena’s hand and opened it. The moment she saw the black ashy powder inside, her countenance changed from irritated to smug arrogance.

Crushed aconite and melted silver. The perfect poison she needed.

"Perfect," she muttered and tucked it under her pillow. Then she glanced back at Serena. "I thought you’re one of Alyssa’s handmaidens."

"You mean lady-in-waiting."

"Same difference. Why aren’t you staying here with everyone else?"

"Dorian’s orders," Serena rolled her eyes. "Joffrey and I once had an altercation with Alyssa and Pandora at the mall, so he doesn’t want a repeat of it. But you’ll be seeing us soon in the mansion more often."

"Good, because I’ll need help if I’m going to ruin Dorian’s marriage with that brat."

"Do you have any plans aside from my father’s?" Serena asked.

"I do, but I can’t do them alone. I need you and Joffrey here. Especially Joffrey, since your father says he desires Alyssa."

"Are you planning on framing my brother for something?"

"I’m not going to frame him. I’ll just be using him. I want Dorian to see that his innocent little wife isn’t as innocent as she seems, and Joffrey will be the perfect way to prove it."

"Mhm, fair point," Serena muttered. "And what about me?"

"You and I will work together," Elvira said, a cruel smile curling her lips. "We’re going to break Alyssa’s spirit until she retreats into that pathetic little shell she crawled out from."