Plan gone wrong

“How could he do this to us?” Damien asked, his voice thick with anger. “He betrayed us, and he’s completely lost my trust.”

“Well, when he reported us and acted like it was nothing, whatever hope I had left in him went down the drain,” Lucian said sincerely.

“Same here,” Damien added.

“Do you still think he’s up to something, some plan or reason behind all this?” Lucian asked, raising his brows, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

“Oh yeah, I still think he’s up to something, but he’s lost my trust,” Damien replied firmly.

“To me, he doesn’t look like he’s planning anything, just a betrayer and a backstabber,” Lucian thought to himself.

‘My gut tells me Kael’s up to something. I’m sure he’s doing this to find our mate. But because he betrayed us, my trust in him is gone. I pity Lucian, it’s unfortunate he’s still naïve and not as wise as Kael,’ Damien thought, though he didn’t say it aloud. Instead, he stared blankly, lost in his thoughts.

“What are you thinking about?” Lucian asked, snapping Damien out of his thought.

“Well, I’m just thinking about all the bad things Kael has done to me,” Damien lied, though it wasn’t entirely false.

“If you say so,” Lucian muttered, shrugging. “So now that Father has threatened us not to search for our mate anymore, what should we do? Should we forget about her, or keep looking like we’re supposed to?” He folded his arms and studied Damien, waiting for an answer.

“Umm… we’ll still look for her, but we have to pause for a while and make Kael believe we’ve stopped and are on his side,” Damien suggested. What he didn’t know was that Kael was always one step ahead.

“Seems like a good idea, but I’m not really good at pretending,” Lucian admitted.

“If that’s the case, I’ll do most of the talking while you just play along,” Damien offered.

“Well, that’s simple enough. But how could I deceive others the way Kael did?” Lucian asked, raising his brows.

“All you need to do is back me up with short sentences. That’s it,” Damien explained.

“If you say so,” Lucian muttered again, shrugging.

The two brothers drifted into lighter conversation, laughing harder than they had in a long time whenever Lucian cracked a joke. But what they didn’t know was that someone was watching, observing their every move through a screen.

“They think they’re smart. Their plan to deceive me is good, but not good enough,” Kael said, his eyes fixed on the image of Damien and Lucian laughing freely. “I’ll play along and manipulate them in order to achieve my goal. Laugh now, because soon all you’ll feel is betrayal. But you don’t need to know, it’s for your own good.”

The room he spoke in was soundproof, his voice only audible to himself. “It’s time to invite Cassidy over so she can carry out her part more easily,” Kael added under his breath.

He switched off the system, closed it, and stepped out, heading straight for Cassidy’s room. At her door, he knocked gently, which was an unusual softness from him.

“Who is there?” Cassidy called from the other side.

“It’s me. Kael,” he replied.

Cassidy opened the door quickly. “Good day, Alpha,” she greeted, stepping aside. “You may come in.”

“Good day to you too,” Kael said, though he shook his head. “Not today. I came to invite you to my quarters. Maybe I’ll stay here another time, but not now.”

A bright smile spread across Cassidy’s face. “Thank you so much, Alpha. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

Kael nodded once and left, heading back to his quarters.

When he arrived, he turned the knob and pushed the door open. Inside, Damien and Lucian immediately stopped their conversation and turned toward him.

“Kael, we’d like to tell you something,” Damien said.

Kael moved to his bed and sat down. “Go ahead.”

“We realized that you were right about moving on and forgetting about our mate. So, we’d like to join your side now,” Damien said, with Lucian nodding in agreement.

“Wow, that’s great to hear,” Kael said, excitement edging his tone. “Cassidy will be coming over soon. I invited her.”

“That’s good,” Damien said.

“Yeah, it is,” Lucian added, backing him up.

“Let’s wait for her in the parlor,” Kael suggested, rising to his feet.

“Alright,” Damien agreed, and the three of them went together.

Moments later, the doorbell chimed. Kael opened the door to find Cassidy standing there, her appearance carefully arranged to impress.

“You look beautiful,” Kael told her, making a blush rise to her cheeks. He stepped aside to let her in.

“Thank you,” Cassidy replied shyly, carrying a tray of drinks as she entered.

Kael closed the door and followed her into the parlor, where Damien and Lucian were already seated.

Cassidy set the tray down carefully, then looked up with a bright smile. “Good day, Alphas.”

“Good day to you too,” Damien and Lucian replied together.

“Have a seat,” Kael offered, tapping the space beside him.

Cassidy sat where he indicated, still smiling. “I brought some drinks for all of you.” She picked one up, laced with aphrodisiac, and handed it to Kael. She was about to serve Damien and Lucian when Kael suddenly pulled her onto his lap, catching her off guard.

“How about I feed you instead?” Kael asked, his voice low and husky.

“No need,” Cassidy said quickly, nervous about the drink’s contents.

Kael forced the rim to her lips and tilted it, making sure she swallowed.

“I already have my own,” Cassidy protested, pushing the glass away.

“But I want to feed you, baby,” Kael murmured, his breath hot against her neck.

He poured the rest into her mouth. Almost instantly, the effects began to show, her body flushed, her desire overwhelming. Cassidy writhed, rubbing against him, desperate to ease the heat coursing through her.

“Please,” she pleaded, voice raw with need.

But Kael pushed her off his lap.

Damien and Lucian exchanged confused looks as Cassidy whimpered.

Kael lifted her into his arms, carried her to the door, and set her down outside before closing it firmly.

“What did you do?” Lucian asked, his voice tinged with alarm.

“I saved you,” Kael answered flatly, and then walked away, leaving both of his brothers stunned.