Chapter 261 - 0261

Callista POV

That fucking bitch was standing a short distance away near the water’s edge, laughing as the afternoon sun lit up her face.

She looked so carefree, so ridiculously happy, like she didn’t have a single problem in the world.

And then I looked at Jaxen.

My husband was staring at her with a soft, mesmerized smile, as if he’d completely forgotten I was even sitting beside him.

My hands curled into tight fists at my sides, my sharp nails digging so deeply into my palms that they broke the skin, drawing blood.

He hadn’t driven all the way out here to help me find another girl for his bed. He’d brought me here specifically to stalk Lorelei.

How the hell he’d managed to track down her location, I had no fucking idea.

I hated it.

I hated seeing him look at her like that, hated how effortlessly she seemed to draw his attention away from me. But that anger quickly took a backseat when I saw the exact reason for her radiant, carefree smile step into view.

The Alpha King himself.

Kaelen emerged from the shade of the resort pavilion, and without a moment’s hesitation, he crossed the distance between them and wrapped his strong arm around Lorelei’s waist, pulling her flush against his muscular frame.

Lorelei immediately looped her arms around his neck, rising onto her toes as he bent down to kiss her.

The moment their lips met, he kissed her with a kind of desperate, possessive intensity that made it painfully obvious just how much he wanted her.

My breath caught in my throat.

As much as I despised seeing that wretched bitch looking so happy, watching Jaxen’s reaction made the whole thing worth it.

I slowly turned my head toward my husband.

The lovesick smile had vanished from Jaxen’s face, replaced by an expression so dark and twisted that it sent a shiver of satisfaction through me.

His jaw was clenched so tightly I thought his teeth might crack, and his eyes burned with fury as he watched another man hold the woman he apparently believed should belong to him.

Pathetic.

Did he actually think he stood a chance against a real man like the Alpha King?

"She seems really happy," I couldn’t help taunting, keeping my voice light and innocent as I stared at them. "Better than she ever was back at our estate. Are you sure we’re making the right decision wanting her back, Jaxen? Wouldn’t it be better if she just stayed here with the Alpha King instead?"

I could barely keep the mockery out of my voice, but apparently, I didn’t need to. My words hit exactly where I wanted them to.

Jaxen’s head snapped toward me so fast I almost flinched.

"Are you out of your fucking mind?!" he roared like a madman, earning a few glances from guests passing by.

Before I could even blink, he raised his fist, his knuckles turning white as his chest heaved with ragged breaths.

For one terrifying second, I genuinely thought he was going to hit me right there, without caring that I was his pregnant wife or that I was carrying his unborn heir.

I immediately widened my eyes, letting tears well up as my lower lip trembled. Then I threw my hands over my belly, cradling it protectively, making sure I looked every bit like a wronged, terrified woman.

Seeing this, Jaxen froze.

His raised fist hovered in the air for one agonizing heartbeat as his eyes locked onto my tear-streaked face.

Then, slowly, he seemed to come back to his senses.

His hand dropped heavily to his side, and he let out a frustrated breath, dragging a hand down his face as if he were the one who’d just been wronged.

"You shouldn’t say things like that," he muttered roughly, struggling to keep his voice under control. "She’s a threat to this empire. A curse. It’s best... it’s best if we just take her back."

He was trying to sound rational, trying to convince himself as much as me that this was all about protecting the empire. But his jaw remained clenched, and his eyes kept drifting back toward the water.

I followed his gaze just in time to see the Alpha King scoop Lorelei into his arms as if she weighed nothing. She wrapped herself around him without hesitation, and he carried her toward a private pavilion away from the shoreline, disappearing from view with her in his arms.

That sight made a quiet, bitter smile tug at my lips.

This bastard had almost hit me because of her, and my hatred for Lorelei only burned hotter than ever.

She was ruining my life without even being in the same room as me, and somehow, she still managed to get everything she wanted.

Fuck, I wished I could just kill her with my own two hands.

"Let’s go," Jaxen growled suddenly, reaching over, grabbing my wrist, and hauling me a step forward before I could say another word.

"Aren’t we leaving?" I asked, stumbling slightly as I followed him.

He was heading in the opposite direction from where Lorelei and Kaelen had disappeared. Instead of taking me back toward the car park, as I had assumed he would in a fit of rage, he dragged me farther into the resort.

"Why would we leave?" he replied flatly, not even bothering to look at me.

I frowned, deliberately letting uncertainty creep into my voice. "What if the Alpha King sees us? Won’t we get into trouble like last time?"

At that, Jaxen’s grip tightened around my wrist, his fingers digging painfully into my skin.

"We didn’t come here because of them in the first place," he snapped. "So why the hell should I be worried about him seeing us?"

But I only scoffed internally.

Of course, he was still clinging to his pathetic cover story, pretending he’d driven all the way to this resort to find another young girl for his bed.

As if I couldn’t see straight through him.

He wasn’t here for some disposable virgin.

He was here for Lorelei, stalling for time and desperately hoping he’d get the chance to catch her alone.

And honestly? That was what I wanted.

The only good thing about his pathetic obsession was that it gave me an opportunity of my own.

If Jaxen was determined to stay here, then I could use the time to get close to Lorelei, too.

You know, find the perfect moment to deal with that bitch myself.