Chapter 18
Calhoun’s POV~
She saw it, the nerve she’d struck and she laughed like a banshee, so broken, mascara streaking down her face. The sound made my blood pound in my skull.
She tilted her head at me, eyes glinting with sick triumph. “What’s wrong, Calhoun? Did that cut too deep?” Her voice was taunting, cracked with madness. “Do you want to know what I found the first time I got into your Rolls Royce? Hmm p>
I clenched my fists, nails biting my palms.
She leaned closer, her breath sour with tears and rage. “Elodie’s panties. Her bra. And a little note she left for you under your seat, ‘Thank you, love. From Elodie.’” Her laugh splintered in the air. “But you never got to see it, did you? I destroyed it. Tore it up right in front of myself. Ha p>
Heat climbed up my neck. My skin turned molten red, my chest rising like I had fire trapped inside me.
But she didn’t stop. She pressed harder, lips curling like a snake ready to strike.
“Face it,” she spat. “You ruined Elodie, not me! She ran because she saw you for what you are, a weak, pathetic man. You should’ve protected her from me, but you didn’t. You hurt her. You chose me. And now?” Her teeth bared in a vicious grin. “Now you’ll rot in your regret forever. She’ll never come back to you p>
That broke something inside me.
A growl ripped out of my chest before I could stop it. My hand shot forward and clamped around her throat. She gasped, her nails clawing at my wrist as I squeezed. My vision blurred red. My wolf surged up, desperate to rip through her skin. My eyes flashed golden and feral, hungry to snap her neck right there.
She choked, legs kicking weakly, mascara tears running like blood.
“Alpha, please!” Tristan’s voice cut through. He gripped my arm. “There are too many eyes here. Stop before you do something you can’t take back p>
His words reached me through the haze. I froze. My chest heaved. Slowly, I let go.
Carmela collapsed onto the ground, coughing, gagging, her sobs turning to ragged cries. Her body writhed, pitiful and broken, but I felt no mercy. No satisfaction. Only disgust.
I stepped forward again, looming over her. She flinched, trembling. I fisted my hand in her hair, digging into her scalp until she screamed. And without a word, I dragged her across the floor.
Gasps rippled through the office. Whispers followed us like shadows. No one dared step forward. They only watched as I hauled her, her shrieks echoing, her hands clawing uselessly at mine.
I didn’t stop. I didn’t look back. I pulled her through the corridor, her sobs scraping at the walls, until the only thing left ringing in my ears was the sound of her pain.
And even then, it wasn’t enough.
I made sure Carmela was locked up. The dungeon in my northern estate wasn’t damp or filthy like some common prison, it was luxury stripped bare, turned cruel. White walls, no windows, a bed of splintered wood without sheets. I told Tristan to scatter broken shells across the floor, let her feet bleed with every step she dared to take. She would kneel for hours with her arms outstretched, heavy chains weighing them down. No food unless she begged, no water unless she cried for it. An Alpha’s daughter or not, Carmela would learn she wasn’t untouchable.
I didn’t check on her. Not once. I didn’t think of her. For one day, her existence evaporated from my mind. My chest was consumed by one name, one ghost and it was Elodie. The ache of her absence gnawed at me until I thought I’d lose my mind. Why had I been such a fool? Why had I let poison blind me? Fucking why?
The next day, I snapped. I picked out designers, jewels, perfumes, the best money could buy and had my assistants deliver them to Mila’s doorstep. But I didn’t leave with them. I lingered, pacing like a madman, until the last of them was gone. Then I knocked, stiff and heavy.
My heart pounded like a drum. When I heard her footsteps, my lungs froze. The door clicked, and Mila’s eyes fell on me.
Her face dropped. Cold. Disgusted. She went to slam the door shut, but I shoved my leg in the gap.
“Don’t.” My voice was hoarse.
Her growl cut through me. “What the hell do you want now, Calhoun? Haven’t you ruined enough mornings? Your face makes me want to gag p>
I swallowed the sting. I’d grown used to her tongue. In the past I’d have barked back, but today? Today I couldn’t afford pride. So I forced a smile and lifted the bouquet of roses.
Mila’s brow shot up.
She scoffed so loud it echoed down the hall. “Are you insane? Flowers? What the hell is that for? Carmela isn’t even living here! Or did your wolf chew through your brain?” She folded her arms, lips curling. “Tell me you didn’t seriously think roses would fix anything. Are you crazy p>
Her words cut me like knives, but the bite of them was so sharp it almost made me laugh. Almost. I flinched, sighed, and steadied myself.
“Mila,” I said quietly, “please. I didn’t come here to fight. I came to make peace. Every luxury I gave Carmela… I doubled it. For you. As an apology p>
She cut me off instantly, her voice like fire. “So now you’re here because Carmela finally broke your heart? That spell she had on you is gone, is that it p>
I froze. Her words gutted me. She was right.
Her eyes widened, and she gasped dramatically. “Oh no. Don’t tell me, you’re here for Elodie, aren’t you p>
“Yes,” I admitted, voice breaking.
Her eyes narrowed, so sharp as steel. I sighed again, heavy, beaten down. This was harder than facing any enemy.
“Can I at least come inside?” I asked. “Please p>
She rolled her eyes with so much disdain it nearly split me in two. “The only reason I’ll let you in is because Elodie said blood is blood. No matter what.” She shoved the door aside. “Don’t make me regret this p>
Inside, the air was thick with her disapproval. She didn’t waste time.
“If you’re here for her number, forget it. It’s not happening. Elodie’s gone p>
“I know.” My voice cracked. I dragged my hand through my hair. “And I’m sorry. God, Mila, I know I fucked up. Even my wolf won’t answer me anymore. He’s gone dead inside. I can’t breathe, I can’t think. My world’s falling apart if I don’t see her. I broke up with Carmela. I cut it all off. Elodie is all I have left. Please. Punish me, spit in my face, I don’t care. Just… let me try one last time p>
The silence was brutal. Mila’s face softened at the edges. She exhaled, sat down, and looked at me with a tired kind of grief.
“You know,” she said softly, “ Elodie loved you for nine years. Nine goddamn years. And what did she get in return? Heartbreaks. Over and over. You weren’t worth it. You were never worth it p>
Her words felt like knives in my ribs. My eyes burned red, my throat closing up. I nodded, stiffly.
“I know,” I rasped. “I know, Mila. Just this one time. One last time, to make it all right p>
And then I did what I’d never done before. What an Alpha like me would never do. I went down on my knees in front of her. Just because of Elodie.
Her mouth dropped open.
“Please,” I whispered. My voice cracked, so raw and desperate. “Just this once p>
Mila stared at me like she didn’t recognize the man in front of her. Slowly, she sighed.
“Fine,” she muttered. “I’ll ask Elodie if she’s willing to see you. But it’s not in my hands anymore. If she says no, then that’s the end p>