Chapter 73

Third Person

Bianca sits on the hood of a car. An apple sits in one of her hands while the other balances a knife. The blade reflects the afternoon light back into her eyes, the flash illuminating the scowl that sits on her face.

Werewolves and Lycans alike scurry from all around her. Each and every one of them has their own mission, their own command that Bianca has placed upon their shoulders. They avoid her dangerous gaze, knowing that her wrath is unpredictable and chaotic, a frenzy to be avoided.

She digs the knife into the apple, beginning to slice bits and pieces off from the fruit’s core. She pops them into her mouth one by one, watching as the men who have sworn their loyalty to her work throughout the day.

Bianca has found refuge in a costal town on the west coast of Soren’s werewolf pack. She heard criminals and inmates speaking of a place like this when she was captured and thrown into jail. They spoke of the relaxed military and police presence, claiming that it is a safe haven for those who wish to escape from the Alpha King’s eye.

Who knew that it would be the same exact place that the Alpha King and that harlot substitute lover of his would be?

Bianca chuckles to herself and slices off another piece of apple. Her eyes latch onto a soldier that passes her by. She snaps her fingers at him and gestures for him to come to her side. He hesitantly agrees, swallowing the lump that forms in his throat.

“You,” Bianca speaks out. She tilts her head to the side and narrows her eyes, “where is the man who went after Celia?”

“He is in Oxford Bay, your Highness,” the man speaks. “Would you like me to call him for you?”

Bianca hesitates. She glances to the side, noticing that a few soldiers have stopped their tasks to watch. She rolls her eyes and turns her attention back to the man who stands in front of her. She puts a sickeningly sweet smile on her face, one that is hard like plastic but convincing enough to be real, and nods.

“Yes. Do it. Now,” Bianca slides off of the car’s hood.

Her feet dig into the muddy ground and looks at the beach that sits just little over a mile away, the waves crashing in the distance as her and her men seek refuge in the nearby forest. They are further north than she would have liked but Bianca does not complain, simply appreciating how close she is to her husband.

Well, her almost husband.

She walks towards one of the tents and pushes through the fabric flaps, staring at the back of the man’s head. He is on the phone and turns to look at her, bowing his head as he extends the phone out to her. Bianca takes it into her hand and waves the man away.

“Your Highness?” a man’s voice vibrates through the phone’s speaker. It is low and coarse, almost as if he smokes a pack of cigarettes a day. “You have called for me?”

“Yes,” Bianca tosses her apple over her shoulder. She begins to twirl the knife between her fingers. “I need an update on your progress tracking Celia.”

“I have located her in Oxford Bay. She has not moved and I doubt she will be leaving any time soon. She is a sitting duck,” the man responds so casually. It should alarm Bianca but it surprisingly doesn’t.

“Good, good” she nods her head.

The knife stops in her hand. She stares at the blade as silence overtakes her body. She narrows her eyes on the tip of the knife, moving it to where the light reflects off of the razor sharp point.

“What of the Alpha King?” Bianca asks. Her grip tightens around the hilt, her knuckles now turning white. “Where is he?”

“Last time we checked, he was still in Lucky Cove, your Highness,” the man’s response is immediate. He lets out a sigh, one that tells Bianca that he is bored with the conversation.

“Am I boring you, soldier? Are you tired?” Bianca feigns kindness and innocence. She drives the knife down into the wooden table that sits in front of her.

“No, ma’am, it has just been a long day,” the man on the other side of the call quickly recovers.

Bianca swipes her tongue over her teeth. She glares at the fabric wall, unsure of what to make of her solider’s loyalty towards her. It doesn’t matter, though. She’s bought him and his skills. He will do matter what it is she asks of him to do.

“Find the Alpha King. I want you to send him a message for me, okay?” Bianca begins. She flicks the knife and it sways back and forth from its post on the table. “Beat the ever living hell out of him, kill the soldiers that are with him.”

Bianca falls silent once again.

Her mind floats back to the shared memories she has with Soren. She remembers the days they spent in bed, not wanting to wake up and face the world quite just yet. She remembers the sound of his laughter, the warmth of his touch on her skin, and the way he made her fell like the happiest woman in the world.

Soren made her feel so seen. The spotlight of his love and affection were so warm and it made Bianca feel so safe after she left Lycan territory.

Bianca then remembers how she lost her mind over Celia, that substitute lover of his. The one he claimed to have no feelings for. What a joke.

All good things must come to an end though, right?

“Tell him that I am gracious enough to allow him to remedy his choice. Me or her.”

“Yes, ma’am,” the man grunts into the phone. “Is there anything else that you would like for me to do for you today?”

“Yes,” Bianca grabs the knife and pulls it from its wooden confines. “Find Celia. Bring her to me. I wish to speak with her about what she has taken from me.”

“Of course.” The man hangs up the phone and leaves Bianca in the silence of her own mind.

She gently places the phone back onto the table. She stares straight ahead, her eyes focusing on the dark fabric of the tent. She rolls her eyes, her fists balling at her sides.

“You will not destroy me, Celia,” Bianca whispers to herself. “You will not destroy everything that I have built for myself and all that I have planned out.”

Bianca scowls in the darkness. She glances down at the knife in her hands, wondering what she will do to Celia first when the poor girl is brought into her so called care.

“You have taken…everything from me,” Bianca continues to think aloud.

Her heart pounds on the inside of her chest. She slashes at the air, pretending as if it is Celia instead of the molecules that surround her.

“You will pay for this,” Bianca yells, “I will make you pay for taking what is rightfully mine!”