CHAPTER 88: _WHEN A PLAN COMES AROUND

Elian’s POV

*****

A sharp headache split his skull, causing him to grit his teeth as his eyes fluttered open.

His vision was blurry, preventing him from seeing his surroundings properly... But he knew he had lost consciousness after the flash bang.

[And you’re right... System reloading. Goddess, there should be a drinking game on how many times you’ve lost consciousness in the past few days.]

Elian ignored the system, his mind reeling through everything that had happened before he lost consciousness.

From Lucian getting arrested, to him and Aurora going to confront Estella, only to meet her with Magnus...

Wait.

"Aurora?!" Elian yelled out without thinking but the next thing that welcomed his face was a hot slap, causing his head to swerve sideways.

The metallic tang of his own blood in his mouth was enough to jolt his senses back, letting him see the white marble floor. He finally noticed a stinging strain on his wrists, making him realise that he was tied to a chair.

Crap...

"Yell like that again and I’ll give you an actual reason to." Estella’s voice was what he heard next as he slowly raised his head again.

And there she was, standing in front of him with a scowl on her face, her eyes glinting like she was staring down on trash.

Her back was lit by the eerie glow of wall-crystals that bled pale yellow light across the room. The colour clung to her like a sickly halo, turning her scowl into something almost monstrous.

Elian only stared at her for a few seconds before scanning his gaze around his surroundings, the smell of stale air and wheat hitting his nostrils.

The room was large and empty, so empty that the scrape of the metal chair on the floor when he tried adjusting himself echoed with a bone-chilling sound.

[There are exactly five guards. Two behind you, two on the walls, and one pretending he doesn’t want to blink in case he misses the show.]

Elian swallowed, the weight of their stares settling heavy on his skin.

But not as much as the psychopathic bitch standing in front of him, her hands propped on her waist.

"What did you do with Aurora?" Elian asked with a cold whisper, glaring defiantly at Estella.

He tried wiggling his fingers behind him to see if there was any way to loosen the ropes... But he got nothing. He was bound, cornered and defenceless

Estella’s lips curled into a smirk as she snapped her fingers.

Suddenly, what sounded like a door behind Elian burst open and the sounds of hurried footsteps echoed.

"It really doesn’t have to be this way," Estella remarked, sounding like she was feeling remorseful. "But your darling mate, Lucian, has forced my hand."

[Two more guards coming in hot with a... Aurora.]

Soon, the two extra guards in question stepped into Elian’s view and dropped someone on the floor beside Estella’s feet.

Elian’s eyes widened when he saw her.

Aurora.

She was alive, thank the goddess, but her once beautiful silver hair was messy with dust, her gown filled with stains. She heaved heavily, sitting up and immediately glaring at Estella.

"You..." Aurora rasped, slowly rising on her feet although her legs were shaky. "Does your treachery know no end? How are you even related to Beta Axel?"

Estella shrugged. "Oh, honey. You’ll be surprised."

Elian squinted at that but she didn’t dwell further, clearing her throat.

"You know, I expected more of a fight from a fellow Alpha class wolf. But it doesn’t matter... That just means more bargaining chips for me against Lucian."

The tension between the two of them was thick, making Elian subconsciously hold his breath.

[Aurora’s energy levels are spiking... Rapidly. Also, yeah. Estella is also an Alpha class wolf.]

’You’ve got to be kidding me...’

Without warning, Aurora lunged at Estella, her fangs and claws coming out like death daggers aimed at the bitch’s throat.

But before things could escalate, the necklace on Aurora’s neck glowed with a faint blue light before a powerful burst of blue electricity spasmed through her, causing her to yelp in pain.

She fell to the ground again, struggling for breath while Elian stared at her with pure terror shaking his bones.

"No more games, Aurora. For your own good." A familiar deep voice sounded behind Elian as the door there opened.

The musky scent and calm footsteps further increased the pressure coiling in Elian’s stomach.

’Just how many Alpha-class wolves are in the palace?’ Elian couldn’t help but ask. ’I mean, I can get Aurora since her father is the Alpha King. But Estella?’

[Her and Axel’s bloodline is the cause of their power. Apart from them, there’s also the Luna Queen, although she’s more of a Wolf Sovereign and then...]

Magnus.

The bastard came into Elian’s sight with his polished suit and wicked grin, like some villain out of a novel.

But when he stood in front of Aurora, his own mate, he wore the fakest ass apologetic expression, tilting his head at her.

"My love... I’m sorry you had to be pulled into this." He whispered, as if he were talking to himself. "But when I listened in on your conversation with Lucian and Elian through that necklace I gifted you... I had to let Estella change—"

"Ugh, you two can do the whole couple reunion session later," Estella grunted with a roll of her eyes, turning around to face Elian. "We have the omega, Lucian is under his father’s custody and big brother Axel is all the way in the eastern parts of the empire."

She let out a satisfied breath, shaking her head before adding. "I love it when a plan comes around."

[Does she think we’re in some sappy soap opera with that half-baked villain monologue?]

Elian gritted his teeth, keeping his gaze on her. "What plan? What’s your end goal in all this?"

Estella was silent, clasping her hands in front of her chest with a mysterious smirk. That gave Elian time to flick his gaze to Aurora who was now being lifted off the ground by the guards who dragged her in.

"Well, Elian. It’s quite simple." Estella stepped forward just then, grabbing his jaw and forcing him to look into her crazed eyes. "You’re my ticket to getting Lucian to do the one thing I’ve always wanted him to do..."

Elian’s frown deepened as he struggled not to make a sound from the pain in his jaw.

Estella’s creepiness pushed further as she leaned closer until her lips brushed against his ear and she continued. "... Which is marrying me."