Chapter 163 KNOTTY PLANS

Chapter 163 KNOTTY PLANS
MALIA’S POV:

​Upon seeing the girls’ confused faces, I realise quickly how strange this must sound to them with no context so I end up having to carefully explain everything I had learnt so far.
I tell them about the Voss curse… the terrifying reality of Lucien's cursed blood and his deathly ability to disintegrate anyone he touches when his cursed beast takes over, and how Blessed silver was originally forged from that very same dark lineage’s blood… Lila’s eyes nearly pop out at that! 
I also explain Kieran’s plan again, how he wants to use Lucien’s blood to forge an even more potent version of blessed silver… a weapon powerful enough to end the Lycans reign forever.
After I finish explaining, the room settles into an unsettling quiet…
​Lila sits back in her chair, reeling and visibly overwhelmed. Sophie looks even more confused than she was before my explanation and Sapphire… She’s surprising calm and taking in the information better than I expected. Finally, Lila rubs her temples and her chest is rising and falling in shallow breaths now as she reaches out and squeezes my wrist gently… her green eyes are heavy with sorrow.
​"Malia... I am so sorry for your loss," Lila whispers softly and her voice wavers… But then her brows pull together and a flicker of doubt crosses her face. “But I’m a little concerned…” She stares down at the vial in my hand warily… “I don’t think you should be doing this crazy stealth mission stuff in your current state! Also, are you... are you absolute certain Kieran's info is true? I know you trust him, but... I don’t know… why the hell is he sending you to do this when he knows it’s dangerous? He could get Lucien’s blood himself like a fucking man instead of using you like a freaking pawn!”
“Lila…” I start but she shakes her head and cuts in…
“No, It just feels odd somehow… Look I want to get rescued and get the hell out of here more than anyone… but maybe we should consider this carefully? how could Kieran possibly know all these details about the Voss curse? It makes no sense…”
​"It makes total sense!" Sapphire cuts in immediately and there is absolute conviction in her voice as she steps closer to me, her eyes are shining with a new restless spark. ”Kieran is a great Alpha who always protects his own… Of course he’ll do anything to get us out of here! He obviously uncovered their secrets! Lucien murdered your family in cold blood, Malia! You’ve seen firsthand what he’s like… You can't start doubting Kieran now! We have to do this… We have to help our kind fight back!"
​“Yeah?” Lila scoffs, “Well how do you intend to do that? Your ‘Alpha’ didn’t talk about that part did he? So Malia just bats her lashes at the Lycan King then stabs him with the needle? Are you fucking crazy?” Sapphire turns to me, ignoring Lila and her expression turns dead serious. “Actually… I think I have an idea on how you can get Lucien's blood without getting caught."
"You... You do?" I blink at her and Lila snorts, throwing her hands up in the air. “Yep… You’re definitely crazy. How the hell do you pierce a Lycan with literal blessed silver without him noticing, Sapphire?! The man probably has senses sharper than a razor! The moment you even think of pricking him with that thing, he'll tear your head off!"
​"Not if she catches him at his weakest…” Sapphire says smoothly, tilting her head. "I’ve heard… stories from some of the breeders in the manor who are already mated to Lycan guards. They say the males are most vulnerable right after ‘knotting’…”
​My throat instantly goes dry!
​A sudden, suffocating heat flashes up my neck and my heart starts to slam hard against my ribs! 
Knotting was their weakness? Lucien had mentioned knotting once after we had sex... He said that he’d have to ‘knot’ me to get me pregnant… I still had no idea of what that fully entailed.
“You’ve lost your fucking mind! That’s a terrible idea!” Lila snaps at Sapphire who simply shrugs. “She asked for suggestions…”
​Beside me, Sophie blinks her round eyes innocently, looking between the three of us with pure confusion. 
​"Uh... What's knotting?" She asks sweetly, tilting her head like a curious puppy. "Is it... is it some kind of game?"
​Lila lets out a long, ragged sigh, shaking her head. "Bless her heart..."
​"Yes, Sophie…” Lila says dryly, her voice is dripping with exhaustion now as she looks at the innocent girl. "It’s a very special game, dear… Played between a boy and a girl who love each other very very much… It involves certain ‘body parts’ and the girls who play that game?… Well, let's just say they always end up like your sister right here.” she points at Sapphire's bumpy stomach and Sapphire shoots her a surprisingly venomous glare!
​Sophie’s eyes widen as the realization slowly dawns on her and a bright crimson flush explodes across her cheeks, spreading all the way to the tips of her ears. She squeaks softly, clapping both hands over her face and turning her back to us, completely mortified. 
​"It's a crazy plan, Malia, even for you!“ Lila says, ignoring Sophie and rounding back on me with worried eyes. "It's way too risky! It could end horribly for you… Are you ready for all the things that could go wrong? What if his senses remain alert even after he knots? He is the fucking king, he’s not like those mere spineless guards! What if he catches you holding that silver needle? He'll lose his temper and kill you before you can even explain yourself!"
​"I don't care!" I snap back with my voice sounding colder than usual.. The grief inside me feels like a poison now, hardening into something angry and heated. "I want revenge for everything the Lycans have done to us! I want justice for my father! For Maddox!! I am not going to be blinded by this stupid mate bond anymore! I see Lucien for exactly what he is now... a monster!"
​I turn back to Sapphire, shoving down the wave of nausea rising in my throat as something in my chest twists painfully...
No! No room for doubts now! He killed my family! Lucien is a monster... I'll just have to force myself to realize that. Because if I don't... Goddess help me... I don't know how I'll ever put that needle into him.
"Tell me what you heard... How does it work?"
​"Well, the women said that right after a Lycan knots his mate and uh... releases, his body goes through a biological reset... Like a deep relaxed state..." Sapphire explains quickly, "So his usual alert instincts temporarily shut down... His senses get dull, and he falls into a brief trance-like state... He won't be vigilant then and he won't be alert. So you can catch him completely off guard and get his blood before he even realizes what's happening."
​"Okay... let's say that works and she gets the blood... as unlikely as that is. What happens after??!" Lila interjects loudly, throwing her hands in the air. "Have you lost your damn mind, Sapphire?! Malia and Lucien are fated mates! If he knots her, he's definitely going to spill his seed inside her! She'll get pregnant with his pup!"
​Lila steps in front of me, grabbing my wrists and looking straight into my eyes with raw panic. "Do you really want to bring a baby into this world like that, Malia?! A baby fathered by the man you're actively trying to betray?! All because of a crazy plan? Think about what you're doing!"
​My heart falters and a cold dread washes over me. I can't get pregnant! A Baby?... Hell no! Carrying Lucien's child while plotting his downfall... The mere thought feels like a dark, twisted nightmare!
"Lila's right... There's no way that could work." Sophie whispers under her breath.
"Well thank you Sophie! You see... Sophie agrees it's a foolish plan." Lila snaps.
​"But I have a solution for that part too..." Sapphire cuts in calmly, crossing her arms and Lila frowns, turning her head to scowl at Sapphire. "Well aren't you full of ideas today...What is your solution then?"
​"Why do you think there have been so few pregnant breeders so far?" Sapphire asks with a sly, knowing glint in her eyes. "Despite all the males taking females to breed during the harvest? It's because there's a birth control pill secretly circulating through the manor."
​My jaw drops slightly. "A pill?"
​"Yes," Sapphire nods. "It's made and supplied by the older werewolf servants who work in the kitchens and the laundry halls. They crush local herbs and roots with small amounts of silver to make the pills. It stops breeders from getting pregnant no matter how many times a Lycan knots them! If you take it, Malia, you'll be completely safe... You won't get pregnant after Lucien knots you!"
​"This is insane!" Lila groans, clutching her head with both hands as she paces the floor again. "Am I the only sane person here? It's a crazy plan, Malia! Can't you see? There is way too much at risk! You are risking your life, your body, your literal soul on rumors from kitchen servants and a wild promise from Kieran! Who by the way sent you on this suicide mission right after telling you about your family's murder! I mean... Please... just think about this carefully or... or think of another way?!"
​"There is no other way!" I yell with my voice breaking as tears of raw, blinding rage burn behind my eyes. "Lucien destroyed my life, Lila! He slaughtered my family! And I watched him smile while my world fell apart! I will not sit here and act like his dutiful little pet anymore! I'll do what I should've done from the start... I am going to make him bleed! I will avenge my family's death!"
​Lila stares at me silently and sighs... Almost like she's realized that no amount of logic or excuses is going to pull me back from this edge... Nothing can change my mind now.
​I turn my gaze to Sapphire and my expression hardens into stone.
​"Get me those pills," I command. "Get them for me today!"
​Sapphire nods once and Lila shoots her a glare which she ignores. "I'll have them in your hands before sunset, Malia..." Sapphire says.
​I look down at my trembling palms, clenching them into tight, fierce fists. The plan is set... There is no turning back now!
​I will swallow the pill... I will smile at the monster and I will use the mate bond he so desperately craves against him. I will seduce Lucien Voss, let him drag me to his bed, and wait for him to knot himself inside me.
The moment his guard drops and he sinks into the helpless trance of his own knot...
​I will drive the blessed silver needle into his flesh and fill the vial with his blood!