Chapter 163

Chapter 163
Phina's POV

I woke to the sound of Jason’s boots clicking against the stone floor before I even saw him. His presence filled the room like smoke, heavy and sharp, and I could feel the tension coil in the air. He didn’t bother with greetings, just leaned against the doorway, smirking like he already had the upper hand.

“I told Asher my terms,” he said, voice smooth but laced with that dangerous confidence. “He’ll kneel in front of everyone. Public humiliation. And you…”

He let the words hang, as if I wasn’t worth mentioning further.

I shifted slightly in the chair, the chain around my neck clinking softly, reminding me of how trapped I was. My hands were bound behind me, but my mind moved faster than I ever had, analyzing him, weighing every syllable. Beneath my unease, a thread of concern for Asher ran tight, but I masked it with calm.

“You really think he’ll just fall in line?” I asked carefully, voice even. “Do you think he’s so easy to control?”

My words were measured, baiting his pride without revealing my true worry.

Jason’s smirk faltered for a fraction of a second. He straightened, annoyed, his ego prickled by my tone.

“He’ll do what he must. You know that,” he said, trying to regain that air of absolute dominance.

I let him see the tiniest hint of a smile, almost imperceptible.

“Perhaps,” I said softly, “but maybe you don’t know exactly who you’re dealing with… or what people are willing to do to protect their own.”

The words sounded casual, but I could feel them land like stones in his chest. The room thickened around us, the air warm and heavy, charged with his frustration and my carefully restrained tension. Every flicker of his movement, the tightening in his jaw, the subtle sway as he shifted his weight—I took it all in. The faint hum of magic from my chains made my pulse thrum faster, reminding me of the limits they imposed.

Jason stepped closer, his eyes narrowing.

“And what exactly are you implying?”

His voice carried that sharp edge of suspicion, the kind that warns you that someone’s pride just got bruised.

I leaned back slightly, letting my restraints jingle again, letting him feel the tiny sounds of control that I still possessed.

“Just that maybe Sheila isn’t quite the puppet you think she is,” I said, voice calm but firm. “Perhaps there’s more going on behind the scenes than even you realize.”

His scowl deepened, muscles tightening in irritation, and I knew I had stirred something dangerous. A flicker of unease crossed his face before he straightened with a huff. I could almost taste the tension in the room, sharp and electric.

Jason finally spun on his heel and strode toward the door, jaw tight, anger radiating off him in waves. I let him go, letting my words linger in the space he had filled with dominance. The moment was mine now, brief as it was, and I allowed a quiet satisfaction to curl in my chest. I had planted the seed. And I would watch it grow.

Jason’s footsteps slowed, and I could feel the shift in the air, the way tension coiled around him like a living thing. He leaned against the wall again, arms crossed, that familiar smirk back in place, but there was a flicker of doubt in his eyes I hadn’t seen before.

“You think Sheila’s… capable of anything I should worry about?” I asked, tilting my head slightly, letting my voice sound casual, almost curious. “Maybe she’s been planning more than you realize.”

Jason laughed, sharp and a little too loud, like he was trying to mask uncertainty.

“I’ve known Sheila a long time,” he said, his tone tight. “She’s loyal. She wouldn’t—”

I let a slow, measured smile curve my lips.

“Loyal? Perhaps. But maybe she’s clever enough to think she can have her cake and eat it too. You wouldn’t be the first alpha she’s tried to outmaneuver.”

I let the words hang, letting doubt settle in the silence between us. The room seemed heavier suddenly, the air thick, almost warm from the tension that pulsed between us. I I could hear my own steady breaths, the faint clink of the chains around my neck, reminding me of my limitations but not of my control over this moment.

Jason’s jaw tightened, a vein pulsing at his temple.

“Are you saying she’s planning something… against me?”

The edge in his voice was sharper now, curiosity mixing with irritation.

I shrugged lightly, letting my wrists rattle against the chains just enough to punctuate my point.

“I don’t know what she’s planning exactly,” I said softly, “but anyone who underestimates her might end up surprised. Even someone as confident as you.”

His smirk faltered, replaced by a hard line. He stepped back, pacing a little, fists clenching at his sides. I could see the tension in his shoulders, the tightening around his eyes. He was trying to piece together whether I was bluffing or speaking truth, and that uncertainty was mine to control.

The silence stretched, charged and suffocating, as I stayed calm, letting him stew in the seed of doubt I had planted. My heart pounded, but my face betrayed nothing, the chains a faint reminder of restraint.

With a scowl and a growl of irritation, Jason turned sharply on his heel and stormed toward the door.

“You’re playing dangerous games, Phina,” he spat, voice low and bitter.

I let him go, leaning back slightly, tasting the faint iron tang of my own fear and adrenaline in the air. The plan was working. Doubt had been sown, and now the next move belonged to me.

Sheila swept into the room like a storm, her heels clicking sharply against the floor.

“Still squirming in chains, I see,” she sneered, eyes glinting with that same cold superiority. “Do you think you can outsmart me, Phina? You’re just a child tangled in things you don’t understand.”

I let my gaze meet hers evenly, letting a small smirk curl at the edge of my lips.

“Funny you should mention understanding,” I said calmly, “because I know exactly what Jason offered Asher today. Did you hear that, Sheila? Your precious alpha has someone else waiting to be his Luna.”

Her eyes narrowed immediately, a flicker of disbelief cutting through her usual composure.

“What are you talking about?” she snapped, voice tight, controlled, but the tension under her words betrayed her.

I leaned forward slightly in my chair, letting the chain rattle just a little, a subtle punctuation to my point.

“Jason offered me the position you wanted. Him over you. I guess even your so-called alpha doesn’t want you after all. How pathetic is that?”

I let the words land like stones in a quiet pond, waiting for the ripples.

Sheila’s jaw tightened, her nostrils flaring as anger surged visibly over her face. Her composure, so carefully maintained, began to crack.

“You… you dare—” she hissed, stepping closer, fists clenched at her sides.

I didn’t flinch. I stayed perfectly still, my breathing slow, letting the silence do the work that my chains couldn’t.

“Dare?” I asked lightly, tilting my head. “I’m just telling the truth. Even your own allies see where power really lies. Maybe you should start worrying about loyalty instead of me.”

Her lips pressed into a thin line, the sound of her sharp exhale cutting through the heavy air. The oppressive heat in the room felt like it thickened with every heartbeat. Sheila’s eyes darted toward the door, the tiniest tremor in her stance betraying the storm building behind that carefully constructed mask of authority.

She spun on her heel with a furious snarl, storming out before she could say more. The door slammed behind her, echoing through the still room.

I exhaled slowly, letting the tension leave my shoulders, but my heart was still hammering in my chest. The air was heavy with the smell of her anger, the faint creak of the floorboards settling, and the quiet hum of magic lingering around me.

“Game on, assholes…” I murmured to myself, tasting the faint metallic tang of adrenaline. The game was shifting, and for the first time, I could see a way to turn their chaos into my advantage.