Chapter 103 The Other Two Targets
Aurora's POV
I stood in the center of the doll room, my gaze fixed on the glass case where Nolan's consciousness now resided, trapped inside the porcelain body of a vintage doll with painted blue eyes and a frozen smile.
"If you were truly sincere, Nolan, you should have been willing to give more," I said quietly, my voice carrying a note of disappointment as I studied the trapped figure. "All of this—" I gestured vaguely at the elaborate doll room surrounding us, the custom-built cases and carefully restored collection, "—means nothing to the Sterling family. It's pocket change to them. Did you really think you could win me over with material things? With dolls and pretty rooms and social media posts?"
I wrapped my arms around myself. The truth was, I had never felt anything for Nolan beyond mild tolerance and calculated interest in what he could provide. "Feelings cannot be forced. I've never had romantic feelings for you, Nolan. I'm sorry if you believed otherwise, but I never promised you my heart."
Originally, my plan had been more patient—wait until his favorability rating reached maximum, then extract his destiny power through the gradual absorption method Silk had outlined, a process that would take months but leave him relatively intact, merely diminished.
But that approach was far too slow, too uncertain, especially after watching Ryan's favorability plummet thirty points overnight without warning, a stark reminder that emotional connections were unreliable foundations for long-term strategies. This way was better, more permanent—with Nolan's soul sealed inside the doll, it could be preserved indefinitely, a stable container for the power I would eventually need to draw upon, while his body served a more immediate purpose.
"You know, he did treat you sincerely," a male voice suddenly spoke from behind me, and I turned to see the figure wearing Nolan's face and body regarding me with an expression that was both amused and slightly reproachful. "That's worth something, isn't it? At least acknowledge that he gave you everything he had to give."
He walked over to the full-length mirror mounted on the wall, examining his new appearance with obvious satisfaction, running his hands down the expensive fabric of Nolan's designer shirt and adjusting the collar with an appreciative smile. "I have to say, being wealthy certainly has its advantages. The quality of these clothes alone—" He fingered the material thoughtfully. "—is remarkable. And this body is in excellent condition. Young, healthy, well-maintained. You've chosen well for me."
I shot him a sharp look, my patience already wearing thin with his casual attitude and the way he was treating this arrangement like some kind of gift rather than a business transaction. "Don't get too comfortable," I warned, my voice dropping to a colder register. "You have seven days to play your role convincingly. Seven days to be Nolan Sterling without raising any suspicions or causing any problems. If you can manage that without exposing yourself, then the body is yours to keep permanently. But if you make even one mistake, if anyone suspects something is wrong—"
"I understand the terms," he interrupted smoothly, still admiring his reflection with evident pleasure. "Seven days of perfect performance, and then this body becomes mine forever. It's a generous offer, Aurora. More than generous, considering what you're getting in return."
"What I'm getting is his ability, his destiny power," I said flatly, making sure we both understood the exact parameters of our exchange. "You get the physical shell and the life that comes with it. That's the deal. Nothing more, nothing less."
He turned away from the mirror finally, giving me a slight bow that felt mocking despite its formal correctness. "Then I shall take my leave and begin exploring my new home. This villa really is quite impressive. I'm looking forward to enjoying all its amenities." With that, he strolled out of the doll room, leaving me alone.
I stared at the glass case again, feeling an uncomfortable twist of anxiety in my chest that I quickly suppressed. I couldn't afford doubt now, not when I had come this far and taken such decisive action.
But the memory of my previous failures haunted me—the botched attempts, the plans that had fallen apart at the last moment, the opportunities I had squandered through hesitation or miscalculation. "This has to work," I whispered to the empty room, my hands clenching into fists at my sides. "It has to work this time."
"Aurora, the three candidates have been carefully selected and verified," Silk's voice resonated in my mind, cool and reassuring in its mechanical precision. "We have already established connections with Malakai. The foundation is solid. However, I strongly recommend that you proceed with acquiring the other two Sterling family members as quickly as possible. The longer we wait, the greater the risk of exposure or interference."
I nodded slowly, my mind already shifting to the next phase of the plan, running through the list of targets and their current favorability ratings. My original choices had been obvious—Matilda and Moira, both ranked in the top three for favorability, both keeping the dolls I had given them in prominent places in their rooms, perfect vessels for the transfer ritual.
I could call Matilda right now, ask her to bring Moira out somewhere private under some innocent pretext, and have both of them dealt with before anyone realized what was happening.
But then Silk's next words stopped me cold, "Moira is no longer a viable target. She and Edwin have formally rejected each other's mate bond. She is no longer considered part of the Sterling family."
"What?" The word came out sharper than I intended.
I began pacing the room, my mind racing to understand the implications and adjust my strategy accordingly. The timing was infuriating—if they had waited just ten more days, half a month, Moira would have still been bound to the family when I needed her, but instead she had somehow slipped through my fingers at the worst possible moment.
I forced myself to take a deep breath, to think clearly despite the setback. Losing Moira meant I needed to find a replacement target, someone else within the Sterling family who met the necessary criteria—sufficient favorability to accept a vessel object, close enough proximity to make the transfer feasible, and vulnerable enough that their disappearance or change wouldn't immediately trigger alarm. The options were limited and none of them ideal.
I mentally ran through the remaining family members, eliminating candidates as I went. The former Alpha, Alpha Sebastian and Damian were obviously out of the question—too powerful, too observant, too central to the family's power structure to risk.
James had been a possibility once, but his favorability rating had crashed to zero after our last confrontation, and he had disposed of the doll I gave him, destroying the connection I had worked so carefully to establish. Without a vessel object already in place, he was useless to me.
"May I suggest re-establishing connections through new vessel objects?" Silk offered. "However, please be aware that any new object would require a minimum of seven days in the target's possession to adequately absorb their essence and create a viable anchor point for the transfer ritual. Given your current timeline, this may not be practical."
Seven days. I didn't have seven days to waste on building new connections, not when every moment increased the risk that Elara, with her irritating perceptiveness and supernatural abilities, would notice what I was doing and find a way to interfere.
No, I needed targets who already had vessel objects, people who had been carrying my gifts long enough that the anchors were firmly established.
I felt my jaw tighten as I remembered checking Ryan's favorability just yesterday and finding it had plummeted from seventy-one to forty-one—a devastating thirty-point drop overnight that had sent a chill of fear through me and convinced me to accelerate my plans with Nolan rather than risk waiting any longer.
But Ryan still had advantages that made him worth considering despite the drop. He was away at university, living in the dorms rather than at the Pack House, which meant his daily routines were less observed and his absence or behavioral changes would be less immediately noticeable to the family.
And more importantly, I had hidden something in his room months ago, during one of my visits to the university. A piece of doll clothing, a tiny embroidered vest that I had carefully tucked into a gap in his bedside table's bottom drawer, a backup plan I had put in place without even fully understanding why at the time.
"Silk, can that clothing item still be used as a vessel anchor?" I asked, hope rising in my chest. "It's been there for months. Surely that's long enough?"
"Yes, the object has absorbed sufficient essence. It can serve as an anchor point for the transfer ritual. However, please note that the favorability rating of forty-one is below optimal levels. There may be complications or resistance during the transfer process."
I waved off the concern impatiently. "It doesn't matter. Ryan is still a better option than trying to start from scratch with someone else." The decision crystallized in my mind with satisfying clarity, the pieces of my revised plan falling into place. "Then it's settled. Besides Matilda, the second target will be Ryan."