Chapter 16
Calhoun’s pov
Carmela’s face drained of every trace of color. She looked like she’d seen death itself standing in front of her. Her lips trembled as she tried to form words, broken sounds spilling from her throat.
“C-Calhoun… p-please… y-you don’t m-mean it, do you? I-I’ll change. Please, have m-mercy p>
I raised my hand slowly, two fingers pressed against my mouth. Silence. The whimpering stopped instantly. My eyes locked on hers, murderously, deliberately, making sure she saw every ounce of hatred carved into my face. If hatred could bleed, it would’ve drenched the floor between us.
The urge to end her right there, to crush her throat and make her bleed ten times over for what she’d made Elodie suffer, it almost consumed me. My boots dragged against the floor as I took a step toward her. She scrambled backwards, crawling like a beaten animal, sobbing, whimpering, shaking all over.
But I wasn’t about to play nice. Not anymore.
For so long, I’d been blinded. As Alpha, as the heir, I should’ve judged matters fairly, weighed both sides before bringing my judgment. But because of her, because of Carmela, I had no morals. No fairness. I’d branded Elodie guilty again and again, never giving her the chance to breathe. My Gamma… my heart now… I’d damned Elodie because I was a fool who listened to this venomous woman in front of me.
Every trace of love, of warmth, of affection I’d once felt for Carmela was gone. Evaporated into nothing. What was left was filth in my chest, disgust crawling up my throat. I wanted her gone. Out of my sight. Out of my life. Forever.
I lifted a finger and pointed it straight at her. My voice cut through her sobs.
“You’re going to pay for every single thing you did to Elodie. Every lie, every setup, every misery you threw her way, you’ll answer for all of them. I swear it p>
Her eyes snapped up at me then, and I saw it… the shift. They darkened, fury and envy swirling until they gleamed black with something demonic. Her wolf bristled at Elodie’s name, her aura spilling pure bloodlust into the room. She wanted to kill her. Rip her apart. Tear away everything that Elodie was.
I saw it, and I hated myself more for ever believing this monster. gods, if I could rip time apart, if I could go back and fix every mistake, protect Elodie, shield her from this viper, I would. But the only thing I had left now was vengeance.
I let out a low, cold laugh. “No, Carmela,” I said softly, almost tenderly, though my voice dripped with venom. “It’s time you pay up for every one of your sins. It’s time you meet karma p>
A smile curled slowly onto my lips. Not warm, not kind. It was a predator’s smile. The kind that promises blood. I advanced toward her, step by step. And in her eyes, I watched the last flicker of light die.
Without warning, I grabbed her. My hand clamped around her wrist so tight I felt her bones shift under my grip. She shrieked, tried to pull free, hitting at my arm with those weak little hands, but it was useless. My claws dug into her skin until she whimpered in pain, her voice breaking into pathetic sobs.
“C-Calhoun, stop! Please, you’re hurting me p>
Good. Let her feel it. A fraction of what she’d made Elodie feel.
I dragged her out of the office, her heels scraping the floor, her body stumbling as she struggled to keep up. The moment we hit the hall, heads turned. Staff froze mid-step, whispers catching fire, gasps piercing the air. Some raised their phones, taking pictures as Carmela’s mascara ran in ugly black streaks down her face. She tried to cover herself, crying harder, but I didn’t let go.
I wanted them all to see.
I wanted her shame carved into memory.
The whispers grew louder. Fingers pointed. I didn’t care. Let them talk. Let them see the Alpha finally put this bitch where she belonged.
When we reached the front, I shoved her forward so hard she landed on her knees. She sobbed, hair sticking to her wet face, but before she could gather herself, I pointed at the guards. My voice came out like a whip.
“Pick up this bitch p>
“Yes, Alpha,” the guards said immediately, hauling her up like a sack of filth.
She kicked and screamed, her voice slicing through the lobby. “Calhoun! No! Don’t do this to me! Please! Don’t humiliate me like this! You can’t… remember what we had, the nights, the memories, don’t forget me like this p>
Her desperation was bile in my throat. I glared at her, stepping closer, my voice was low and venomous.
“Since you like making others kneel… seems it’s your turn to taste it p>
I told the guards, “Make sure she kneels on the rough ground outside. Don’t let her fall, don’t let her rest. Not for a second p>
“Yes, Alpha p>
They dragged her away, her wailing filling the air. “Nooo! Calhoun, don’t! Please! I’ll do anything, don’t let them… Calhoun p>
Her cries followed me, but I didn’t look back. Not once.
I turned and walked slowly out of the company, every step of mine was heavy with the storm tearing me apart inside. My mind wasn’t here. It was with Elodie. With the way her laugh had once lit this same hall. With the warmth she gave me even when I never deserved it. With the way I’d pretended not to care while every cell in my body craved her.
The more I thought of her, the more I felt like I was dying. And this time, I couldn’t stop it.
My eyes caught the car waiting ahead, the same one we had our rough sex nights in. My chest tightened. I remembered her back arched against the seat, her lips parted, moaning my name until the windows fogged. I remembered the marks we left on each other, every reminder that she had once been mine. I never erased them. I couldn’t. Until Carmela p>
My hands shook as I opened the car door. My heart sank.
The inside was pink. Pink bows, pink covers, pink trinkets, every piece of Elodie replaced with Carmela’s filth.
My vision blurred. My chest burned.
With a guttural growl, I slammed my fists onto the steering wheel again and again until the horn wailed, until the leather dented, until my knuckles split.
“AHHHHHH!” The roar ripped out of me, shaking the car, tearing my throat raw.
My heart ached in ways words couldn’t reach. I should’ve stopped her when I saw her packing that night. I should’ve fought for her. I should’ve protected her. Instead, I let Carmela ruin everything.
Rage flooded my veins, hot and poisonous. The sound of footsteps pulled me out of the spiral. Tristan.
I snapped my head toward him, eyes burning. “Bring another car. Drive me in it. Now p>
“Yes, Alpha,” he said quickly, without a single question.
I leaned back in the seat, breathing ragged, blood dripping from my hand onto the ruined wheel. And all I could see was Elodie walking away, slipping from me because I’d been too blind, too stupid, too cruel to keep her safe.