Chapter 85 CHAPTER EIGHTY-FIVE | RESULTS

Chapter 85 CHAPTER EIGHTY-FIVE | RESULTS
CHAPTER EIGHTY-FIVE | RESULTS

RACHEL

A man came to me just before dawn. He didn’t knock. He never does. He leaned close and whispered, “It is done.” That was all. I smiled so wide my face hurt. Then I laughed, slow and deep, the kind that comes from waiting too long. I stood up, smoothed my dress, and walked out of my room like nothing in the world could touch me.

I took the narrow passage behind the old lockers, the one only a few of us knew about. The air smelled damp and quiet there. Darius was already waiting, arms crossed, eyes sharp.

“It worked?” he asked.

I nodded. “She’s here. I took her myself.”

His mouth curved slightly. “Good.”

I didn’t wait for praise. I moved past him and opened the door to the lower room. Aspen lay on the floor, unconscious, hair tangled, face pale. I stared at her and felt heat rise in my chest.

I laughed again. “How dare you,” I said aloud. “How dare you steal my man and think I would just watch.”

Time passed. I sat on the table, swinging my leg, listening to her breathe. When her eyes finally opened, the shock on her face was better than any gift. She tried to sit up and froze when she saw me.

“Rachel?” she whispered. “Why?”

I leaned closer. “You really didn’t know?” I said. “You thought I wouldn’t find out about you and Ronan. My mate.”

Her eyes widened. “Your mate?” she repeated. “It doesn’t even matter. I’ve been pushing him away.”

I laughed softly. “Do you think that changes anything? Men don’t forget. Wolves don’t forget.”

She shook her head. “This isn’t you.”

I stood up. “You never knew me.”

I snapped my fingers, and the man beside the wall stepped forward. “Teach her a lesson,” I said calmly. “Make her understand.”

Aspen struggled, fear flashing across her face. “Rachel, please,” she said. “We can talk.”

Before he could touch her, footsteps echoed. Darius walked in, his presence heavy.

“Enough,” he said.

I turned. “She deserves pain.”

“She deserves to stay alive,” he replied. “She’s useful.”

I frowned. “For what?”

“For leverage,” he said. “For power. For war.”

Aspen looked between us, breathing hard. “You’re both insane.”

I smiled at her. “Welcome to the truth.”

Darius moved closer to me. “You did well,” he said quietly. “But remember, she is not yours alone.”

I held his gaze. “As long as Ronan suffers, I don’t care who owns her.”

Aspen lowered her head, silent now.

I walked back to the door and paused. “Rest while you can,” I told her. “This is only the beginning.”

Then I left the room, heart steady, knowing I had finally taken something back that was never meant to be hers.

I went back to my room long after the corridors fell quiet. The door closed behind me with a soft click, and only then did I allow my smile to return. The air inside was warm, heavy, expectant. I didn’t need to turn on the light to know he was there. I could feel him, the way you feel a storm before it breaks.

He stood near the window, nothing on but confidence, skin catching what little moonlight slipped through the curtains. He didn’t speak. He never did at moments like this. He only watched me, eyes slow, deliberate, like I was something he had already claimed.

“You’re early,” I said softly.

“You sounded restless,” he replied.

I laughed under my breath and reached for the clasp of my dress. The fabric slid down easily, pooling at my feet like it had been waiting for permission to leave me. I didn’t rush. I never rushed. Power lived in patience.

His gaze followed every movement, dark and hungry, but controlled. I crossed the room, close enough to feel his warmth, close enough that my breath brushed his skin.

“You’re shaking,” I said.

“From waiting,” he answered.

I lifted my hand and rested it against his chest, feeling his heartbeat steady and strong beneath my palm. “Good,” I murmured. “I like knowing I’m worth it.”

He pulled me in then, not rough, not gentle, certain. The kind of hold that reminded you where you belonged without needing to say it out loud. My fingers curled at his back as the world narrowed to breath and heat and the quiet pull between us.

Time softened. The room disappeared. There were no plans, no schemes, no stolen girls or broken alliances. Just this. Just the way tension melted when skin met skin, when silence said more than words ever could.

Later, we lay tangled in the sheets, the night pressing close around us. His arm was heavy across my waist, possessive, grounding. I stared at the ceiling, listening to his breathing slow, my thoughts already drifting back to Aspen’s face when she woke.

“Still angry?” he asked without opening his eyes.

I smiled. “Anger keeps me sharp.”

“And satisfied?” he added.

I turned my head, watching the shadows move across his face. “For now.”

He hummed softly, like that was enough.

I closed my eyes, letting the quiet settle, knowing tomorrow would bring noise again. Blood. Lies. Control. But tonight was mine. Completely. Undeniably.

And as sleep finally pulled me under, one thought stayed with me, steady and sure.

I stayed awake longer than he did. Sleep never came easily after nights like that. My body was calm, but my mind stayed sharp, replaying faces and words and the look in Aspen’s eyes when she realized who stood before her. I rolled onto my side, careful not to wake him, and let my fingers trace slow patterns on the sheet.

“You’re thinking again,” he murmured, half asleep.

“I’m always thinking,” I replied quietly.

He shifted closer, his forehead resting against my shoulder. “That’s what makes you dangerous.”

I smiled at that. Dangerous sounded better than cruel. It sounded earned.

When he finally drifted off, I slipped from the bed and wrapped a robe around myself. The mirror caught my reflection as I passed. I looked steady. Untouched. Like nothing could crack me open. That mattered. Appearances always mattered.

I poured myself a drink and stood by the window, watching the dark stretch over the school grounds. Somewhere out there, plans were already moving. People were already choosing sides without knowing it.

Aspen would wake sore and confused. Ronan would feel the pull and not understand why. Darius would want results.

And me? I would give them all exactly what they deserved.

I finished the drink, set the glass down, and went back to bed, letting the night close in again.
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