Victoria’s POV
Jane teleported us to the sitting room and handed Aiden to his nanny. I waited for him to leave before angrily kicking the stool away with my legs.“Calm down,” Jane said. I groaned and paced around the sitting room, with thoughts buzzing in my head.I can't let Tony ascend that throne. Once he sits on it, it's over for Aidan and me.“Why don't you kill him?” Beatrice, my wolf, spoke for the first time since two weeks ago, after Derick’s death.“Beatrice, you're back,” I exclaimed in relief.“I saw that you needed me,” she responded, and a relieved smile appeared on my face. I thought she was going to mourn longer.“Maybe you should just burn that bastard to ashes,” Jane suggested, echoing my wolf's idea. But I shook my head. “They will know it's definitely me, and it would seem like treason,” I responded, running my fingers through my hair as I struggled to come up with a meaningful idea.“Who knows, maybe the Council of Alphas could vote in your favor,” Jane spoke, but I scoffed before responding. “You've forgotten so soon that the majority of those bastards hate me because of the incident three years ago when I threatened to burn them up,” I said.“Shit! I totally forgot. This is bad,” Jane murmured, while I remained silent, contemplating a solution.“Maybe you can seek the aid of someone, someone they are all scared of,” Jane said, and I turned to face her. “And who might that be?” I asked.“Bernard,” she responded.“Bernard?” I asked, and Jane nodded, but I shook my head. “You of all people should know that Bernard and I aren't friends. We became enemies after the fight, and we haven't talked in three years now,” I said, frantically shaking my head.Asking Lord Bernard for his help was pointless because I knew he hadn't forgiven me for not accepting his advances.“I know what you're worried about, but Bernard has a mate. He met her a few months after the fight,” Jane announced, surprising me. I didn't even know about this.“Really?” I asked.“Yes, my mate told me so,” she confirmed, and I took a deep breath, continuing to pace around while I pondered in thought.If what Jane said is true, that means Bernard has moved on and might no longer be angry at me.“There is only one way to know,” my wolf spoke, and I understood what she meant.Taking a deep breath, I gathered my emotions before closing my eyes to establish a mind link with him, something I hadn't done in the past three years.“Bernard?” I called, waiting for his signal or response. Surprisingly, I received a signal from him, which meant he didn't block me from accessing him. That was a good sign.“Victoria,” he responded in a firm voice, sounding certain it was me.“Bernard, is that you?” I asked to confirm.“Bernardo Silva,” he called out his full name in a rather rough tone, causing me to have cold feet about what I was about to say. But I mustered up courage and spoke up.“Bernard, it's me, Victoria.”“I know that already,” he responded, and I gulped shamefully. Never did I think that a day would come when I would actually need the help of a man I tagged as an enemy.“I need your help, Bernard,” I said, and noticed he remained silent, urging me to go on.“Alpha Derick is dead,” I announced and felt my wolf whimper in pain.“Everyone knows that,” he responded coldly, causing me to regret why I had actually reached out to him. From the tone of his voice, it was obvious he wouldn't help, but I still went out to speak.“I think his Beta had a hand in it,” I announced.“How are you so sure about it? From what I heard, he was attacked by some rogue and was burnt to ashes,” he said, causing a familiar pain to strike my heart.Lord Bernard wasn't kind with his words, and I knew I wouldn't receive any help from him.“Apologies, I'll end it here,” I spoke and wanted to end the mind link, but his next words stopped me.“I know why you reached out to me. You want me to turn the Alphas to your side,” he said, and I remained silent.“I'm also attending the meeting which is happening tomorrow night, but I will see you before the meeting starts,” he said while I furrowed my eyebrows, confused.“Tomorrow? Is the meeting being held tomorrow?” I asked, and Lord Bernard scoffed.“You don't even know that?” he asked, and I frowned.“Those bastards!” I cursed under my breath.“It's obvious the ruling won't be in your favor, but…” he paused and hesitated for a moment before he continued. “I'll see you tomorrow, shalom.” With that, he ended the mind link before I could even respond.With a heavy sigh, I opened my eyes and saw the curious gaze of Jane on me.“What did he say?” she asked.“The meeting is being held tomorrow, and I didn't know about it,” I grunted and left the sitting room in search of Beta Tony.I found Tony in his office, going through some paperwork. Without hesitation, I barged in, causing him to look up in surprise. His eyes widened when he saw the fury in my gaze, and he quickly stood up from his desk.“Victoria, what's the meaning of this?” he asked, clearly taken aback by my sudden intrusion.“Cut the act, Tony,” I hissed, my voice dripping with venom. “I know you had a hand in Derick’s death, and not only that, but the meeting is being held tomorrow, and you didn't tell me about it.” I said, and heard him chuckle softly as he moved away from his desk and walked over to me.“I have no idea what you're talking about,” he replied, his voice firm.“Don't lie to me,” I spat, taking a step closer to him. “I can see through your facade. You wanted Derick dead so that you could take his place as Alpha.”Tony smirked, his intense gaze holding mine. “You have no proof,” he muttered, his voice barely a whisper.“I don't need proof," I retorted, my voice cold and unyielding. “I know the truth, and I won't let you ascend to the throne. Aidan and I will never be safe under your rule.”A flicker of anger crossed Tony's face, but he quickly regained his composure. “You're delusional, Victoria. You're unfit to lead this pack, and the council will see that tomorrow.”I clenched my fists, my anger boiling over.“We'll see about that," I seethed. “Don't underestimate me, Tony. I'm still the Victoria of three years ago, and I haven't changed a bit.” With those words, I walked out on him and made my way back to the sitting room, where I met Clinton seated with Jane.Lord Bernard's POV“You're not eating,” Cora, my mate, asked when she noticed I was playing with the fork in my hand instead of eating.“It's nothing,” I responded, and she frowned and held my hand, which was placed on the table. “You know you can talk to me about anything that is bothering you,” she comforted, while I nodded and looked away.How do I tell her that I was worried because a woman I thought I had gotten rid of is back in my mind just by hearing her voice again?“Are you sure you don't want to talk about it?” she asked, and I didn't respond.“Is it because of my inability to give you a child?” she asked, and I knew she was about to nag again.“It's not about that. Stop filling your head with thoughts,” I groaned and stood to my feet. “I've lost my appetite,” I announced and walked out on her.I made my way to the gym attached to my home, took off my shirt, and began punching a dummy, pouring out my frustration on it.“And what do you think you're doing?” the voice of my w
Victoria's POVAs I stood before the mirror, a whirlwind of thoughts consumed my mind, and tension gripped my entire body. It was 5 pm, and the meeting in the pack house would commence in less than two hours. Fear, anxiety, and dread coursed through me as I anticipated the final verdict of the alphas. I knew they despised me and would seize this opportunity to exact their revenge, especially Alpha Simeon, whom I had burned. The scars of that encounter still lingered, and unfortunately, he was one of the judges."Why don't you just burn them all?" Beatrice groaned, but I knew that wasn't a viable option. With a deep sigh, I touched the pendant on my neck, a gift given to me by Derick. I stared at my reflection in the mirror as tears clouded my eyes. I never imagined he would be taken away from me. Everything still felt like a nightmare from which I wished to wake up.A knock on the door interrupted my thoughts. "Come in," I called out, and a female maid entered."My queen, Lord Bernard
Victoria's POVAs I walked into the pack house, I could feel tension in the air as they all stared at me. They all had an unreadable expression on their faces, which made it hard for me to detect their mood. I held gaze with Alpha Golden, and he also had that unreadable expression on his face. Taking a deep breath, I walked to my seat, which was beside Beta Tony. I took the seat and made Aidan sit on my lap. I looked down at him and could see he was frightened by the faces of the Alphas, but I placed a kiss on his forehead and wrapped my arms around him, giving him the assurance of protection and letting him know that I was with him and no one would harm him.I met gaze with Bernard, who was seated with the other ten Alphas. He also had that blank look that scared the hell out of me. I was scared, wondering if he would play me for a fool and decide to pay me back for refusing him years ago.“Take a deep breath, Victoria,” Beatrice comforted, and I did as she had instructed.The hall
Victoria's POVI paced around my room in a panic as his words rang in my head. I couldn't believe that I was actually doing this—I was going to have sex with Bernard. I was going to be his sexual partner, and there was nothing I could do about it.With a sigh, I stood before the mirror and gently caressed the pendant on my necklace as my thoughts turned to Derick. I wondered what he must be thinking of me and the decisions I had made. Surely, he would be angry with me, but I hoped he understood the situation I was in.“What's wrong? You should be celebrating,” Jane spoke from behind me, causing me to startle. With a deep sigh, I sat on the bed and saw the worry etched on her face as she stared at me. “What's wrong? You won, you should be happy,” she asked. I gulped, knowing I had to tell her, I had to confide in someone.As Jane sat down next to me, concern evident on her face, I took a deep breath and collected my thoughts. Opening up to her was the only way to share the burden I car
Bernard's POVI paced around the living room, feeling tense and anxious. Victoria was on her way, and I couldn't help but be nervous. All these years, I have wanted her. I have craved to hold her in my arms, and now, as if it's a dream, it's about to happen.“I'm against this, Bernard,” my wolf spoke angrily, but I shut him away and suppressed him from talking to me. Nervous and curious, I checked my wristwatch and realized it was almost 8 PM, with no sign of her yet. I knew she was avoiding being seen by anyone, so she decided to come in the dark. Not that I cared if anyone saw her. It's not like we were doing anything wrong, right?“I'm at your gate,” she announced through telepathy, and my heart skipped a beat. “Come in and lock the gate,” I spoke firmly, trying to hide the uneasiness in my voice.She closed the mind link without saying a word. “You can do this. Don't let her see that you're nervous,” I mumbled to myself and sat on the one-seater couch. I rested my back on the couc
Bernard’s POVIf eyes could kill, I should probably be dead, but all that did not matter to me. All that mattered was that she was mine tonight."Bernard!" she called out impatiently when she realized I was just staring at her naked body. "You didn't tell me that you wanted to sit and drool," she spoke, fuming with anger. "I'm not a..." she tried to speak, but I cut her off. "Get down on your knees," I said and saw her furrow her brow, confused at my words. "You heard me right. Get down on your knees," I repeated my words and saw her gulp before she slowly fell to her knees, and this time a droplet of tears fell on her cheek.Her tears hit me, but I sucked in a deep breath and gestured for her to come closer to me. Without hesitating, she crawled to me and stopped a few inches away from me.She lowered her gaze, unable to meet mine. With a sigh, I lifted her chin with my index finger and held her gaze. Her eyes were filled with pain, and I couldn't stop myself from slamming my lips ag
Victoria's POVI pushed him away and got off the bed. My heart was clenching with pain, and tears threatened to spill from my eyes, but I refused to let him see me cry. I walked over to where my clothes were scattered and picked them up, ignoring his gaze fixed on me.After dressing up, I grabbed my bag and made my way towards the door, but he stepped down from the bed, blocking my path, still naked. Anger surged within me, and my rage started to boil over. “And what is the meaning of this?” I asked angrily.“You're not leaving,” he stated firmly, causing my brow to furrow. “Are you serious?” I retorted with frustration, and he nodded.“You're not a whore that I would let leave after making love. I want you in my arms tonight,” he said, and I scoffed in disbelief. How dare he? How dare he think I would spend the night with him? Having sex with him was already torturous enough, and now this?Taking a deep breath, I composed myself and locked eyes with him. “I'm not spending the night h
Bernard's POVI opened my eyes with a smile on my face. I sat on the bed and checked the clock, realizing it was already 8 in the morning, and I haven't slept this long in a while.Memories of last night flooded my head, causing a big smile to appear on my face. I could still perceive her scent lingering around, and I couldn't help but take a deep sniff. A smile of satisfaction appeared on my face, and I couldn't wait to have her in my arms again.“What you are doing is wrong,” my wolf grunted. I sighed and got off the bed. “You have a mate…"“She doesn't bear my mark,” I responded. “Cora is my mate, but she doesn't bear my mark, and I believe you know why.” I snapped at him and left the bed.“Just because she doesn't have a good personality doesn't mean she won't change, Bernard,” my wolf argued, and I groaned. “You are just so obsessed with Victoria that every woman seems imperfect to you.” My wolf spat and shut himself away from me before I could even respond.With a grunt, I took