Fated To Three, Betrayed By All… Until She Rose novel Chapter 124

124 /142

**Healing Slowly But Surely**
By R. Joseph

My wolf.

Leilani.

“No… no!” Chalice stammered, her cheeks flushing a vivid shade of pink, as if she had just stepped into a sauna. For a fleeting moment, her eyes shot daggers at me, but that fire quickly extinguished as she turned her attention to Zevran, her voice low and strained as she forced out, “My nickname isn’t Candy, and I have no idea why Leilani here insists on calling me that.”

Perhaps I was a little twisted, or maybe I had fully embraced my role as the villain in this unfolding drama. The moment her words tumbled out and I witnessed the struggle etched across her face, a wave of satisfaction washed over me. It was a delight so profound that a grin broke across my face, unbidden.

“I never realized you despised that name so intensely,” I remarked, my voice laced with amusement. I couldn’t help but chuckle as her expression shifted from defiance to a desperate plea in an instant.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about!” she exclaimed, her voice a mix of indignation and panic.

“Oh, but you do!” I replied, my tone gravelly, flashing her a cheeky smile despite the way her parents shot me looks filled with open disdain. “But don’t fret; I’m far too unwell to engage in a proper argument right now. You’ll just have to wait until I present your gift.”

The sight of her nearly collapsing to her knees filled me with an exhilarating sense of triumph… and then some. She quickly turned away, draping an arm around Zevran, but the moment she touched him, he shrugged her off, his gaze narrowing at me with suspicion.

“What are you really after, Leilani?” he seethed, his voice low and dangerous.

And for the very first time, I let the truth spill from my lips without a hint of pretense. “Your downfall,” I drawled, relishing the shock that rippled through the room.

Mom and Chalice gasped audibly, while Dad and Zevran looked as if they were grappling with a particularly nasty bout of constipation. Jarek, however, was clearly entertained. He leaned casually against the wall, a smirk playing on his lips as he absorbed the unfolding spectacle with keen interest.

Sometimes, he would whistle when I struck a chord he liked, and at other times, he would nod encouragingly, silently urging me to continue.

“Leilani, don’t be foolish!” Chalice interjected, her voice laced with a mixture of irritation and fear. She was the quintessential two-faced witch who had turned my life into a relentless nightmare. I offered her a smile, but to my surprise, she didn’t return it. Instead, she shrank back behind her father, tears welling in her eyes as she glared at me with a mix of anger and vulnerability.

“You don’t have the power to ruin my fiancés, so stop with your empty threats,” she retorted, her voice trembling.

“I might not be able to easily topple them, but you…” I let my voice drift off, watching her brow furrow in confusion before she completely turned away from me. “And you certainly wouldn’t want to discover just how foolish I can be, would you?”

My tone dripped with a blend of mockery and veiled warning, and she seemed to grasp the implication immediately. Her mouth snapped shut, and she lowered her lashes, trembling slightly under the weight of my unwavering glare.

For the first time since the dawn of time, Chalice regarded me with eyes that pleaded for mercy, tears spilling down her cheeks as she turned to her father, crying out, “Let’s go see Kael. Please, forget about Leilani!”

“You still haven’t explained why she keeps calling you Candy!” Zevran demanded, his voice sharp as a knife, just as Father spat out, “Why are you so afraid of her?”

“Because, Mr. Blackthorne and Alpha Stormborn, your woman here seems to have an insatiable sweet tooth,” Jarek interjected, wrapping his arm possessively around my shoulders.

I glanced at Zevran, noting how his eyes tracked Jarek’s hand with barely concealed irritation. His frown deepened as I—ever the firecracker—leaned closer to Jarek, placing my hand over his chest.

In that moment, Jay caught my eye, a playful smile dancing on his lips, his eyes sparkling with mischief. He raised his head to meet Zevran’s gaze and drawled, “Perhaps you should get to know your fiancée a little better before the wedding. I’ve heard she has an insatiable love for candy.”