Chapter 243
Chapter 243:
Before I could answer, Blake’s gaze drifted upward. She gasped, pointing to a spot high on the crumbling red brick wall, about seven feet off the ground. “Look at that p>
Hidden just beneath a thick canopy of ivy was a brand-new carving. It wasn’t a crude scratch made with a hairpin. It was deep, the edges razor-sharp as if carved by lethal Lycan claws. It was an ancient crest, and inside the shield were four distinct letters: A.W. + K.B.
Below the carving, the ivy leaves were dusted with the exact same red powder that stained my fingers—and Kain’s pristine white cuff.
“Damn,” Blake whispered, her Davenport scent spiking with awe. “That is aggressively romantic. He’s marking his territory p>
But a cold, confusing terror gripped my throat. A.W. Was it Adelina Wolfe? Or was it Alfred Waller? Was this a twisted, possessive display of his political ownership over me, or a secret monument to the male lover he was hiding from the world? The sheer dominance of the act sent a confusing warmth straight to my core, instantly warring with the freezing lies I believed.
The crunch of footsteps against the cobblestones shattered the quiet night.
“Still crying over old graffiti, Adelina?” a cloying, sickeningly sweet voice sneered.
I turned. Kira Parrish strolled into the courtyard, flanked by Fiona Stone and Chad Miller. Kira was wearing a white, floor-length dress that looked desperately close to a bridal gown. The scent of her jasmine perfume instantly soured the damp earth and ancient stone.
She stopped a few feet away, lifting her left hand to catch the moonlight. A massive, ostentatious diamond ring glittered on her finger.
“Jase officially proposed,” Kira announced, her eyes gleaming with malicious triumph. “We are getting married next month. I just thought you should know, since you’re out here mourning the life I took from you p>
𝗪е𝘦𝗸l𝘆 𝗋e𝗹𝘦𝘢ѕe𝘀 𝗼𝘯 ѕ.𝖼𝗼𝘮
I looked at the ring, then up at her smug face. I felt absolutely nothing. No jealousy, no heartbreak. Just a profound, exhausting pity.
“He’s your problem now, Kira,” I said, my voice a dead, calm void.
Kira’s triumphant smile faltered, stiffening at the corners. My indifference infuriated her. She took a step closer, her eyes narrowing into venomous slits.
“You can pretend you don’t care,” Kira hissed, her voice dripping with pure malice. “But we both know the truth. You’ll die a Rogue, Adelina. Alone, unmarked, and forgotten by the Goddess p>
The words hung in the chilly air, designed to completely break my spirit.
Instead, something deep within my soul snapped. The dormant White Wolf blood in my veins, suppressed by years of abuse and fear, violently surged forward. The atmospheric pressure in the courtyard plummeted to a freezing vacuum. The air grew so heavy and cold that Chad actually shivered, taking a subconscious step back.
I didn’t shrink away. I stepped forward, letting the crushing weight of my unseen aura bleed into the space between us.
“I can’t be jealous of your wedding, Kira,” I stated, my voice ringing clear and absolute in the quiet courtyard. “Because I’m already married p>
A deafening silence crashed over the courtyard.