Chapter 38 38
CHAPTER 38
\[Rhea’s POV\]
I sat there on the cold, hard floor, my head throbbing and my heart feeling like it had been shredded into a million pieces. The words that came out of Isolde’s mouth didn't feel real. They felt like a nightmare that I couldn't wake up from. I looked at her, searching for any trace of the girl I used to call my sister, but all I saw was a stranger with hollow eyes and a twisted smile.
"I’ve always hated it, Rhea. I hated why you had to be a halfling. Why you had to be the 'special' one everyone protected. Why the universe decided to give you everything while I got the scraps. And I especially hated why you got a perfect fiancé like Mark."
I let out a bitter, jagged laugh that hurt my throat. "Perfect? Mark? Isolde, are you insane? He’s a monster. He’s a stalker who tracked my every move. He’s a man who tried to force himself on me. If that’s your definition of perfect, then you’re crazier than I thought."
Isolde’s face flushed with anger. She took a step toward me, her hand swinging out to point a finger in my face. "Shut the hell up! You don't know what you're talking about! You never appreciated him. You never saw how hard he worked to keep you. You just took and took, and then you ran to those professors the moment things got difficult."
I closed my mouth, the heartbreak and exhaustion finally winning. I didn't have the energy to argue with a girl who had clearly lost her grip on reality. I just sat there, staring at the floor, waiting for the next blow to fall.
Isolde started to pace again, her boots clicking rhythmically. "I’ve wanted him since the day I met him. Do you know how hard it was? Sitting there, listening to you talk about your wedding, your plans, your 'perfect' life? I only became even closer to you so I could get closer to him. I needed to be in his orbit. I needed him to see me."
She stopped and looked at me, a look of smug triumph crossing her features.
"And he did see me, Rhea. Eventually, he fell right into my trap. While you were busy studying or complaining about how 'possessive' he was, he was coming to me. We had sex. Plenty of it. In your bed, in his car, in the dorms while you were at the library. He told me I was the only one who truly understood him."
I felt the air leave my lungs. The betrayal was so deep, so heavy, that I felt like I was physically sinking into the floor. Mark and Isolde. My fiancé and my best friend. They had been sleeping together behind my back for who knows how long.
All those times Mark had accused me of cheating, all those times he had screamed at me for even looking at another man or being near the professors, he had been the one doing the exact same thing. He had been projecting his own guilt onto me, using it as an excuse to control me, while he was having an affair with the person I trusted most.
"He cheated on me," I whispered, the realization bitter in my mouth. "He stood there and called me a slut, he tracked my phone, he nearly killed me out of jealousy... and all the while, he was with you."
"He was with me because I gave him what he needed!" Isolde shouted. "I gave him loyalty! I didn't run away! But it didn't matter. No matter how much time we spent together, no matter how much he claimed he loved me, he always went back to you. You’re the stumbling block, Rhea. You’re the only reason he won't fully commit to me. You’re the reason my 'perfect boyfriend' is still obsessed with a girl who doesn't even want him."
I looked up at her, a strange sense of clarity washing over me. If she wanted him that badly, she could have him. I didn't care about the trackers, the diamond ring, or the months of lies anymore.
"Isolde, listen to me. If you want him, take him. Fuck off and be happy with your perfect boyfriend. I don't give a damn about Mark Evans anymore. He’s yours. I won't stand in your way. Just let me go. I’ll leave the city, I’ll transfer schools, I’ll vanish. You can have the life you want."
I expected her to look relieved. I expected her to see the logic in it. But instead, she just stared at me for a long beat. Then, she reached into the waistband of her jeans and pulled out a long, silver knife.
I screamed, scrambling backward on the floor until my back hit the peeling wallpaper. "Isolde! What are you doing? Stop!"
"You think I’m a fool?" She asked, her voice turning cold again. She held the knife up, the flickering light reflecting off the blade. "I don't want Mark anymore, Rhea. He’s a loser. He’s a failed hunter who can't even catch a single girl without my help."
I blinked, confused. "Then what do you want?"
"I want the professors," she said, her eyes lighting up with a fresh, terrifying greed. "I saw them, Rhea. I saw the way they look. I saw the power they have. Lucien and Damian... they are the peak. They have wealth, they have strength, and they have that raw, Alpha energy that makes Mark look like a child. Why would I settle for a pawn when I can have the kings?"
I stared at her, my heart sinking. She was insane. She had gone from being a jealous friend to a power-hungry witch in the span of a few days. "You can have them, Isolde! I don't care about them either! Just please, put the knife down and let me leave!"
She let out a high-pitched, mocking laugh that sent shivers down my spine. "Are you really that stupid? Do you think I don't know about the bond? I’m a witch, remember? I can see the threads. I see the way you’re tied to them. I see the mate bond pulsing between your souls."
She stepped toward me, the knife held low at her side.
"You’re their mate, Rhea. As long as you’re alive, they will never look at me. They will never want me the way I want them to. Their instincts will always lead them back to you. You’re the 'special' one, the one who gets to have two Alphas all to herself."
She knelt down in front of me, the tip of the blade grazing the fabric of my shirt, right over my heart.
"The only way to sever a mate bond is death. If you’re dead, they’ll be empty. They’ll be searching for something to fill that void. And I’ll be there. I’ll be the one to comfort them. I’ll be the one to give them everything you couldn't. So you see... I have to kill you. It’s the only way I get to be the queen."
"Isolde, please," I begged, the tears flowing freely now. "We were friends. Please don't do this."
"We were never friends, Rhea. You were just a ladder and I’m finally done climbing."
She raised the knife, her grip tightening on the handle. I looked around the room, desperate for a weapon, but there was nothing. I was trapped in a room with a witch who had spent years feeding on her own hatred. Nyra, let out a howl of fear in the back of my mind, but she was still too weak to help.
I closed my eyes, waiting for the cold steel to bite into my skin, praying that Lucien and Damian would find me before it was too late.
"Goodbye, Rhea," Isolde hissed.