Chapter 178

[Third-Person’s POV]

Caroline was beyond words.

All she could manage to process was the hurricane of emotions that kept flooding through her on rigorous repeat. The moment she watched Alexander walk through the doors of the main reception room, she felt as though her trust in the King had just shattered to pieces.

All she could bring herself to think was ‘it wasn’t possible’. There was no way that after all that time, Alexander was never truly paralyzed. But hell, the evidence was clear as day as the man literally strolled into the room with that same damnable heir of confidence that he always had.

Caroline’s heart leaped in her throat when that annoying bitch of a Luna noticed her hanging out in the shadows. Of course, she couldn’t leave well enough alone.

She partly expected Alexander to let his arrogance over the situation fly, but not Evelyn. When she first met her, she was nothing but a meek little mouse that was too far in over her head.

But seeing as now she was the one living behind the mask, it was as though the roles had been reversed. Evelyn was by no means quiet. She’d chosen her words rather decidedly and with a great flare that it would put even the most critical Luna’s to shame.

Evelyn’s demeanor had been carried with decent poise yet underneath her flare mask of patience was a creature ready to thrash her claws. Well, she could only assume that living through a near-death experience would tend to have that effect...

Nevertheless, the very second that meeting had concluded, Caroline did her best to make a B-line for the nearest exit herself. She had absolutely no desire to get swept up in the King’s anger once more. It was enough that she had to be the one to break the news to him.

She tried to assure him that the rumor of Alexander never having been horribly injured in that car accident just couldn’t possibly be true. Yet, her entire world became tilted off its axis upon seeing her Stepson moving about on his own feet, without a single scratch on him.

“Caroline!”

The sound of Gregory’s booming voice shook her to her very core. She let her eyes close in dismay.

“Yes, Your Majesty?”

Everyone moved back as the King stepped down from his throne. He slowly approached her with a murderous look in his eyes.

The anger was utterly steaming off of him. “Would you be so kind as to join me in my private study for a moment?”

“Of course,” she muttered back quietly.

Gregory hadn’t bothered to keep his resolve intact by the time the two of them were alone in the confines of his private quarters. He slammed the door shut, causing Caroline to jump.

“What the fuck!” he shouted. “How is it that you and your idiot son managed to screw up such a basic plan?!”

“Believe me, I am no less shocked and angry than you are about this.”

“It’s bad enough that your moronic plan failed to kill him off when it was supposed to, but to find out that he clearly wasn’t even in the car when it crashed is utterly unacceptable,” he seethed.

Caroline let out a long breath and drew her brows together in question.

“Well, tell me Your Majesty, what would you have me do that won’t immediately land me in prison along with my son? Hm? Should I simply pull a gun on him and kill him point blank?”

Gregory snarled in disdain. “I’d watch my tone if I were you, Caroline. You keep making promises that you simply can’t honor. Tell me, why shouldn’t I just throw you in prison along with that brainless son of yours?”

“Because I’m still the only link you have into ever possibly gaining control over Alexander’s army—”

“You are no longer in the running to take over for Wendy,” he sneered.

She glared back at him with the same measure of disdain.

“People talk, Caroline. I know as much as you that Wendy has never taken a liking to you. Somehow she’s able to see through your guise and doesn’t even consider you as a viable option to take over the finances.”

She pursed her lips and hissed. “That’s because that bastard just had to go ahead and get himself married. Evelyn was never meant to have a working brain cell in her head—God knows that her Stepmother and Stepsister don’t!”

The King took a step back and raised a brow in suspicion. “Should I be even remotely concerned about what Evelyn was saying to you before?”

“No. Well, at least not where it concerns me, I can assure you of that,” she told him. “But I have a rather strong feeling that a close acquaintance of mine may be in more trouble than she believes.”

Gregory moved around his desk and unceremoniously threw himself down in his chair.

“What the hell are we going to do about Alexander now?” he asked begrudgingly. “I can't even say that we successfully subdued him by marrying him off to a small pack daughter. Clearly, we underestimated Evelyn’s skills and appeal as well.”

He had a point here. No one could have predicted that Evelyn was going to prove to be the so-called perfect Luna that Alexander had gone on to boast about.

A slow menacing smile played on Caroline’s lips. “Before you go giving yourself a headache, may I suggest we wait until all of the cards have been played?”

He gave her a questionable look but decided it was better not knowing what she meant.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me...It is rather urgent that I return home.”

The King waved her off without so much as sparing her another glance. Caroline knew of a way to destroy Alexander. And for what it was worth, Isabella and Fiona had given it their best shot.

Yet Evelyn, much like Alexander, was still alive and well. Surely, Fiona knew about that. Although she wasn’t entirely close with either Isabella or Samantha, it made sense for the three of them to keep each other updated on something so crucial.

...

When Caroline finally made it back to the house, she was not at all surprised to find Fiona wandering about in her bathrobe. Evidence of her having just showered her clear from her still damp hair and glistening skin.

“Oh, you’re back,” she hummed. “Is it true? Is Alexander really not stuck in that wheelchair?”

“It’s true,” Caroline said chillingly. “You want to know what else I discovered? It would appear that your little act of personal vengeance didn’t exactly pan out the way it was supposed to.”

Fiona gave her a quizzical look.

“Not only is Evelyn still very much alive, but she claims to know that you’ve left something rather vital behind that now lies in her possession.” Fiona’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Tell me Fiona, what could that ‘something’ be? You wouldn’t happen to have foolishly left behind that will ultimately incriminate you, correct?”

A sheer look of panic etched over her features. “That’s impossible! How on earth is she alive? No! The amount of blood she lost would have been enough to take down anyone.”

“Why you didn’t just slit her throat is beyond me,” Caroline commented wistfully. “Problem is, Evelyn and Alexander have already launched an investigation. They intend to take full action against the people who tried to kill her.”

Fiona shook her head. “They’ll never make it stick, they don’t have any evidence to prove that it was me—”

Caroline’s tone was spiked with challenge. “Why don’t you go and fetch that blade you used and prove that to me?”