Chapter 02: Final regret

/-Miray-/

Darkness.

That’s all there was until light finally crawled its way back into my consciousness.

When I opened my eyes once again, I found myself in a dark basement, and that was when the smell hit me.

Rust, dust and something metallic.

I tried to move, but I couldn’t.

Then I realized my wrist had been firmly bound to the arms of the wooden chair.

Where was I? How did I get here?

The last thing I remembered was running, running from Royce’s apartment with the folder that showed everything, including the documents that exposed their plan to steal everything from me, an evidence.

“Hello? Who's there?”

Nothing.

My head throbbed with a dull, persistent ache, and my limbs felt heavy like lead.

I knew what it was.

Wolfsbane.

That was when the sound of approaching footsteps reached me and I raised my head to see several men walking into the space.

“Who are you? What do you want from me?” I demanded, hiding the fear in my heart under the mask of feigned bravado.

The men refused to say a word to me and that was when two figures emerged from the shadows.

My eyes widened when I saw who they were.

“As expected of the only daughter of the pack's Grand duke,” Clarissa’s voice dropped with mock admiration. “That much wolfsbane and you still wake within a day, truly impressive.”

I wanted to rip that smug smile away from her face, but I could only glare at her, with hatred enough to burn.

“What do you want from me?” I asked through gritted teeth. “I already gave him up for you. You won, so what else do you want?”

Clarissa laughed. A sound that felt like music, a sound we had once shared over wine and secrets.

“My dear, you think it's just him I want?”

“Then what…”

“You have too much, Miray.” She began, her pleasant smile quickly receding and turning far more ugly. “For someone your age, for a weak omega like you, you have too much. My plan was simple, send you abroad, let you stay there and quietly inherit everything your father has. But then…” Her eyes flashed with anger. “Then he gave more than half of everything to you, something that should have belonged to me.”

Clarissa’s composure cracked.

“Do you know how long I worked to get close to him? How many years I have spent investing in that unfeeling man? And he wouldn’t even sign over a single property to me. But you? You get everything without even lifting a finger.”

She glared at me, “I wouldn’t even have known if I hadn’t stumbled upon his will.”

Finally, the pieces began to click, and I began to understand what she’s getting at.

“You never cared about me, you just…”

She sneered, “Finally. The little omega’s brain has caught up.”

Omega.

The lowest in the hierarchy and the perfect pawn.

My eyes shifted to Royce, the man I’d given everything to, whose countenance remained indifferent.

“Royce,” my voice broke. “How long have you known?”

“Since the very beginning. Do you honestly think I’d settle for an omega like you?” He laughed, the sound mirthless. “The only useful thing about you was your father’s influence. That’s all I wanted, it was never you.”

“I’m pregnant.” I whispered, lips trembling.

But he remained calm.

“I know. I was going to accidentally cause a miscarriage after the marriage.” He said, so casually, like he was talking about dinner.

They had known and I had stupidly signed all my shares to him.

“So, what now? You have everything, what else?” I asked, my voice hollow.

To my surprise, Clarissa only smiled and raised her finger in her silent gesture. One of the men behind her approached me with a brown envelope and took out a few pictures. 

"Guess who this is?" Clarissa questioned with a devious smirk.

Photographs of my father.

Lying on a hospital bed, eyes closed.

Dead.

My face went pale.

"What did you do to my father, you bitch?" I yelled, struggling against the rope binding me.

Clarissa blew her polished nails casually, "What I did? Nothing much. I simply added a little something to his drink and like that, your old man vomited blood until his death. Blame yourself for seeing what you shouldn’t have.”

My brain went blank instantly. 

“No, no…”

The tears came, burning and hot.

My father.

He must have known something, that was why he kept warning me against Royce.

But Clarissa had egged me on, and as the only person supporting me, I had thought she wanted the best for me.

Who would have thought...

Royce leaned down and kissed Clarissa lightly on the lips.

“After taking all that belongs to us, I would get a better chance at taking the Alpha seat for myself and overthrow my brother. By then, you would have been forgotten.” Royce said, the same smile I had once loved etched on his face.

“You bitch…!”

My veins burned with raw fury as I clawed desperately at the rope. The rough fibers burned my skin, but I didn’t care. I pulled harder and harder until the knot finally gave way. 

I lunged forward, every cell in my body screaming to tear them apart with bare hands.

I managed three steps when the sound of a gunshot cracked through the air and I froze.

With trembling hands, I touched my stomach and saw blood gradually spreading across the fabric of my blue dress like spilled ink.

Royce lowered the smoking black rifle, “Two silver bullets should do the trick.” He said before pulling the trigger once again.

And the second bullet struck my shoulder before the first pain could even register.

My body fell with a loud thud, kicking up dust and sand.

Clarissa appeared, another pistol in hand.

"My turn." I heard her say.

Pain erupted everywhere, again and again after each gunshot. I tasted my blood, my tears and the sand.

This was it, how I died. But the hatred burned hot within me.

Gradually, my consciousness began to fade.

If only I could rewind time and take a different path, listening to my father.

If only...