Roman was slipping right through her fingers. Elsie had known it the moment he walked out of her room without looking back.
The Roman of the past wouldn’t have left her like that. No, he would have stayed behind, wrapped himself around her, and comforted her until she felt better.
But look at him now.
Perhaps she was reading too much into it. But her womanly instincts — that has never failed her — was tingling, especially with Violet Purple around. That filthy rogue still loomed in the picture like an unsightly stain she couldn’t scrub off.
It had been thrilling at first, knowing that Asher, the untamable one, the most ruthless of them all, had no choice but to attempt to court her. Until Violet swooped in, robbing her of that last shred of satisfaction
Elsie clenched her jaw. She had to act quickly. Asher be damned. Violet was a rogue, and rogues would be treated the way rogues should be.
Just then, Elsie’s phone rang from where it lay on the sofa, cutting through her brooding silence. She would have ignored it if not for the fact that this particular ringtone was assigned to only one person.
Her mother.
All at once, Elsie straightened, raking her fingers through her hair, ensuring she looked flawless. Her mother hated imperfections.
She walked over to her desk, adjusted the angle of her laptop, and within moments, the screen lit up with a familiar face staring back at her.
The woman in the video call looked so much like Elsie, they could have been sisters rather than mother and daughter.
Same golden-blonde hair. Same piercing blue eyes. But while Elsie’s beauty was softer, almost innocent, Caroline’s was effortless and sharper. There was an ageless quality about her that made her seem untouched by time, her expression poised in a way that only years of practice could perfect.
"Mother," Elsie greeted, her voice measured.
Caroline’s lips curved into a warm, fully mastered smile. "How’s my little Alpha queen doing today?"
Elsie barely refrained from rolling her eyes. Instead, she gave her mother a rueful look.
"You know I’m no Alpha queen. That word is treasonous, especially while Luna Beatrice still in power."
"Semantics," Caroline dismissed with a wave of her manicured hand. "You will be, soon enough. Not just to one, but to four Alphas."
Elsie’s stomach twisted.
"You will unite the realm," Caroline continued, her voice filled with conviction, "and usher us into a new reign."
Elsie groaned, rubbing her temples. "You still believe that prophecy?"
But Caroline’s expression didn’t waver.
"Alice is a renowned seer. When I asked about your fate, she told me that the one chosen by the Alpha King would unite the packs. And glory be to the gods, you are the one he chose."
She smiled knowingly. "Why do you think I’ve been so insistent on you keeping a hold on the boys?"
"Mom, the Alpha King said one heir. How can there be four heirs?" Elsie asked, even though she already knew what her mother’s answer would be.
"Which is exactly why you would be their Queen. One ruler, four consorts!" her mother declared.
Elsie’s eyes flickered with apprehension. "You intend to put me on the throne. That is treason, Mother."
Elijah doesn’t tolerate scheming behind his back. If he even got a whiff of her mother’s plans, he’d have her head on a spike.
But Caroline remained unfazed, saying.
"Which is why such intentions would have to come from the heirs themselves. If the boys agree not to fight for the throne and instead share you equally, the unification happens naturally. Thus, the prophecy is fulfilled."
"That sounds poetic, but unfortunately, sharing is not the way of the North. Alpha Caspian and Luna Zara would never stand for it." Elsie reminded her.
In fact, Caspian and Zara were the very reason why the Alpha King decreed her as the mate to the eligible Cardinal Alphas in the first place.
When Elijah first proposed the idea of a pure-blooded werewolf female as a prize for his successor, the North had vehemently opposed it. Caspian refused outright, insisting that the Storm bloodline remained pure, bred close to home.
But the East, West, and South had, predictably, revolted. "We don’t want your incestuous matches," they had spat, refusing to have their future ruler bound to someone from the North’s notoriously close-knit gene pool.
In the end, a compromise had to be made. Caspian and Zara had scoured for someone that wasn’t too closely related but still carried even a trace of Storm lineage.
That someone had been Elsie. Long ago, Alaric’s great-grandaunt had married into Elsie’s family. Though the blood was diluted, it was still there.
And for Caspian and Zara, it was a win-win. If Alaric won the throne, good, he still married into the North, ensuring the Storm blood remained connected to the ruling line.
If he lost? Well, then he’d have to marry someone from the pack anyway. That, for them, was good enough.
Caroline’s voice pulled Elsie from her thoughts, waving dismissively. "We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. For now, how’s everything going? Please tell me you’ve got the Alphas worshipping at your feet." She sounded eager, nearly giddy with the possibility.
Elsie swallowed. She had no idea how to answer. Much as she yearned to be queen, she could barely stand Griffin, for starters. Was there any way to exclude him from the "harem" her mother envisioned?
Instead, she forced a confident smile. "It’s a work in progress, but I have everything under control."
Which was a blatant lie because nothing was under control. If anything, everything was falling apart. And it was all thanks to Violet Purple.
But Elsie couldn’t tell her mother that. Caroline’s disappointment was something she wasn’t ready to face.
"Good." Her mother’s tone held finality. "Graduation is around the corner, and you have limited time to wrap those boys around your fingers. Once you’re out, we set our plans into motion."
Her voice dropped, a steel edge to it. "Make me proud, Elsie."
Elsie nodded stiffly. "Yes, Mom," And the call ended with a click.
Elsie stared at her laptop screen for several long moments, her mind full of thoughts. She had to find a way to subdue Violet Purple once and for all. But how?
She needed not just to hurt or humiliate Violet, but to destroy her so thoroughly she’d never raise her head again.
As if on cue, her phone buzzed with a message. Elsie glanced at it and recognized the sender: Nicole, that self-styled journalist from the bonfire party. She would’ve ignored it, except the text read, I think you’ll want to see this.
Curious, Elsie tapped the accompanying video file. As it played, her eyes widened with shock for a moment, then curved into a slow, triumphant smile. Perhaps the gods did answer prayers after all.
Quickly, she typed a reply: Let’s meet up.