Chapter 86: Caught in Their Web

Isabella’s POV

The sting on my cheek still burned, the taste of iron lingering in my mouth. My breath came in ragged gasps as I stood frozen in place, my heart slamming against my ribs.  

Who the hell does she think she is? Just as I was about to react, I stopped when I felt it.  

A shift in the air. A presence.  

Leo.  

His energy was unmistakable—an approaching storm, dark and furious. A primal fear gripped me, raw and suffocating. My body reacted before my mind could catch up, my feet moving on instinct.  

I spun on my heel and bolted, my heels clicking against the marble as I rushed back into the dimly lit room where I had been staying. The heavy door slammed shut behind me, sealing me away from the wrath I knew was coming. My chest heaved, my fingers trembling as I pressed them against my burning cheek.  

This couldn’t be happening.  

It wasn’t supposed to end this way.  

I had spent years weaving myself into Leo’s life, and days planting seeds of doubt, making him believe I was the only one who truly understood him. I had built an empire of whispered words and carefully placed deceptions.  

And now, in a single night, it had all come crumbling down.  

No.  

I wouldn’t let it.  

With shaking hands, I reached for my phone, my fingers fumbling against the screen as I dialed the only number that mattered now. The call rang once.  

Then a slow, measured voice answered.  

"Lila."  

A quiet chuckle came from the other end, low and knowing. "I was wondering when you’d call back, after hanging up so suddenly."  

My breath hitched. "It’s over," I whispered, my voice raw with panic. "I’ve been caught. Leo—he knows everything. I—”  

"Shhh." Lila’s voice remained smooth, unbothered. "Relax, Isabella. Everything is going according to plan."  

I blinked, my pulse still hammering. "What do you mean?"  

"You heard me." A note of amusement laced her tone, as if my distress was nothing more than a minor inconvenience. "You think this was a failure, but it’s not. This is exactly where we need to be."  

I swallowed hard, gripping the phone so tightly my knuckles turned white. "I don’t understand," I hissed, my voice sharp with frustration. "I’ve lost everything! He hates me! He—"  

"It’s all under control," Lila interrupted smoothly, her voice like silk against my fraying nerves.  

I shook my head. No. No, she couldn’t be right. I had felt Leo’s rage, seen the disgust in his eyes. How could she say this was part of the plan?  

"Lila," I whispered, desperate now. "Tell me what to do. Obviously the plan you mentioned earlier can’t work!”

And she did.  

I listened, my breath slowly returned to a steady pace as her instructions wrapped around me like a soothing lullaby. Every word, every detail—she had accounted for it all.  

By the time she was done, my pulse had steadied. The fear, the desperation that had gripped me moments ago, loosened its hold.  

A slow, satisfied smile curled on my lips.  

It wasn’t over.  

Not even close. 

****

Morning had come too soon.

A sharp knock on the heavy wooden door shattered the silence. Isabella blinked awake, momentarily disoriented. Then reality set in. She was no longer welcomed here.  

“The Alpha wants you gone as soon as possible,” the guard’s voice came through the door, gruff and detached.  

Isabella exhaled slowly, schooling her features into something meek, something humble. 

When she stepped out of the room, she kept her gaze downcast, her shoulders slumped as if weighed down by defeat. Her fingers curled around the hem of her shirt, wringing the fabric as if trying to hold herself together.  

“The Alpha…” Her voice was soft, hesitant. “Where is he?”  

“Left early this morning,” the guard responded flatly.  

Of course, he did.  

She lifted her head slightly. “And Ivy?”  

A pause. Then—  

“The Alpha instructed that she be nowhere near you.”  

That was expected. Leo was cautious, but not cautious enough. Isabella forced her expression into one of quiet acceptance, her lips trembling as though she were on the verge of tears.  

“I… I just need to gather some of my things,” she murmured, glancing down the hall. “I won’t be long.”  

The guard gave a small nod, clearly uninterested in the details of her departure.  

That was his mistake.  

She turned, walking toward the laundry room—but when she reached the intersection of the hall, she turned swiftly, slipping away toward the west wing. Until Leo summoned the sorceress to seal it off again, she still had access.  

Her pulse remained steady as she climbed the stairs, her mind carefully crafting her next move. By the time she reached the door, her expression was perfect—sad, remorseful, utterly defeated.  

She knocked once. Then twice.  

The door creaked open, and there stood Ivy—wrapped in Leo’s shirt.  

A dagger of jealousy sliced through Isabella’s chest. Leo’s scent clung to Ivy, thick and intoxicating, as if he had spent the entire night pressed against her. Isabella’s gaze flickered to Ivy’s neck.  

No mark yet. Good.  

She swallowed back her envy and let her lips tremble slightly. “Ivy…” Her voice was weak, broken. “Please. I just… I just need a moment. To explain.”  

Ivy’s expression darkened immediately. “Explain?” she spat, her fingers tightening around the edge of the door. “You tried to ruin our lives. You lied to Leo. You almost tore us apart, Isabella. There is nothing you can say that I want to hear.”  

Ivy’s fury was visible, but Isabella remained still, her face composed into a picture of sorrow and regret.  

“I know,” she whispered. “I know I don’t deserve your forgiveness. But please… just a walk. Just hear me out. That’s all I ask.”  

Ivy hesitated.  

Isabella saw it—the flicker of uncertainty, the part of Ivy that still wanted to believe people could be redeemed. It was laughable, really, how easy it was to manipulate kindness.  

Ivy exhaled sharply and nodded. Isabella did save her from Daniel after all. She deserves to be heard.

“We won’t go far,” Isabella promised.  

When they stepped outside, the crisp morning air carried a lingering chill. Isabella led them away from the mansion, her steps slow and hesitant, as if she were gathering the courage to speak. She made sure to pass the guards, offering a quiet, assuring smile.  

“We won’t be long,” she told them softly.  

Ivy glanced at them, then nodded, silently signaling that they were fine alone.  

Isabella fought the urge to smirk. ‘Too easy.’

They walked in silence for a moment before Isabella sighed. “I know you hate me,” she started, her voice thick with emotion. “And I deserve it. But… Ivy, I was trying to protect you.”  

Ivy scoffed. “Protect me? By what? Making me look like a liar? Trying to turn my fiancé against me?”  

Isabella’s lips pressed together. She cast her gaze downward, as if ashamed. “Because I know he didn’t tell you the truth.”  

Ivy frowned slightly, crossing her arms. “What truth?”  

Isabella hesitated, then looked at her with glassy eyes. “Leo killed his previous mate.”  

Silence.  

A flicker of something—shock, doubt—crossed Ivy’s face.  

“I’m not lying,” Isabella pressed. “She trusted him. She loved him. And in the end, he spilled her blood.” She swallowed hard, lowering her voice to a whisper. “I didn’t want that to happen to you. I don’t want another blood on his hands.” 

Ivy’s hands clenched into fists. “Leo wouldn’t—”  

“He’s the cursed Alpha King!” Isabella’s voice was urgent now. “He’s not just any Alpha, Ivy. And do you know what that means?”  

Ivy stood, frozen to the core. Leo? The Alpha king?

“It means…” Isabella exhaled shakily, watching Ivy’s face closely. “He needs your blood to break his curse. And you have to die for the curse to be lifted completely.”

Ivy stiffened.  

A seed of doubt had been planted.  

Isabella saw it take root, saw the way Ivy’s brows knitted together, the way her lips quivered.

Ivy’s mind flashed back to the times Leo had craved her blood. The way he had taken her blood with such hunger.  

“He needs me to die?” Ivy whispered.  

Isabella nodded solemnly. “I wish it weren’t true.”  

Ivy’s breathing was uneven now. She was lost in thought, her mind whirling, just as Isabella planned.  

And then—  

SMACK.  

A blinding pain exploded at the back of Ivy’s head. The world tilted, her vision going black as she crumpled to the ground.  

The last thing she heard before darkness swallowed her whole—  

Lila’s shrill, gleeful voice.  

“Surprise.”