Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Klaus

I stared at her in anticipation for a reply. It was a difficult thing to ask of her, but it was necessary for my plan to work out. It would be impossible for her to love me if she remained romantically attached to someone else. I wanted to be the main focus of her love life, and for that to work, it was necessary that the idea of Mark becoming her lover in the distant future was completely vanquished.

"Do you promise that Lisa? You can't love him, nor can you accept his love. We're married now, we should focus on each other." I urged, and only then did she manage to speak.

"What about Maeve? Will you continue to love her?" Her voice was a whisper, yet it was heavy with emotions. I hadn't expected her to throw that question at me, yet I was happy she did. I might be playing a game with her at the moment, but it wouldn't be fun if she wasn't playing along.

I started my reply with a simple shake of the head. "Now that we're together, Maeve is no longer my lover." I clarified, yet Lisa wasn't satisfied one bit.

"When is she leaving? Or is she going to keep staying around?" She asked, and I immediately arched a brow and threw the same question back at her.

"Do you want Mark out of the castle? Or do you want him around?" Her once fierce eyes immediately softened after my question. She wanted Mark around, and while I didn't want that one bit, Damon had suggested that it was probably the nicest thing I could do in order to get Lisa's approval. The last thing I wanted was for my wife's ex lover to roam the corridors of my home. However, in order to reach my goals, I understood that sacrifices must be made.

Lisa on the other hand wasn't also satisfied with the fact that I wasn't kicking Maeve away immediately. It wasn't because she was scared of losing me to Maeve or anything related to that, she just didn't want to get bullied by Maeve anymore. After the confrontation last night, I could tell that she was being cautious of Maeve's next move, and I really couldn't blame her for it.

Although Maeve's position in my life was no longer relevant, I really couldn't get rid of her just yet. Her father was the Alpha of a neighboring pack, and treating his daughter harshly might cause some trouble for the both of us. I knew my relationship with Maeve would have to be kept on hold in order for me to fully convince Lisa that she could trust me. And while that seemed easy, Maeve wouldn't make it easy for any of us.

"So what do you say? Do you still want to see Mark?" I repeated, and only then did she nod her head to answer. I flashed her an inquisitive look, but a few seconds of glaring at her finally stuck out my hand for her to take. She was skeptical at first, but after a second of consideration, she finally placed her hand in mine and forced up a smile.

I led the way towards the clinic, and we walked in utter silence. Although I tried to liven up the mood by smiling at her at different intervals, that simply didn't outweigh the gloomy expression on Lisa's face. It was clear she was thinking about the deal she'd gotten into with me, and it was more than evident on her face that she was regretting every second of it.

As we approached the castle clinic, I couldn't shake the feeling of apprehension gnawing at me. Lisa's unease grew, and I couldn't help but keep a keen eye on her as we walked through the clinic entrance. I wanted to be certain that she was capable of keeping her emotions in check, and so far she wasn't doing a good job at that. I honestly didn't want to kill Mark off, he was pivotal in the plans I had. With him around, it would be a lot easier to blackmail Lisa into doing my bidding. However, I couldn't also sit around and watch another man play with my wife—the Alpha's wife.

Mark lay motionless, his face pale against the crisp white sheets. I was certain he'd be shocked to see Lisa's figure seated by his side, and I really wanted to see his first reaction. As if on cue, Mark's eyes flickered open, and the moment they caught sight of me, he began to curse at me.

"I don't care if you're the Alpha, I won't let you treat Lisa like an animal! I won't allow her to waste in the arms of a brat!"

"Mark, calm do" Lisa said, trying to keep her voice steady despite the turmoil swirling inside her "He's the reason you're still alive."

But Mark was not one to be easily pacified. His frustration boiled over, and he continued to berate me, his words a continuous rain of insults. I could feel my anger steadily growing by the second. I tried to keep myself calm, but getting berated by a nobody like Mark was not something I could handle very well. My fists tightened fiercely, and just as I was about to walk forward and put Mark back to sleep, Lisa spoke up.

"Enough, Mark," she said, her voice firm and unwavering. "You have no right to speak to him like that."

Mark's mouth fell open in shock, his anger momentarily forgotten as he stared at Lisa in disbelief. I couldn't help but feel a surge of pride at her strength, at the way she stood up for me without hesitation. I knew she was doing it to keep Mark safe, but I was still proud of the progress we'd made in such little time.

"He saved your life, you should have been persecuted for your actions, the least you can do is be appreciative for still keeping your life."

Mark remained stunned, but even as Mark's outburst subsided, I still couldn't shake the feeling of anger that lingered in me. I took a deep breath to calm myself down before finally turning towards Lisa.

"It seems he's not stable enough to handle visits for now. We'll return when he's psychologically fit to welcome visitors."

Lisa nodded in agreement to my words, and with a hung face turned towards the exit. Mark remained speechless, but it was probably because he had reopened his wounds and couldn't push himself any further.

With a sardonic smile on my face, I turned towards Mark with satisfaction in my eyes.

"Get well soon, Mark, we have a lot of things to do in the future."