?Chapter 666:


    But I wasn’t content to stop there. This was only the beginning.


    I needed more—Makenna’s trust. Without it, my ns would stall. I wanted her to see the Lycan royal family for what they truly were: unworthy of her loyalty, unworthy of her love.


    For that, I had to y the long game.


    The perfect chance came during a heated confrontation between Antoni and Makenna. Timing was everything. I intervened just enough to draw Antoni’s attention away, cing myself squarely in Makenna’s orbit. Slowly but surely, I began closing the distance between us.


    End of shback


    “You’re insufferably cunning!” Evie snapped after learning the truth. Her re could’ve burned a hole through me. “Makenna trusted you, and all along, you were pulling the strings!”


    “So what?” I shrugged it off.


    Evie scrunched her face, clearly puzzled. “Why didn’t you just use aphrodisiacs? Wouldn’t that have been easier? The princes would’ve actually slept with the sex ves, no illusions necessary.”


    Her question made meugh—a sharp, humorless sound. “You’re so na?ve,” I said, shaking my head. “Aphrodisiacs are too crude and obvious. They leave traces and raise suspicions. My potions, on the other hand, are wless. No color, no taste, no trace, and they dissolve perfectly in water. It’s the safest, most effective way.”


    Evie bit her lip, hesitation flickering across her face. “But is it really right to deceive Makenna like this?” she murmured, more to herself than to me.


    My patience snapped. My gaze turned cold as I growled, “Did you reallye here in the middle of the night just to spout this nonsense?”


    Evie squared her shoulders, her voice rising defiantly. “I just want to be sure you’re not going to hurt her. She’s my friend, and I won’t let anyone harm her.”


    Stay connected at g?lnσν????s?c?m


    With a dismissive wave, I turned away. “I’ve told you what you wanted to know. Leave. Now.”


    “You damned scoundrel!” she hissed, stomping her foot like a frustrated child. But she didn’t push further. Instead, she spun on her heel and left through the window.


    As soon as she left, the pain from my injuries caught up to me. I slid down against the wall, each breath a fresh reminder of my battered body.


    From the adjacent room, faint sounds carried through the walls—intimate, primal noises that grated on my nerves. They fueled my irritation and, inexplicably, my guilt.


    I clenched my fists, closing my eyes to shut out the world. I only hoped Josie wouldn’t hate me for this. Everything I was doing, every cruel step I took, was for her—to avenge her death. And once this was over, I swore I’d protect her daughter with my life.


    Makenna’s POV:


    That night, Bryan was exceptionally aggressive and rough. I fought hard, but I couldn’t escape his grasp. It was only when the early morning light began to break that Bryan, likely worn out from his own frenzy, held me close and drifted off to sleep.


    But sleep never came to me. Looking at Bryan’s peaceful face, I felt a storm of resentment and fury ignite inside me, burning hotter with every breath.


    I knew I couldn’t stay with him a moment longer. Carefully, I moved his arm off me, slipped out of bed, hurriedly put on my clothes, crept to the door, and fled the hospital in a panic.


    The sky was already lightening, the morning air cold and crisp. The biting wind struck me as soon as I stepped outside, making me shiver violently and sneeze again and again.


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