Chapter 12
1011words
Alaric later sent a formal cooperation proposal. I accepted without hesitation—between us, formalities were unnecessary. I would simply ensure our partnership benefited us both equally.
Corbin, the young werewolf leader, became a regular visitor at my company. Our initial project had blossomed into a genuine friendship.
Perhaps that's what mature friendships look like—aligned goals, comfortable silences, mutual respect.
He often invited me to dinner, and I always accepted. During these meals, I shamelessly picked the brain of this business genius whom even Alaric respected.
He was a walking business encyclopedia who'd walked right into my life—it would have been criminal not to take advantage.
Of course, there was one particularly interesting incident during this period.
One evening after dining with Corbin, Alaric arrived to pick me up.
Our families were discussing a major partnership, and as representatives of the younger generation, we were heading to a planning meeting.
Since my breakup with Karen, my relationship with my father had improved dramatically through our shared work.
That day, he'd finished early and was waiting at a café near our usual restaurant. When I arrived, I spotted a woman standing beside him.
It was Lorelei, of all people.
She wore a server's uniform and was holding up her phone, speaking too softly for me to hear.
I couldn't resist using my enhanced hearing to eavesdrop.
"Prince Alaric," she was saying in that sickeningly sweet voice, "I just can't bear to see you deceived like this. It's such a waste. I don't understand how Alicia could treat you this way… You're such an exceptional man, and she doesn't appreciate you at all…"
I laughed out loud, strode over, and snatched the phone from her hand.
It showed me dining with Corbin.
The angle was deliberately misleading, making it appear we were embracing.
Caught red-handed, Lorelei quickly reclaimed her phone. Remembering my treatment of Karen, she immediately adopted her victim pose—eyes brimming with tears, looking pathetically vulnerable.
"Please don't hit me," she whimpered. "I just… I just thought this was unfair to Prince Alaric. He's such a wonderful person, and you should treasure him…"
Just as she delivered this performance, Alaric emerged from the café.
He witnessed the entire scene.
SLAP!
I slapped her hard across the face, right in front of the man she was trying to manipulate.
Damn, that hurt my hand.
I adopted her saccharine tone: "Oh my, I was just trying to dust off that excessive makeup about to drip from your face! I didn't expect your skin to be so thick, sweetie. My poor hand hurts now—you won't hold it against me, will you?"
If she wanted to play the innocent victim, I could play that game too.
Still mimicking her, I extended my hand toward Alaric with a pout. "Alaric, my hand hurts so much. Would you blow on it for me?"
When I grabbed his arm dramatically, he was visibly startled.
But being the quick-witted prince he was, he recovered instantly and played along, gently blowing on my hand twice with exaggerated tenderness.
"I'm so sorry you had to endure that, darling," he said with perfect dramatic timing. "I'll buy you something special to make up for it. It's entirely my fault for not handling this situation properly."
Alaric knew my entire sordid history with Karen and Lorelei.
But who knew he was such a talented actor?
"Promise?" I simpered.
The sound of my own voice nearly made me gag.
I dropped the act and faced the stunned Lorelei.
"I've never actively moved against you because I didn't think you were worth the effort," I said coldly. "Karen was the one who truly betrayed me. But that doesn't make your actions any less despicable."
"Wake up and face reality. Not everyone is as pathetic and manipulative as you."
I walked away without a backward glance, leaving her standing there in shock. With that slap, our accounts were settled.
Alaric fell into step beside me as we left.
In the car, I suddenly smiled. He glanced over. "Have you finally let it go?"
"Yes," I nodded, feeling strangely light.
"I thought I'd moved on long ago. I kept telling myself to be rational—that Karen was the one who wronged me, not her."
"I told myself she was just another woman, that I shouldn't direct my anger at her. But seeing her try to drive a wedge between us—I couldn't let that stand."
"Turns out I'm not as forgiving as I thought."
I shook my head ruefully.
Alaric laughed—a genuine, full-throated laugh I hadn't heard in years. "You're absolutely right. Remember, she's the one who made the mistake, not you. Don't punish yourself for someone else's wrongdoing."
"Now, let's go find our princess something special!"
I laughed with him, gazing out at the city lights streaming past the window.
"In that case, I won't hold back!"
Lorelei's fatal mistake was misjudging the relationship between Alaric and me.
Alaric and I had long ago transcended ordinary friendship—we were closer than blood relatives.
She assumed everyone was as easily manipulated as Karen.
About a week after the council incident, Vivian sent me a message.
She reported that after we left, Karen had confronted Lorelei in a frenzy, demanding to know if everything between them had been a lie.
Lorelei had merely sneered with contempt, calling him a pathetic dog bound by a Blood Oath, too stupid to see he'd been used.
Without my protection and resources, Karen's abilities had deteriorated dramatically. Even Lorelei now considered him beneath her—worthless.
Witnesses said Karen's eyes transformed in that moment, becoming those of a wounded, cornered predator.
Before anyone could intervene, he seized Lorelei by the throat and dragged her into the shadows of the castle.
Neither of them was ever seen again.
I read Vivian's message, then calmly deleted it.
That was his judgment, and his fate—neither of which concerned me anymore.
My immortality stretched endlessly before me; I couldn't waste it mourning one fallen star.
Ahead lay an entire universe of possibilities.
