Chapter 46: Wife of the Alpha King

"I don’t believe it," Melinda snarled, her heels clicking sharply against the tile as she marched right up into Alyssa and violently grabbed her arm. "You’re alive? How is that even possible?"

Alyssa opened her mouth to respond, but a wave of past trauma instantly formed a suffocating lump in her throat. She could only stare in a stunned silence as Melinda shook her roughly, while Fabian just stood near the door, staring wide-eyed as if he were looking at a ghost.

"How the fuck are you alive, Alyssa?" Melinda shrieked, her face twisting with malice. "All this time, you’ve been hiding out here? Throwing yourself at the Alpha King just so he would marry you? You’ve always been a slut, but I never knew you were this desperate!"

The cruel words hit Alyssa like daggers, but instead of breaking her, they unlocked something raw and rebellious deep inside her soul; the fierce part of herself she had always kept hidden.

Wrenching her arm completely out of Melinda’s grip, she reared back and slapped her across the face with every ounce of strength she possessed.

SMACK!

Her palm made solid contact with Melinda’s cheek. The sheer force of the blow sent Melinda staggering backward until she lost her balance, collapsing onto the bathroom floor.

Melinda looked up from the tiles in pure horror, clutching her stinging face, her eyes wide with utter disbelief.

"I am Alyssa Hellborne," Alyssa snapped, her voice trembling with a fierce, lethal rage. "Wife of the Alpha King, crowned Luna of the North and the entire continent. The next time you put your filthy hands on me will be the last time you have hands!"

Her entire body trembled, not from fear, but from the volatile release of all the pain and abuse she had bottled up over the years. She was no longer that weak, helpless girl trapped in their shadow. She would never let them walk over her again.

Fabian finally snapped out of his catatonic trance. Completely ignoring Melinda, who was still sprawled on the floor, he took a desperate step forward. "Alyssa..."

"Don’t you dare, Fabian," Alyssa turned a freezing, furious gaze on him. "Do not take one more step toward me."

"You must understand," Fabian rushed out, holding his hands up in surrender. "What happened back then wasn’t entirely my fault. I wasn’t thinking straight."

Alyssa let out a sound halfway between a bitter laugh and a scoff. She shook her head, her disgusted gaze trailing slowly over him.

"I can’t believe I actually let you manipulate me for the two years we were together," she said coldly. "I let you use me. I let you fool me. But never again."

​"I... I’m so sorry, Alyssa," Fabian begged, his tone turning pathetic and desperate. "I came to find you at Gerald’s estate. The guards told me you were dead, I swear! How did you manage to escape? How are you married to Dorian? Do you even know that he’s my cousin?"

"I don’t answer to you anymore," Alyssa retorted, her chin held high. "Your lies won’t do you any good here, and I don’t care about your relation to Dorian. You hurt me once, Fabian. But you will never get the chance to hurt me again."

Suddenly, the restroom door shoved open, and Pandora stepped in.

She froze at the entrance, her sharp eyes instantly taking in the chaotic scene: Melinda recovering on the floor, Fabian wearing a pitiful, pleading expression, and Alyssa standing tall with her fists clenched.

It took her all of two seconds to connect the dots.

"Fabian," she said brightly, stepping fully into the room and letting the door click shut behind her. "Fancy meeting you here, little cousin. Have you met Alyssa?"

She paused dramatically, tapping her chin as if she had just remembered something. "Oh, of course you’ve met her. You’re the pathetic douchebag who cheated on her."

"I didn’t–"

"Save it!" Pandora cut him off with a sharp, venomous glare. "I know exactly what you did, so don’t bother wasting your breath lying to me."

She glanced down at Melinda who finally scrambled off the floor, gave Alyssa a terrified, hateful look, and stormed out of the restroom.

Ignoring Fabian entirely, Pandora stepped up to Alyssa. "Are you okay?"

Alyssa nodded, a soft, genuine smile breaking through her tension. "I’m okay." The blinding rage she had felt a moment ago was already receding, leaving her slightly breathless.

Pandora smiled back, then turned around to scowl at Fabian. "This is the ladies’ room. You better get your ass out of here before my brother finds you."

Fabian backed away slowly, his gaze still lingering desperately on Alyssa. He looked like he wanted to say something else, but he lost his nerve, turned, and walked out the door.

The moment he left, a sudden wave of weakness washed over Alyssa. She stumbled, her hands darting out blindly to steady herself against the side of a bathroom stall. A strange, metallic burning flared deep in her chest.

"Alyssa!" Pandora cried out, instantly wrapping a supportive arm around her waist. "What’s wrong? What hurts?"

"I’m fine," Alyssa forced a reassuring smile, taking a shallow breath. "I just got a little lightheaded. I think I just need some fresh air."

"Let’s get you out of these heels first." Pandora quickly crouched, unbuckling the silver heels and sliding the comfortable low slippers onto Alyssa’s feet.

She straightened up, holding the high heels in one hand while wrapping her other arm securely around Alyssa’s frame. "Can you walk?"

"Yeah. I’m fine now, Pandora," Alyssa said, leaning into her slightly. "I think it was just the adrenaline from what happened. I actually hit Melinda."

Pandora’s eyes widened to the size of saucers, a delighted grin stretching across her face. "Tell me you’re not kidding."

"I’m not," Alyssa laughed, a genuine sense of liberation washing over her. "I just got so angry. Years of enduring her abuse without being able to do anything came rushing back all at once. It made me realize that I’m not beneath her anymore."

"That’s exactly right," Pandora said fiercely. "I only wish I had been here to see the look on her face when you dropped her."

They both laughed, the tension breaking as they stepped out of the restroom corridor and headed back toward the reception hall.

Up on the throne, Dorian had already started to grow anxious, wondering why Alyssa and Pandora were taking so long.

He shifted restlessly on his throne, his sharp gaze constantly darting toward the restroom corridor, completely tuned out from whatever the high-ranking guest in front of him was currently saying.

The moment Alyssa’s rose-gold gown emerged, the harsh lines of his face instantly softened. He abruptly turned away from the guests, cutting them off mid-sentence as he walked down the steps to meet her.

Pandora noticed his approach and paused. "I’m going to find Anthony. If you need me for anything at all, just tell Dorian to send for me through the mind-link."

"I will," Alyssa nodded, and they parted ways.

Dorian closed the remaining distance between them, sweeping Alyssa into his arms. Her intoxicating scent, that soft lavender that belonged entirely to her, washed over his senses. He leaned down, possessively nuzzling the warm skin of her neck.

"Is everything okay, my love?" he murmured against her skin.

"Yes," she nodded, looking up at him with twinkling blue eyes. "Did I keep you waiting too long? I’m sorry."

"Don’t," Dorian purred, leaning down to press a firm, deeply affectionate kiss onto her lips. "Never apologize to me. Even if you kept me waiting for a lifetime, I would gladly wait just to have you in my arms again."

His smooth words made her heart flutter. She smiled shyly, falling into step beside him as they walked back to the throne.

"How much longer before we can go home?" she whispered.

"Are you tired?" Dorian asked with instant concern, slowing his pace. "We can leave right now if you want."

"Oh, no, no," she giggled softly. "I was just asking. I’m actually enjoying the party. I can’t remember the last time I was allowed to attend a beautiful ceremony like this."

Dorian smiled warmly down at her, but internally, a silent vow took root in his heart. Whatever she wanted, whatever experiences or dreams she had been denied in her past, he would make them happen for her. No matter what it took.

He gently guided her back into her throne, standing possessively close to her side as the guests mingled below. "Do you want anything to eat? Or some water?"

"Can I have another glass of champagne?" she asked sweetly, looking up at him. "I really like the taste."

Dorian chuckled, reaching out to tenderly stroke her cheek. "Okay. Just one more glass, little lamb. That will be your third, and I don’t want it upsetting your stomach since you haven’t eaten a real meal yet."

He signaled to the catering servant who had been lingering intently at the stairs leading to the throne. The servant hurried up, bowing his head deeply as he held out the silver tray, where a single, freshly poured glass of champagne was waiting.

Dorian started to hand it to Alyssa, but as the light from the chandeliers caught the liquid, his Lycan vision zeroed in on a strange, dark brown residue swirling at the bottom of the glass.

His hand froze.

"My love, wait," he said softly, pulling the glass out of her reach. Suspicion flared wildly in his chest as he lifted the rim to his nose and took a sharp, discerning sniff.

The exact second his senses registered the toxic odor of concentrated wolfsbane and aconite, Alyssa suddenly choked.

She doubled over, her hands flying to her throat as she coughed out a thick, dark clot of blood.