Chapter 81 Her Destruction
Simone Pov
I met Jace in the shadows behind the athletics building after the event officially ended. The sun had set completely now. Everything was dark except for a few scattered streetlights. Nobody would see us here. Nobody would know we were meeting.
Jace was already waiting when I arrived. He was leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets. He looked angry. Frustrated. Like someone whose perfect plan had just fallen apart.
"Well that was a disaster," I said as I walked up to him. "Calix completely ruined everything."
"I know," Jace said. His voice was bitter. "I watched the whole thing. Watched him run onto the course like some kind of knight in shining armor. Watched him save her. Watched them walk away together."
"My father is furious," I said. "He risked everything to sabotage that course. He could lose his position as Beta if anyone traces it back to him."
"Nobody will trace it back to him," Jace said. "We were careful. We covered our tracks."
"Careful wasn't enough," I snapped. "The plan failed. Maddie is still here. Still hiding her secret. Still taking what's mine."
"Then we move to Plan B," Jace said. He pulled something from his jacket. An envelope. "We go more direct. More public. More undeniable."
"What's that?" I asked. I pointed at the envelope.
"Insurance," Jace said. He opened the envelope and pulled out several photos. "Photos I took of Maddie when we were dating. Photos of her in white wolf form."
My eyes went wide as I looked at the pictures. There was Maddie running through a forest. Her fur was pure white. Glowing almost. Beautiful and unmistakable and absolutely damning.
"These are perfect," I said. I took the photos from him and examined them more closely. "These prove exactly what she is. There's no way to explain these away. No way to deny the truth."
"That's the idea," Jace said. "Tomorrow night at the victory party we make sure everyone sees them. We expose her secret in front of the whole school."
"How?" I asked. "We can't just walk around showing people photos. They'll ask where we got them. They'll wonder why we have them."
"We don't show them directly," Jace explained. "We make copies. Lots of copies. We leave them all over the party venue. On tables. In bathrooms. Taped to walls. Make it look like someone leaked them anonymously."
I thought about it for a moment. It could work. If we spread the photos everywhere before the party started. If we made it look random and chaotic. If we acted just as shocked as everyone else when people found them.
"We'll need access to the venue early," I said. "Before anyone else arrives. Before security is set up."
"Can you get us in?" Jace asked. "You're on the planning committee aren't you? For the victory party?"
"Yes," I confirmed. "I'm supposed to help set up decorations tomorrow afternoon. I can make sure we have time alone in the venue. Time to place the photos."
"Perfect," Jace said. "I'll make copies tonight. Fifty. A hundred. However many we need to make sure everyone sees them."
"What about Maddie?" I asked. "Will she be at the party? She might not come after what happened today."
"She'll come," Jace said confidently. "She's on the team. Attendance is mandatory for all athletes. She doesn't have a choice."
"Good," I said. "Then she'll be there when her whole world falls apart. She'll be there to see everyone's reaction. She'll be there to face the consequences."
I looked at the photos again. Maddie looked so free in these pictures. So happy. So completely unaware that the person taking them would one day use them to destroy her.
"When did you take these?" I asked.
"Camping trip," Jace said. "About a year ago. Before everything fell apart between us. She shifted to run through the forest. Thought we were alone. Thought she was safe."
"But you followed her," I said. "You took pictures without her knowing."
"I told myself it was because I loved her," Jace admitted. "Because I wanted to capture every part of who she was. But really I think I always knew I might need leverage someday. Something to hold over her if things went wrong."
"That's twisted," I said. But I wasn't judging. I understood completely. Sometimes you had to do twisted things to protect yourself. To get what you wanted. To win.
"Maybe," Jace agreed. "But it's about to pay off. Tomorrow these photos will be everywhere. Tomorrow everyone will know the truth. Tomorrow Maddie loses everything."
"What happens after?" I asked. "After she's exposed. After everyone knows. What then?"
"Then every pack in the region will want her," Jace said. "They'll try to claim her. Use her. Control her bloodline. She'll never have peace again. She'll never be safe again."
"And Calix?" I pressed. "What about him?"
"Calix will have to choose," Jace said. "Protect Maddie and deal with the political nightmare. Or distance himself and focus on his responsibilities as future Alpha."
"He'll choose his pack," I said. "He has to. He can't risk everything for one girl. Even if she is his mate."
"That's what we're counting on," Jace agreed. "And when he does. When he pushes her away to protect his pack. She'll be alone. Vulnerable. Broken."
"Perfect," I said. I handed the photos back to Jace. "Make the copies tonight. Bring them tomorrow. I'll make sure we have access to the venue early."
"How early?" Jace asked.
"Two hours before the party starts," I said. "That should give us enough time to place all the photos. To make it look natural. To cover our tracks."
"And if someone sees us?" Jace asked.
"They won't," I said. "I'll make sure the venue is empty. I'll send the other committee members on errands. I'll create distractions. Whatever it takes."
"You've really thought this through," Jace observed. "You're good at this."
"I have to be," I said. "Calix is slipping further away every day. If I don't do something drastic I'll lose him completely. This is my last chance."
"And mine," Jace said. "My last chance to make Maddie pay for what she did. My last chance to prove that running away doesn't solve problems."