Chapter 260 - 0260

Callista POV

"Mom, please," I interrupted gently, reaching across the small table to squeeze her hand. "I’m happy with my marriage. Jaxen loves me, and I... I love him, too. Being an Alpha is still new to him, so of course he’s going to make mistakes sometimes. Please give him a little more grace."

My mother’s expression softened again, and she looked at me with such warmth and pride that I almost felt bad for deceiving her.

Almost.

"Oh, Callista," she murmured. "You really are too kind. You’re always so quick to make excuses for the people you love."

I blushed on cue, lowering my gaze. "He’s my husband and the father of my child. It’s only fair that I defend him."

"You have such a gentle heart," she said softly, giving my hand one last squeeze before letting go.

I waited a little longer, allowing the conversation to settle before bringing up what I’d really come to ask. Then I frowned thoughtfully, as though the idea had only just occurred to me.

"Also, Mom... do you think you could arrange a meeting for me with the Beta?"

Her eyes widened. "With that monster? What on earth for?"

I lowered my gaze, lightly fiddling with the fabric of my dress as I forced a hint of uncertainty into my voice.

"I’m not really sure... but I think we might have crossed paths in the past. Back when I was a child." I paused, letting the words sink in before looking up at her again. "I think I might have saved his life."

My mother gasped, her napkin slipping from her fingers and falling into her lap. "What?!"

"I’m not sure," I quickly added, lifting my hands in a small, defensive gesture. "The memory is still really blurry because I was so young. But when I saw him at the royal banquet, I felt something strange, like we’d met before. I was hoping that if I could have a quiet, one-on-one conversation with him, it might help me remember."

My mother stared at me for a long moment, her eyes widening as the possibility began to sink in. Then, slowly, her stunned expression gave way to something else.

Ambition.

"Callista..." she whispered, leaning closer, her eyes suddenly shining. "Do you have any idea what this would mean?"

I shook my head meekly, doing my best to look like an innocent girl who had no idea what she’d stumbled upon.

"If you saved the Alpha King’s Beta, then he will be eternally indebted to you!" she exclaimed, her excitement growing with every word. "Do you understand what that means? We would have one of the most dangerous men in the empire as our personal ally! With someone like him on our side, getting rid of Lorelei would be so much easier!"

"Really?" I asked, widening my eyes in feigned amazement, as if the thought had never crossed my mind.

Of course I knew what it meant. That was exactly why I’d brought it up in the first place.

My mother nodded eagerly, already looking as though she were planning a dozen different ways to make use of this opportunity. However, her excitement soon gave way to a slight frown.

"Though, securing an audience with him won’t be easy. Beta Darius isn’t exactly known for being approachable, and he’s really not the forgiving type."

She fell silent for a moment before straightening in her seat, a confident little smirk returning to her face.

"But I’m sure your father can pull a few strings. We just have to wait until he gets here."

My face lit up with a bright smile. "Thank you so much, Mom!"

She reached across the table and affectionately patted my cheek. "Anything for my princess."

My smile widened, but before I could say anything else, she waved a hand dismissively.

"Enough of all this serious talk. Have you had breakfast yet?"

I shook my head.

Her expression immediately twisted with irritation, and she turned sharply toward the maid standing anxiously by the doorway.

"What is wrong with the maids in this estate? Do I have to do every single thing myself?" she snapped. "Get my daughter breakfast immediately!"

The maid bowed frantically, stammering out an apology before hurrying out of the room to carry out the order.

After that, the conversation shifted to something warmer and more mundane.

My mother chatted about the pleasant weather and went on about her lavish plans for the baby’s nursery, discussing everything from the furniture to the decorations.

I nodded along, smiling at all the right moments and pretending to be interested, but my mind was already somewhere else.

I was busy running through backup plans, calculating other ways to get Beta Darius’s attention if my first attempt didn’t work out.

****

Three days later, Jaxen started getting clingy again.

It began subtly, with a possessive hand sliding around my waist, a lingering kiss pressed against my cheek, and little murmurs about how beautiful I looked. But I knew my husband too well not to recognize the signs.

He wanted sex.

Which meant I needed to find another disposable virgin for him to use.

God, I knew he had a high libido, but ever since we’d arrived here, it seemed to have spiraled completely out of control. It was getting ridiculous.

Since my mother was suddenly busy, Jaxen actually volunteered to come with me this time. He even suggested the exact location himself.

That alone should have set off alarm bells in my head.

Jaxen never did that. He usually avoided getting directly involved in choosing the girls because doing so forced him to confront the ugly reality of what he was doing: preying on poor, vulnerable women who had no power to stand up to an Alpha. It was much easier for him to leave that part to me and pretend he had nothing to do with it.

Yet, as he drove, a faint, contented smile played on his lips. His fingers tapped rhythmically against the steering wheel, a mindless little habit I’d only ever noticed when he was genuinely happy about something.

I should have questioned him right then. I should have wondered why he was suddenly so eager to come along when he’d always avoided getting involved before.

But I didn’t.

It wasn’t until our car pulled up near a private, high-end lakeside resort and I caught sight of her that the cold, ugly truth finally hit me.

Lorelei.