THREE
1410 Words
LILY:
Vergil turns away, moving to follow the officer, and I rise from the chair, my voice cutting through the air.
“I want to come with you.”
The detective stops, frowning with a grimace carved into his face.
“You’re still under investigation, ma’am.”
My eyes drift toward Vergil, searching for the soft corner of him that’s always made space for me, even when I didn’t deserve it. He doesn’t meet my gaze.
“She’s not running,” he says with his eyes on the officer. “Besides, it’ll be difficult to deny what she’s done when the evidence is right there.”
I know I chose his brother over him, but his words sting deep, and it feels like swallowing glass.
Outside, we walk toward my car. Or what’s left of it. It’s sealed off in crime scene tape, and the officer bends down, his flashlight sweeping across the area before he gestures toward the brake system.
“The brake was cut clean.”
The words hang in the air, and for a second, I want to laugh—not because it’s funny, but because it’s so goddamn absurd that Mathew could ever want me dead. He dumped me, yes. Humiliated me, absolutely. But murder? That was just a broken girl’s paranoia earlier, wasn’t it?
But the moment I see the wires, doubt slinks into my thoughts like a slow-moving shadow. No, it has to be Elena, I tell myself. I make excuses for Mathew. He was with me tonight, and no matter how disastrous the end was, he wouldn’t want to kill me.
My heart clenches again, throbbing with the ache of rejection still fresh in my veins.
“You’re not listening.” Vergil’s voice cuts into my spiral.
I blink. “Sorry, what?”
“Is there anyone you think would want to hurt you?”
My lips part before I can stop them. “Elena Ashburg.”
The officer barely reacts. That alone tells me everything I need to know. Elena is protected under the privilege of being the Beta’s daughter. If it were me, just the mention of my name would’ve had wolves at my door, clamouring to banish me for being a pauper.
“She… doesn’t like me,” I admit, choosing my words. “She never did. Maybe she wants me out of the way. Maybe she’s trying to manipulate him into marrying her.”
Vergil’s eyes narrow but he doesn’t say a thing. The officer sighs, flipping a few pages on his clipboard.
“We checked for surveillance footage. Dashcam’s wrecked. Nothing to recover, and without solid evidence, we’ll need to conduct a formal investigation.”
He looks at Vergil again, and this time I notice the way Vergil’s jaw clenches, like he’s already a dozen steps ahead, mapping his next move.
“Prince Vergil,” the officer says. “How would you like to proceed?”
Vergil doesn’t spare us a glance.
“Release her.” He speaks, already on his way out.
There’s no warmth in his voice, nor a hint of forgiveness. Still, I exhale a shaky breath as the officer removes the cuffs. My wrists sting, but I am grateful for freedom, because I too need to find my answers.
“Sign here,” the officer says, sliding a clipboard my way.
My hand trembles as I scribble down my signature. When I am done, I turn to leave with the bitterness in my throat threatening to suffocate me. I push through the station doors, bracing myself to find a cab or walk home barefoot if I have to, but there he is, standing against his car, arms crossed, brow furrowed in that permanent frown of his.
“Get in.”
He opens the door of his car.
I hesitate, just for a second, then obey.
The car is silent with just the low hum of the engine and the thunderstorm of my thoughts hanging between us. I want to tell him I would never do anything to sabotage him, to ruin his path to the throne, or to disgrace him, but somehow, I know those aren’t the words he wants from me.
When we pull up to my apartment, I reach for the door, already half-expecting him to leave without a word. But his voice stops me.
“I can help you.”
I pause, turning to look at him, and for the first time, he finally looks me in the eyes. That is when I notice the bloodthirsty, feral revenge burning in his golden-brown eyes.
“If you want revenge on Mathew, I’ll give it to you. Because I want it too.”
My breath lodges in my throat. “Why would you help me?”
He leans back, jaw tight. “Because I need something in return.”
The air shifts, and I swallow the knot of saliva in my throat.
“My father’s dying. You must know what it entails for me to become Alpha. I had that tonight, but Mathew destroyed that for me. But you know what?” He pauses, then lets a wicked smirk curve across his face. “Two can play that game, and I have just exactly what you want. You want power, fame, validation. You’ve been working in the shadows for too long without a title to your name, and I can change that. All you have to do is say yes.”
A rock settles in my throat. The kind you can’t cough up or swallow down.
This is manipulation, but this is Vergil, and he never breaks a promise.
I part my lips, ready to speak, but his phone rings.
He picks it up, listening, and his face hardens as I hear the person on the line speak.
“The Alpha is in critical condition. We need you now.”
His fingers twitch around the steering wheel.
“I need to go,” he says. “Think about what I said.”
He waits for me to get out, but instead, I reach for his hand without thinking.
“I’ll come with you.”
The second my skin touches his, the world goes still. A warm smell of coffee coils around my senses, and my wolf stirs inside me, purring and huffing as the words “Mate” echo in my ears.
I yank my hand away, gasping like I’ve touched a bush of thorns. My eyes widen, but he says nothing. He doesn’t even flinch, which leaves me confused. Does he not recognize me?
Vergil stares ahead at the road, starting the car again like nothing happened, like my entire reality hasn’t just shattered in the span of a breath. I try to believe the goddess is playing a joke and I am hallucinating about the mate bond.
Once we arrive at the estate, he’s out of the car before I can think, storming into the house. I catch Mathew’s scent, and I feel the need to confront him, so I follow it.
The scent leads me to a room, but before I can enter, I hear Elena giggle.
“Everything’s going according to plan,” she says, laughing. “It’s like taking candy from a baby.”
My heart drops as I hear kissing sounds, which sends a ball of disgust rolling around my belly.
“Lily’s so stupid,” Mathew chuckles. “She made it so easy. I can’t wait to show up at her funeral and cry big, fake tears.”
They kiss again, and I clutch my chest as the betrayal burns deeper. I think it is worse until Elena speaks.
“Stop kissing me. Kiss the baby,” she whispers.
The world stops spinning, and I shake my head. Baby? This can’t be possible, because there is a bloodline curse that says only true mates can bear the Storm’s heir. Then it hits me. My body turns to ice, and my lungs forget how to work, because it means… Mathew lied.
The room spins, and my feet move on their own. I don’t know where I’m going, but I can’t breathe or think. I burst through the hallway, heart pounding against my ribs.
“Lily!”
I freeze at the sound of Vergil’s voice, and he rushes to me with his eyes darker than before.
“I need your answer,” he says, voice low. “My father has been confirmed dead.”
I make a decision…
- Writer
