Chapter 179 CHAPTER 179

Chapter 179 CHAPTER 179
Rodrick's POV

I realized I was losing Lucy.

She had stopped taking my calls. Whenever I tried to approach her, she found some excuse to leave, and the distance between us seemed to grow with every passing day. I had gone to different lengths to get through to her. I had spoken to her mother. I had spoken to Seraphine. I had even spoken to Alpha Keleb.

But still, Lucy refused to come around.

It was as though she had made up her mind to forget everything we had been to each other for eighteen years. Eighteen years, and she was willing to throw it all away as if none of it had ever mattered.

The thought made something dark twist inside me.

I clenched my jaw, forcing down the anger rising in my chest. My wolf was restless beneath my skin, reacting to the rejection I refused to accept.

If I could not have Lucy, then no one else would.

The maid in Alpha Keleb's mansion who was in charge of the guest room was an acquaintance of mine. I knew her through a friend, and I had always suspected that she could be useful if the right opportunity presented itself.

That day, I decided she was going to be the key to what I planned.

I called her aside when no one else was around.

She followed me reluctantly, glancing over her shoulder as if she already sensed that something was wrong. I waited until we were far enough from the others before lowering my voice.

"I want you to do something very important for me, and I need you to be as discreet as possible."

She raised a brow, studying my face.

"What do you want, Rodrick?"

I reached into my pocket and pushed a small bottle toward her.

"This contains a very potent plant. A plant strong enough to weaken Lucy and eventually kill her."

Her expression changed instantly.

She had picked up the bottle, but the moment my words registered, her fingers went slack. It slipped from her hand, and she caught it again before it could hit the floor.

"What do you mean by that, Rodrick?" she whispered, her voice trembling. "How could you ask me to do such a thing?"

I took the bottle from her and rolled it slowly between my fingers.

"Because it's the only way I can have peace," I replied.

I could feel the tension gathering in my shoulders, but I kept my expression calm. There was no room for hesitation now.

"And I know you've always wanted Alpha Marcus."

She went still.

"I've heard some of the whispers," I continued. "Getting rid of Lucy would give you access to Alpha Marcus. Don't you think so?"

She didn't answer immediately.

Her eyes dropped to the bottle in my hand. For several seconds, the only sound between us was the distant movement of servants through the mansion.

Then she slowly nodded.

She agreed.

A faint smile touched my lips.

"Good."

I pushed the small bottle toward her again.

"You will put two drops of this into the water she is going to drink. That's all."

She stared at the bottle, then at me.

I held her gaze without blinking.

There was fear in her eyes now, but greed was there too.

And I knew exactly which one would win.

The plan was to poison her the day before the mating ceremony.

I didn't want Lucy to make it to the ceremony. I couldn't bear the thought of standing before the entire pack and watching her accept Marcus when I knew he was going to ask her to be his mate.

The humiliation would have been unbearable.

So that night, I waited for Clara to do what I had asked.

I stayed close to my phone, checking the screen every few minutes, my patience wearing thinner with every passing second. My wolf was restless, pacing beneath my skin as though it could sense the anticipation in my blood.

Then my phone rang.

I jumped to my feet and answered immediately, pressing it against my ear.

"I have done it," Clara said.

"Good."

I ended the call and immediately began looking around the mansion for a way inside.

Clara had given me access through a secret passage behind a door at the back of the mansion. It was a route few people knew existed, and it allowed me to enter without drawing attention.

I slipped through the passage and emerged inside the guest quarters.

The moment I stepped into the room, I saw Lucy lying on the bed.

She looked weak.

Her face was pale, and there was little strength in the way she moved. Yet the moment her eyes landed on me, recognition flashed across her face.

"Rodrick," she whispered. "What are you doing here?"

I smiled.

It was a strange smile, even to me. There had been a time when seeing Lucy was enough to make my entire world feel right. Now, looking at her only reminded me of everything I believed she had taken from me.

Who would have thought that the intense love I had once felt for Lucy could become something so twisted?

Something that resembled hate.

I reached into my pocket and pulled out the small bottle, holding it up where she could see it.

"You feel weak, don't you?"

Her eyes fell on the bottle.

Recognition came immediately.

She gasped, her expression filling with horror.

"What did you do to me?"

I took a slow step toward her.

"I killed you, Lucy," I said quietly. "Because you killed me first."

Her breathing became uneven.

She tried to push herself upright, but her arms trembled beneath her weight. Whatever strength she had left seemed to drain away by the second.

"Please..." she whispered.

For a moment, I simply watched her.

Then she began pleading with me.

I reached into my pocket again and pulled out another small bottle.

I held it between my fingers, letting her see it.

"This is the antidote to the poison, Lucy."

Her eyes locked onto it.

"And I only need you to do one thing."

I stepped closer to the bed.

"Marry me. Right now. Here."

I held up the antidote.

"And I'll give you this."

For several seconds, she stared at me.

Then, despite her weakened condition, she chuckled.

It was a quiet, almost disbelieving laugh.

Even now, she was stubborn.

She slowly shook her head.

"I would rather die than marry you, Rodrick."

Her words struck harder than I expected.

My fingers tightened around the bottle.

For eighteen years, I had convinced myself that Lucy belonged with me.

Now, lying before me and barely able to stand, she was still choosing death over giving me what I wanted.

And somewhere deep inside me, my wolf went completely still.

"Are you sure?" I asked, shocked by the sheer determination she had to refuse being with me.

Her eyes were closing, but she could still speak.

"You will forever be a monster, Rodrick."

Her voice was faint, yet there was something unwavering in it.

"As long as you live, you will look for death and not be able to find it. You will not be able to live within others, because the hideous nature in your heart will begin to show itself physically."

Her breathing grew shallower.

I watched her lips part as though she wanted to say something else.

But nothing came.

Then she stopped talking.

And I knew she was dead.

For the first few seconds, I forced myself not to feel regret or grief.

I was numb.

I stood beside the bed, staring at her motionless body, waiting for some emotion to break through the emptiness inside me.

Nothing came.

I looked around the room and noticed a bottle of wine.

It was a parcel that had been sent by Lydia.

An idea immediately formed in my mind.

I took the wine bottle and uncorked it. Then I poured some of the wine into a glass and placed it beside Lucy.

I wanted it to look as though the wine had been involved somehow, giving everyone another explanation to consider when they found her.

Then I turned toward Clara.

"Alert the house that Lucy is dead and has been poisoned."

Clara's face went pale.

I didn't wait for her response.

I simply looked back at Lucy.

The woman I had loved for eighteen years was dead.

And I had made sure that the entire pack would believe someone else was responsible.