Chapter 145 Intruder-- Esme POV

Chapter 145 Intruder-- Esme POV
Esme POV

“Zeron, what the hell are you talking about?” Rina said, her temper boiling under the surface.
“You killed Alexi!” Zeron yelled.
A jolt went through me. This wouldn’t end well. He can’t just yell at her and expect her to come clean!
Rina balled her hands into fists and attempted to stand. Zeron stepped forward to stop her. “Don’t even think about it.”
“Is this what you called me for? I thought you heard about my wonder deed and wanted to work things out.”
She was talking about her miraculous healing of the pack’s crop.
“Is it really a good deed if your powers came from the death of innocent shifters?” I asked.
She glared at me. “Stay out of this, niece!”
The word ‘niece’ made me want to throw up.
“This is between your uncle and me,” Rina said.
My face twisted in disgust. “Gross!”
“Rina, I don’t have patience for you anymore,” Zeron growled.
I stumbled to the window. I’d never seen Zeron that way before. Rina was right in a twisted way. I placed a hand on my chest. Ugh, Rina knew how to get under my skin, and I hated that.
“Mate…” Zeron said. “You okay?”
Rina laughed. “She finally realised how wrong your relationship is.”
“There’s nothing wrong about what we have. She’s my destined mate. I was always meant to find her,” Zeron said.
Rina feigned a yawn. “Who cares? You found me first and married me. Marriage is sacred to wolves. You made vows to me.”
“You made vows to me too, Rina! Fuck, you weren’t supposed to try to murder me.”
“And you weren’t supposed to fuck my niece? How does it feel to have had both?” Rina stood.
“Sit down,” Zeron ordered, but Rina would not back down.
“Did you compare, Zeron? When you were with her, did you think about how good I was in bed? I hope Esmeray isn’t naïve enough to think you and I never had sex.”
Zeron grabbed her face swiftly and backed her into the chair.
“I’ve had enough of you, Rina. Do you know how easy it would be for me to burn down your mother’s pack?”
“You wouldn’t.” Rina’s voice trembled.
“Or how simple it would be to say a few words and banish you. I’d banish you and lock you up. There isn’t a council in the world that would fight, nor an army in this world that could defeat me. You’re not getting anything out of this divorce other than your freedom.”
“Zeron,” Rina gasped.
“Your mother made you too cocky. She made you think you were invincible. Her influence isn’t as great as mine. I’ll destroy you both, damn the consequences.”
“You have no idea who you’re messing with,” Rina spat, but her confidence had dropped.
Zeron had never spoken to her like this before.
“No, sweetheart, you don’t. You know what I’m capable of. We’ve been married long enough for you to know what I’ve done. You think you're special?” He spat, and Rina visibly trembled.
I remained frozen, my body glued to the wall, watching the man I loved rip his wife apart.
“What the hell did you do? Talk! Or you’ll never see the light of day again, or your mother,” Zeron warned.
“You think I wanted this?” Rina’s voice cracked. “I didn’t want any of this. I never wanted to marry you. All this was her plan! From the very beginning.” Tears filled Rina’s eyes and rolled down her cheeks.
My heart swelled with emotions, but I told myself not to be fooled so easily. This could be the prettiest crocodile tears ever.
“You are the strongest Alpha in the shifter world, Zeron. I thought I would be free with you. I had everything.” Rina threw her arms in the air. “I wanted to get pregnant so badly because I knew she’d leave me alone for a while, but that didn’t happen. You stopped touching me.”
Zeron’s gaze softened for the first time since I’d known them both.
“How could I protect you if you never told me?” Zeron asked gently.
A tiny piece broke off my heart. Jealousy raised its ugly head.
“I couldn’t! Her plans were always bigger. I didn’t even make the tonic that put you in a coma. A witch made it. It didn’t come out right. I knew if you died on me, I would be in big shit, not her.”
So that’s why she was desperate for me to save him.
“It wasn’t supposed to kill you, just remain in your bloodstream long enough for us to turn you into the beast that she could control. You’re powerful, Zeron. I bet your wolf’s fighting off the second tonic right now,” Rina said.
My blood ran cold. I knew he was infected again. If this tonic is different from the first, then it won’t put him to sleep. However, I have to get it out of his system before the eclipse.
There was so much I wanted to say, but they were still talking. I felt like the sorriest wallflower ever.
“How did you drug me the first time, Rina?” Zeron asked.
“It was everywhere. In your sheets, your food. It had no scent. That’s why you never noticed it. The day the tonic took effect, you caught me in your room with a vile putting a higher dose in your alcohol. We fought, and you left. You passed out in the forest. I got rid of the alcohol,” Rina explained with a sigh.
“And the slave?” Zeron demanded.
There was a slave who heard the arguing and told everyone in the pack house. The slave was never heard from again.
“The slave was one of Alexi’s slaves. He wouldn’t have her killed, so he sold her to another pack. Business always came first with him,” Rina replied. “Nothing’s going to happen to you until the tenth cycle of the sun. The sun and moon would have both had ten cycles, which will cause an eclipse. An incredible power surge will occur. Everyone should feel it, but Mom believes something is supposed to happen to you.”
“Like what?” Zeron asked.
Rina shrugged. “I never paid attention.”
“What did you do with Alexi, then?”
“I convinced him to take the drug himself and transfer it to you. I knew if he attacked you, it would be enough to get the drug into your bloodstream. I promised him I had a way to get the drug out of his system before anything bad happened. Didn’t turn out that way…”
“He’s dead, Rina! Your fucking drug killed him!”
My heart hammered in my chest. How long did Alexi have before he died? Rina couldn’t blame her mother for everything. She was just as evil! My temper simmered, but that wasn’t the only thing that boiled. The raw, destructive power burning beneath my skin had become unsettled.
I felt the power travel from my fingertips and move around my arms like a lover’s caress. It was oddly alluring. The power grew in urgency and grip. It would be so easy to let it consume me. I wondered what would happen if every inch of me was coated in intense destructive energy.
“Esme!” Zeron snapped.
I blinked and straightened my spine. The power retreated, and its grip on me weakened to the point I couldn’t feel it anymore.
“W-What?”
I completely zoned out.
Zeron pinned me to the spot with his gaze. “You’re not okay,” he said through the mindlink.
“How can I be when all this is happening? Besides, it’s not comfortable being the third wheel.”
He growled, but didn’t respond.
“The drug won’t kill you. I told you that’s not the point. Control is what she wants,” Rina explained.
“Don’t lie. You’ll stand to benefit,” I spat.
Rina narrowed her eyes. “I’ve come a long way and invested too much time and my body not to gain anything from this.”
Zeron knelt in front of her. “Would you rather lose your life? I’d make a deal with me if I were you.”
Rina remained quiet. She’d be a fool not to cut a deal right now.
“Hey, you can’t go in there!” Rowan shouted. “No, stop! Alpha! Intruder! Intruder!”
A thud sounded from the hall, and a male groan.
Zeron got up quickly. I barely had time to react when the bedroom door flew open.
“I wouldn’t call myself an intruder. I’m Alpha Zeron’s future mother-in-law!” Reya announced herself. She threw her arms in the air and beamed.
My breath caught in my throat. “Reya? How did you get here?”
Reya smiled. “I’ve been sneaking through borders since I was a teenager. All packs are the same. They have the same weak spots.”
Reya paused and stared at Rina. She grimaced. “Hmm, you have a lot of your grandfather in you and a small dose of powerful energy.” Reya held out her palm in front of Rina. “Give it to me.”
Rina gasped and pressed her hands to her chest. “What?”