118

Diana

The walk to the main hall felt like an eternity, each step bringing us closer to the moment I’d been waiting for.

Jack walked beside me, his presence steady and strong, while my husband followed close behind.

The whispers of servants and guards echoed through the corridors, spreading news of Nina’s arrival like wildfire through the pack.

The alpha had already announced before her arrival that everyone should make her life a living hell for attempting to kill their beta, but they were strictly forbidden from taking her life.

When we entered the main hall, I saw her standing there; her posture straight and proud despite being surrounded by our guards.

For a split second, I caught the flash of shock in her eyes when she saw Jack, alive and well, before she quickly masked it.

My wolf snarled beneath my skin. She thought she could fool us again, playing the role of the innocent mate. I watched as she made herself appear smaller, more fragile, her eyes wide with pretended concern.

“Jack,” she breathed, her voice trembling perfectly. “I was so worried. I heard you were ill, and they wouldn’t let me see you...”

I couldn’t help but admire her acting skills; she had clearly learned from her father. The slight quiver in her voice and the way she wrapped her arms around herself, as if seeking comfort, were all calculated to draw Jack in and appeal to his protective instincts.

But my son wasn’t the same man who had fallen for her tricks before.

A cruel smile spread across Jack’s face, one I’d never seen him wear before. It transformed his usually kind features into something harder, colder. “Were you worried, Nina?” he asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “Worried that the poison didn’t finish the job?”

The color drained from her face, her delicately composed mask slipping for just a moment. “Poison?” she whispered, but I could smell the fear rolling off her in waves. “What are you talking about?”

Jack took a step forward, and Nina instinctively stepped back. “Don’t play innocent,” he said, his voice growing darker. “Why did you do it? Why did you try to kill me?”

“You knew?” The words escaped her lips before she could stop them, her eyes widening in genuine surprise this time. No more pretense, no more acting, just the raw shock of having her crimes exposed.

“I knew,” Jack confirmed, nodding slowly. “I just needed to hear it from your own lips. And now I have.”

The silence that followed was deafening. Nina’s facade crumbled completely, her shoulders slumping as she realized there was no way out of this situation.

The weak, vulnerable mate she’d been pretending to be vanished, replaced by something colder, more premeditated, more like her father.

“How?” she demanded, her voice harder now. “How did you survive? Tell me now.”

I couldn’t help but laugh, the sound echoing through the hall.

“You don’t understand,” Nina continued, her eyes darting between Jack and me. “You don’t know what’s really going on—”

“Oh, I understand perfectly,” I cut her off, stepping forward. “I understood the moment I learned who you really were. You’re just like your father, a betrayer, a poisoner, someone who destroys the people who love them.”

“My father?” she scoffed, dropping all pretense now. “What do you know about my father?”

“I know everything about your father,” I snarled, feeling my wolf rise closer to the surface. “I know how he killed Lucy, his first wife, my best friend, through slow poison while pretending to love her. I know how he orchestrated the rogue attack that finished her off.” I paused.

“And then he married your mother, as if Lucy had meant nothing to him. I know exactly what kind of monster he is, and now I see that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”

Something flickered in Nina’s eyes, surprise, perhaps, or uncertainty, but it was quickly replaced by defiance. “You’re lying,” she declared, but there was a tremor in her voice that betrayed her doubt.

“Mom doesn’t lie,” Jack said, his voice cold. “Unlike you.”

Nina turned to him, desperation finally breaking through her composed exterior. “Jack, please—”

“Don’t,” he cut her off. “Don’t try to manipulate me again. I trusted you. I believed in you. And you tried to kill me.”

“I had no choice!” she burst out. “I needed you out. Out of my way. I hope you understand me, Jack.”

Everyone was shocked. How dare she! How dare she think of getting rid of my beloved son?

“What I understand,” Jack muttered, stepping closer to her, “is that you’re exactly who my mother said you were. The daughter of a murderer, following in his footsteps.”

Nina flinched as if she’d been struck, but Jack wasn’t finished.

“I rejected you the moment I learned what you did,” he continued, his voice growing colder with each word. “Our mate bond means nothing now. You made sure of that when you decided to poison me.”

“No. You can’t do this to me,” Nina’s voice cracked with desperation. “Not now. Not when I am in your pack. You have to protect me from them. From their evil eyes.”

I watched her plead, unsurprised by her selfishness. Like father, like daughter – Alaric’s influence showed clearly.

“I have made my decision,” Jack’s voice rang with authority. “I, Beta Jack Pendragon, reject you, Nina Blackstone, as my mate and female beta.”

A smile spread across my face. Everything was falling into place.

“Accept the rejection,” I growled, making her flinch.

“No!” The word tore from her throat. “I will never accept this!”

Jack’s expression hardened as he gripped her face. “You have no choice. You will obey my mother’s wishes.”

“It hurts,” she whispered, her tone shifting to honey-sweet. “Jack...” I couldn’t help but laugh at her pathetic attempt. Who could possibly want someone who had tried to end their life?

“Answer me now.” Jack dug his claw into her flesh, earning a roar of pain from her. “Now.”

She refused to accept his rejection, leaving him no choice but to threaten her. In one swift motion, his hand locked around her throat, his message clear – this was not a negotiation.

“I will never let you reject me, nor will I accept your rejection. Do you want me dead?” Nina’s words came in ragged gasps. “You can’t hurt me. I know you still love me. You’re still obsessed with me.” Her eyes glinted with desperate conviction. “In this life, we’re bound together forever.”

I observed the confrontation with growing tension, knowing what would come next.

“You think I can’t hurt you, right?” Jack’s laugh held no warmth. “Maybe before, I would have hesitated. But now?” He released her, letting her crumple to the floor. Turning to the guards, his voice rang with cold authority. “Bring the torture devices.”

“Yes, sir.” They hurried out, and after a few minutes, they were back.

“This is it, sir.”

“Thank you. Torture her.” He leaned back, his eyes gleaming with a sinister satisfaction.

The room fell silent, save for the sound of her muffled cries. His smile widened as he watched her struggle.

We took our seats as they began their work. Nina’s screams echoed through the place, her contempt cracking with each moment of pain.

I watched with gleaming eyes, satisfaction coursing through me.

“How dare you, Jack!” Nina screamed out.

“Stop! Please!” Her resistance finally shattered. “I accept the rejection!”

Blood streaked her skin, a testament to how far her stubbornness had driven things. The price of her surrender was written in crimson.

Jack stood, moving toward her with measured steps. “Good. Say the words properly.”

“I, Nina Blackstone, accept your rejection.” The words fell from her lips like stones.

In that moment, something in the air shifted – a tangible change as the bond between them severed. It is over.

Turning to me, Jack’s expression softened slightly. “Mom,” he said, “she’s yours to deal with. Do whatever you think is right.”

The power of those words washed over me like a wave. Finally, after all these years, I had the chance to exact revenge for Lucy.

The daughter of her murderer was in my grasp, and she had proved herself just as poisonous as her father.

“Guards,” I commanded, my voice steady despite the rage burning through my veins, “take her to the holding cells. Make sure she’s secure. We wouldn’t want any... accidents.”

As the guards moved to grab her arms, Nina screamed. “Please. I am sorry. I regret everything. Save me, Jack.”

“Like father, like daughter,” I replied coldly. “You’re both very good at destroying things, aren’t you?”

As they dragged her away, her screams echoing through the halls, I felt a strange mixture of satisfaction and emptiness.

This was justice, wasn’t it? This was what Lucy deserved, what Jack deserved.

But as I watched my son’s face, saw the pain beneath his cold exterior, I wondered about the price of revenge. Lucy had always believed in mercy, in seeing the best in people.

What would she think of what I was about to do to her stepdaughter?

“Mom,” Jack’s voice pulled me from my thoughts. “Are you alright?”

I turned to him, seeing the concern in his eyes despite everything he’d just been through.

My sweet, strong boy, who had inherited not just my strength but my capacity for love, and unfortunately, my experience with betrayal.

“I’m fine,” I assured him, reaching out to touch his cheek. “We’ll handle this together. She won’t hurt you again.”

As we stood there in the now-quiet hall, I could almost feel Lucy’s presence, watching us, judging our choices. Would she understand why I had to do this?

Would she forgive me for what I was about to do to Alaric’s daughter?

Nina was in our custody, her true nature exposed, and my son’s eyes finally opened to the truth about his mate.

The game had indeed begun.