CHAPTER 20
The Breaking Point
“You’re making a mistake, Adrian”
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Alice’s voice slithered across the darkened room like a snake, and he could almost hear the venom behind her words. Adrian’s jaw
was clenched tight, fists deeper, but he never budged. He had waited too long for this.
1?” Adrian said, his tone colder than it had ever been. “Because I think the real mistake was ever trusting you.”
The smile that played on Alice’s lips was taunting, and the casual ease in her carriage lent an impression as if she were not
disturbed about anything in her life. “You know, I used to think you were smarter than this. But I suppose that’s what happens when you let your feelings cloud your judgment.” Taking a slow step forward, eyes flicked with disdain across his figure. “You’ll
regret this. You don’t know who you are up against.‘
“Maybe not. But I know enough to realize your lies.” Adrian stepped closer; his eyes locked with hers. “I know you’ve been
playing all of us. The pack, me, all of it. Your little game ends now,”
Her smile didn’t falter, but there was something dangerous in her eyes now, something darker. “You don’t get it, do you?” she hissed, her voice low with warning. “I’m not the one who’s been playing a game, Adrian. I never have been. But you? You’re about to lose everything.”
“You can’t scare me anymore, Alice,” Adrian said, his voice unshakeable, even if his insides were churning. “Your grip on this pack? It’s over. You’re done.”
Alice laughed, and it wasn’t in the least funny. “You think so? You really think that you have the power to take me down? You’ve lost all control. And I’m not the only one pulling the strings here, Adrian. Far from it.”
He clenched his teeth. “Who else is behind this? Who’s really pulling the strings?”
Her gaze darkened, a shadow flickering across her face. “You’ll find out soon enough. But by then, it’ll be too late.”
Adrian stood there for a moment; the air thick with tension. He wanted to press further, wanted to dig into her, but something held him back. He knew somehow that if he pushed too hard, she’d break–and with her, she’d drag everyone down with her.
“Get out of here, Alice,” Adrian said, his voice hard. “Before I make you.”
Alice tilted her head, her smile wide and knowing. “You think you’ve won, but you’re playing checkers while the rest of us are playing chess.” She turned on her heel and walked out, her laughter still echoing in the air.
Adrian stood in silence, his heart racing. He had expected a fight, but not this–he hadn’t expected her to sound so, confident.
Flora stood by the window, her hands clutching the edge as she watched the disappearance of the sun. The air was heavy with the promise of change, and that weight fell upon her chest like one she could not shake.
She was to make a decision–one which would define her for the rest of her life. She had a deadline now, a promotio
now, a promotion within the
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military that could secure her future but meant leaving everything behind, leaving Adrian
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She did not want to think about it, didn’t want to feel that ache that was always there whenever she thought about him. Anger,
betrayal, love–the feelings were still tangled inside her, a mess she couldn’t untangle no matter how hard she tried.
A knock at the door sent her whirling around, and her heart fell at the person standing before her.
“Adrian,” she said with hardly a whisper of voice.
He came into the house, his eyes glued on her without asking permission for entrance, and it seemed at this very instant that the outside world melted away.
“Flora,” he replied in soft but hoarse tones, “I want you to hear me out.”
She didn’t say anything right away; she just watched him, her fingers curled over the edge of the windowsill. The silence between
them was thick, but neither of them seemed to want to break it just yet.
Finally, she exhaled, her shoulders sagging, “I don’t know what you want from me, Adrian.”
“I am not here to ask anything of you,” he said, edging closer. “I simply need for you to understand the situation. Alice–she is not
just my problem. She is all our problem.”
Flora raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
Adrian shook his head. “She’s been working with someone else, bigger than her, and now it’s time to make her move. We can’t let
her.
Her heart had
ad stopped a beat. “Who else? Who is really behind all this?”
I don’t know yet,” he said, “but I will find out.”
Flora’s gaze
softened for a moment, but then the reality of her situation hit her. She wasn’t just a soldier anymore. She had a
future to think about, a decision that needed to be made. “I’m being given an ultimatum, Adrian. Stay, and deal with all of this, or
leave, and take the promotion.”
Adrian stiffened at her words, his eyes narrowing. “You’re thinking about leaving?”
Flora sighed, walking over to the desk and picking up the folder that held all the information about her future. “I don’t know what
I’m supposed to do. I’m tired of this mess, Adrian. Of everything.” She paused, her fingers brushing the edge of the folder before setting it down. “But staying here with all of you, with you. It’s hard. Too hard.”
He stepped closer, his voice quiet. “Flora, don’t let Alice, let alone anyone else, make this decision for you.
–
“That’s easy for you to say,” she snapped, looking up at him, frustration and confusion blowing over. “You’ve already made your
choice. You’re staying in the pack. You’re staying with the mess that you created.”
He flinched at the words, but he didn’t back down. “I’m trying to fix it, Flora. And I’m asking you to try with me.”
Her breath hitched, the weight of the decision crashing down on her. “I don’t know if I can.
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Later that night, a shadowy figure watched from the darkened corner of the street. Their face remained hidden in the shadows, but their eyes were sharp, calculating.
They had seen the fight between Adrian and Alice, but they were not interested in power tussles between them. What mattered now was something else entirely, bigger than any of them had realised.
They smirked, tapped fingers against the side of the building as they watched the soldiers go about their business. “It’s almost time,” they whispered to themselves. “The real game is about to begin.”
And with that, they vanished into the dark, leaving nothing behind but awkward silence.
