Chapter 232: VERA’S BETRAYAL

Vera’s Betrayal

Author’s POV

Vera stared at Callum for several seconds without saying anything, her lips were slightly parted as though she couldn’t understand what could have possibly caused this conversation.

The room had become so quiet that even Dane could hear the faint sound of her breathing from across the sitting room. Callum continued watching her, waiting for the answer he had demanded, but the longer Vera remained silent, the more obvious it became that she had finally realized there was no way to talk herself out of what they had uncovered.

Her eyes shifted toward the door. Then toward the windows before she looked back to Callum.

She knew.

There was no point pretending anymore.

A strange smile slowly appeared on her face and Callum’s expression hardened. "What is that supposed to mean?"

Vera laughed, almost like she was trying to contain herself, but within seconds the laughter became louder and more unrestrained. She threw her head back, laughing at the situation as though Callum standing in front of her accusing her of multiple crimes was somehow the most amusing thing she had ever seen.

Dane moved closer to Callum. "Have you lost your mind?" he asked.

Vera wiped the corner of her eye, still smiling. "You really want me to explain myself after all this time?"

Callum’s jaw tightened. "Yes."

She looked directly at him. "You don’t deserve all the praise they give you." She shook her head.

Callum said nothing, his fists clenching by his sides.

Vera stepped away from the chair she had been standing beside, her expression changing from amusement to resentment. "Everyone talks about you like you’re some great Alpha because you sit on that throne and make decisions. They praise you for keeping the pack together, for winning battles, for handling diplomatic matters. Do you know what I was doing while everyone was celebrating you?"

Callum’s eyes narrowed. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"I was sent away to settle your diplomatic conflicts," Vera continued. "I was the one sent to deal with people who were angry with you. I was the one expected to clean up problems that you created while everyone else stood around praising you for being a ruler."

Callum looked confused at her words. It didn’t make any sense. "That doesn’t justify any of this."

"No, it doesn’t." Vera laughed again. "But I didn’t care about justification anymore."

She walked toward the center of the room, her anger becoming more obvious with every word. "I was tired of watching you receive everything. Respect. Loyalty. Power. Everyone trusted you because you were the Alpha, and I was expected to stand beside you and smile while my entire existence became an extension of your position."

Callum stared at her in disbelief. "So you decided to destroy the pack?"

She jabbed a finger in his direction. "I decided to take what I believed I deserved."

The pieces suddenly clicked to Callum. "You made a deal with Duskfen."

Vera’s smile returned. "Yes."

Dane’s expression darkened but Vera didn’t seem concerned anymore. If anything, admitting it appeared to give her a sense of freedom.

"They support me," she said. "When they invade, this pack will fall apart. Your people will lose faith in you, the council will be weakened, and everything you’ve built will be ruined. When that happens, there will be nothing left standing between me and the position I should have had all along."

Callum let out a humorless laugh. "You actually believe Duskfen is going to hand you this pack?"

She shrugged. "They made an agreement with me."

He almost laughed at her stupidity. "They made an agreement with someone who promised them an easy way inside our borders."

Vera’s expression tightened and Callum stepped closer. "You think they care about you? You think they’ll help you destroy your own pack and then simply walk away? You made a deal with an enemy because you were so desperate for power that you forgot to ask yourself what happens after they get what they want."

"I know exactly what I’m doing." She hissed. "Believe me."

"No, you don’t." His voice had become colder. "You’ve been using them, and they’ve been using you. The moment Duskfen gets what it wants, you will be another problem they have to remove. You handed them an opportunity to attack us because you were too blinded by your jealousy to understand what you were giving them."

Vera’s eyes flashed. "Don’t talk to me about jealousy."

"Then tell me what you call it."

She stared at him. For several seconds, she didn’t answer.

Then she turned toward Keisha who was just walking in, her gaze darting around the company. "Her."

Keisha’s expression changed and Vera pointed at her. "She was the one person I wanted involved."

Callum immediately stepped between them. "Don’t."

"I wanted her to become the piece that destroyed you," Vera continued, ignoring him. "I wanted you to lose control because of her. I wanted everyone to turn against you because of the choices you made for her."

Keisha remained silent and Vera continued, speaking with a calmness that made her confession even more disturbing. "I thought if I pushed the right people, everything would happen exactly the way I wanted. But then other people became involved. Dr. Fenn knew too much. The maid became a problem. Orin became unpredictable. Osric had his own ambitions. The assassins handled things that I couldn’t handle myself."

Callum’s hands curled into fists. "You arranged all of this by yourself."

Vera looked at him without remorse. "I arranged what I could. Other people made their own choices."

Anger clouded his features. "You’re talking about people’s lives."

"And?" She asked casually.

The single word made the room fall silent again but Vera didn’t look away. "I don’t regret it."

Callum stared at his sister.

Whatever part of him had been hoping that there was some explanation buried underneath all of this finally disappeared. "You poisoned Nadia."

Vera’s silence answered him and Callum’s expression hardened. "You were willing to let your own niece die."

For the first time, Vera looked slightly irritated rather than amused. "Nadia wasn’t supposed to be the target."

He scoffed. "She became the target because you put poison in something she was going to consume."

Vera threw her hands up. "I didn’t expect her to take it."

Callum took another step forward. "You attacked the people in my pack, manipulated the council, worked with Osric, supported Duskfen, and put Nadia in danger. You tried to destroy everything I’ve spent my life protecting."

Vera’s eyes remained fixed on him. "Right."

"And now you want to know what I’m going to do?" Callum didn’t hesitate. "You’re going to be prosecuted for everything you’ve done."

Her smile disappeared. "Callum."

"I don’t care that you’re my sister."

Vera stared at him as he continued. "You will answer for every crime you’ve committed. There will be no special treatment because we’re related, and there will be no pardon."

Dane stepped forward when Callum turned toward him. "Take her into custody."

Vera immediately backed away. "No."

"Dane." Callum gritted the words out.

"I said no!"

Dane moved toward her but Vera grabbed the nearest object and threw it across the room. It crashed against the wall, but Dane continued approaching. "Vera, don’t make this worse."

She grabbed another object and sent it flying.

Callum remained where he was, watching her with a mixture of anger and disappointment. "It’s over."

Vera’s breathing became heavier. "You think you’ve won?"

"I know what you’ve done. That’s enough."

Dane reached for her but Vera suddenly pulled something from inside her clothing and threw it onto the floor.

A cloud of smoke immediately spread through the room and Dane coughed and stepped back, trying to see through it. "Vera!"

By the time the smoke began clearing, she was gone.

Callum rushed toward the doorway. "Search the annex!"

Guards immediately scattered through the building. But Vera had already managed to get out.

She ran through the estate without looking back.

Her heart pounded as she moved through the grounds, constantly checking behind her. She could hear guards shouting somewhere in the distance, and she knew Callum would not waste time before ordering the entire estate to search for her.

She had to get away.

She reached for her phone and called Osric, but there was no answer.

She tried again.

Nothing.

"Pick up," she muttered.

She called another person connected to the rebellion but there was also no answer.

Her frustration grew as she walked faster, keeping away from the main paths while trying to think of somewhere she could hide.

Eventually, one of the rebels answered.

"You need to help me." She immediately told them.

There was a long silence on the other end. "Vera, I can’t."

"What do you mean you can’t?"

"The Alpha already pardoned us once. If I help you now, there won’t be another pardon waiting for me." The person sounded tired.

She gasped. "You’re afraid of him?"

His vocie cracked. "I’m afraid of losing everything I have left."

Vera’s face hardened. "So that’s it? After everything we planned together, you’re going to abandon me?"

"I have a family."

"And I don’t?" She almost screamed.

The person on the other end didn’t answer and Vera ended the call.

She tried another but the response was almost identical.

Nobody wanted to help her. Nobody wanted to risk their position for her. One by one, the people she had once considered allies refused to give her a place to hide.

"Cowards," she muttered, staring at her phone.

She had trusted them. She had given them opportunities and had brought them into her plans.

Now that everything had collapsed, they were leaving her alone.

Vera looked toward the distant borders of the pack.

She couldn’t stay.

Callum would search every house, every road and every place where she might have gone. If she remained inside the territory, eventually someone would find her.

Her only option was to leave. She needed to reach Duskfen.

They had promised to support her before. Now she needed to find out whether that promise was worth anything.

Vera tightened her grip around her phone and started moving again, keeping away from the main estate paths as she made her way toward the borders.

Behind her, the estate was already searching for her.

And she knew Callum would not stop until he found her.