Chapter 215: Remember your damn place

Elvira had spent the entire night of the Solstice with Joffrey. As she headed back to the mansion that morning, a cold, bitter sneer twisted her lips.

The Solstice had been a total disaster, which didn’t surprise her in the least. Every single one of Conri’s plans to get rid of Alyssa had ended in failure.

After she left Ragnar, she got the strange feeling that the night wouldn’t end well, and Alyssa wouldn’t die so easily.

So she changed her mind at the last minute, slipping away from the forest to spend the night with Joffrey in a hidden location. Only upon waking the next morning had she learned the horrifying truth; all the rogues were dead, Ragnar was missing, and Alyssa was still alive.

If you want something done right, don’t let a man do it, she thought to herself as she walked through the gates towards the mansion.

To her surprise, the guards who typically manned the entrance were nowhere to be seen. Even the guards who patrolled the perimeter were absent. The vast expanse of the estate’s grounds was eerily empty.

She headed straight for the front entrance, lifting a hand to push the door open. But a sudden wave of unease spiked in her chest. An inner voice urged her not to use that front entrance.

Without a second thought, she pivoted on her heel and hurried around the mansion, intending to slip through the side door that led to the garden.

As she rounded the corner, faint whispers drifted to her ears. She froze, straining to catch the muffled, fragmented words.

She recognized one of the voices instantly. It was Cara, Alyssa’s personal maid. Moving silently, she crept closer to the garden and peered cautiously over the trimmed hedges.

It was indeed Cara, accompanied by another maid named Sophie. The two girls were hanging freshly laundered sheets on the clothesline, murmuring among themselves.

"What did you want to tell me, Cara?" Sophie asked quietly. "You sounded really agitated."

"Keep your voice down," Cara hissed, glancing around nervously. "It’s about Mistress Elvira."

Elvira’s heart skipped a wild beat. What did they hear about her? She crept closer to the floral hedge, holding her breath to hear the words clearly.

"I heard Luna Alyssa earlier today," Cara continued in a breathless undertone. "They found out that Mistress Elvira has been working with Lord Conri and his son, Joffrey..."

Elvira’s ears began to ring as a sickening wave of shock and terror paralyzed her limbs. No! No, it can’t be. How? How the hell did they find out?

"How did she discover it?" Sophie whispered, her eyes wide with curiosity.

"Miss Samantha told the Luna everything," Cara whispered back. "She has been secretly following Mistress Elvira for weeks. She caught her with Joffrey–and you won’t believe it, they actually had sex right under the oak tree..."

"Goddess above," Sophie gasped. "Isn’t she the same woman who’s been begging the Alpha to take her back?"

"She’s utterly vile," Cara spat. "My mother always said she was a loose woman who slept around, even while mated to the Alpha King. And there are rumors going around that she and Lord Conri might be having an affair, too."

"Imagine sleeping with a father and his son," Sophie shook her head in disgust. "And Lord Conri has a mate of his own."

?"Who cares about his mate?" Cara cut in sharply. "The Luna caught him and Mistress Elvira last night before the Solstice began. They planned the rogue attack with the Rogue King. Now the Alpha has dispatched his warriors to drag Lord Conri in, while the guards are searching for Elvira."

Elvira could barely keep herself upright. The more she listened, the heavier the dread pressed against her lungs until she couldn’t breathe.

If Dorian found her, death was inevitable. She had to get out of here. She had to find Conri. It was all over.

Gritting her teeth against a sudden wave of nausea, she forced her trembling legs to move. She backed away slowly until she was well clear of the garden.

But as she turned to break into a run, she spotted three guards heading toward the mansion’s front entrance. Panic seized her throat.

Before they could spot her, she dropped low, scrambling desperately into a tight, thorny brush beside the mansion’s exterior wall. Sharp branches tore viciously at her skin, but she clamped her jaw shut, swallowing the pain and pressing her body flat against the dirt.

The guards trudged past, their boots crunching on the gravel as they muttered angrily among themselves. The moment the front door slammed shut behind them, Elvira burst from the brush. This time, she didn’t take the main path.

She slipped behind the mansion, plunging into the secluded, overgrown trail she always used when sneaking out to meet Conri.

Her hands trembled so violently she could barely unlock her phone to dial Conri. He was her only way out of this mess.

She broke into a panicked run the moment she left the estate, listening to the monotonous ringing tone drone on through the speaker. Answer the fucking call, Conri!

After several frantic redials, the call was finally answered.

"CONRI!" she shrieked, her voice pitching into a shrill, hysterical cry. "It’s over! Dorian knows everything. He knows about the plan with Ragnar, he knows it all. He’s searching for us..."

"I know," Conri replied, his tone strangely flat.

The total lack of emotion in his voice made Elvira freeze mid-stride. She hurried into the tall forest grass and dropped into a crouch.

"What?" she hissed, disbelief fracturing her voice. "You knew and you didn’t warn me? I thought we were partners in this!"

"You were working for me!" Conri snarled back, venom dripping from every syllable. "Remember your damn place!"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Elvira fired back, hysteria rising in her throat. "You can’t possibly be planning to abandon me, Conri. I won’t let you. I’m coming to your villa right now."

"Show your face there, and you’ll be walking straight into a trap," Conri retorted coldly. "Dorian’s men have already surrounded the villa."

"I... I don’t understand," Elvira stammered, tears blurring her vision. "Where are you? How did you even find out Dorian discovered the truth?"

"The moment the Solstice ended last night, I sent a guard to gather information. He found out and relayed it to me immediately. My family and I have already evacuated. We are leaving Wintercrest."

"BUT WHAT ABOUT ME?!" Elvira screamed, her voice cracking. "YOU CAN’T LEAVE ME BEHIND, CONRI! YOU CAN’T DO THIS!"

"For fuck’s sake, get a grip, Elvira!" Conri snapped over the line. "I never said I was leaving you stranded. There is one final task you must do."

"No," Elvira choked out, tears streaming down her cheeks as she shook her head. "I’m done. It’s finished. I won’t risk my life for this anymore."

"Listen to me!" Conri roared, cutting her off entirely. "You still hold the upper hand over Dorian. The mate bond still tethers him to you. You can exploit that connection to your advantage, Elvira."

Elvira squeezed her eyes shut, her head throbbing as if it were splitting in two. Her fingers curled tightly around the talisman resting against her collarbone as her mind raced.

"Fine," she breathed, defeated. "Tell... tell me what to do."

?"Smart girl," Conri murmured smoothly. "Listen closely and obey every word. Remember the poison you handed the head cook to slip into Alyssa’s food?"

Elvira nodded, forgetting that he couldn’t see her. "Yes. Yes, I remember."

"Good. You are going to sneak into the kitchen and poison the entire household’s meal, exactly as you did with the Sleeper’s Death."

"How am I supposed to do that?" she protested, her terror spiking anew. "The guards are on the lookout for me. It’s impossible."

"Find a way to make it happen, Elvira!" Conri barked, his patience wearing thin. "I am trying to keep you alive."

Elvira felt pathetic for clinging to his every word like a helpless fool. Yet she knew he was the only person who could protect her from Dorian’s wrath.

She sucked in a harsh breath and nodded. "All right. I’ll find a way. And after that?"

"Once that is done, make your way to Dorian’s study and hide," Conri instructed. "Do not step out for any reason until Dorian enters. The moment he does, take off the talisman and let the mate bond force him to his knees."

"What about you?"

"Once Dorian is under your command, the bond will stop him from hurting you," Conri continued. "Call me the moment it takes hold, and I will return. This is our final chance to get what we want, Elvira. Do not screw this up!"

Elvira let out another breath and wiped the tears from her cheeks. "All right. I’ll do it. I’ll call you the second Dorian is bound to me. But what about Samantha? I told you we should have dealt with her before she revealed everything."

"Forget about her," Conri muttered dismissively. "I’ve already sent someone to get rid of her. Just follow my instructions."

"Okay. I got it. Just promise you won’t leave me behind, Conri..."

The call ended abruptly, cutting her off mid-sentence.

She stared down at the screen for a long moment before squaring her shoulders and stepping out of the forest. She could do this. She had to. Her survival depended on it.

...

Miles away at the Wintercrest airport, Conri stared down at his cellphone with utter disgust.

With a sharp flick of his wrist, he hurled it to the tarmac, ground it beneath the heel of his boot until the glass shattered, and turned toward the idling helicopter where Bethany, Joffrey, and his two daughters sat waiting.

"Well?" Bethany demanded as he climbed aboard and slammed the door shut.

"The little brat took the bait," he muttered, adjusting his collar. "She’s going back to poison the household and try to seduce Dorian."

"You know he’s going to murder her, and the mate bond won’t protect her."

"Who gives a fuck?" Conri bit out, a cruel smile touching his lips. "Our plan is ruined, and we need to leave before Dorian finds us. When I’m ready to reclaim Wintercrest, I’ll return with the demons of the underworld if I have to."