Contractually Yours Alpha (Riley)

Chapter One Hundred and Forty Yine

Chapter One Hundred and Forty One

"There must be another way to cure him." I insisted.noveldrama

"There is no other way. It's either this or he dies. We don't have much time. If you refuse my offer, I won't be generous enough to grant it a second time. You will have to watch him die-knowing you had the power to save him, but you refused."

I held back the sob, threatening to escape my lips. They would not see me cry, especially not the woman who killed my parents.

"You want a puppet; someone you can control."

"I only have one request from you, the very same one I had already mentioned. Other than that, I won't make your decisions for you. You will rule.”

"When you take away his wolf. What would he become?"

"He won't change; he will be the very same man," she said, a small smile curving on her lips. "And since I'm so generous, I'll leave your Beta Aric, and Sarah with you to do as you wish. Punish them as you see fit."

"No!" Sarah cried out, falling to her knees before the Empress. "I did as you asked of me. I did everything you said -everything you wanted. I killed for you... You promised to turn me, and I would spend the rest of my life in your service."

The Empress laughed, and at that moment, I wondered just how stable she was- she seemed on the brink of lunacy. "If you could betray your Alpha, your family, and your very own pack, how am I sure you won't betray me in the long run?"

"Please! I would never betray you." Sarah begged. "You can't let her have me; she will kill me."

"Damn right, I will," I responded, my body trembling with rage. I hadn't even realized I was shaking. Sarah was supposed to be my friend; my father had trusted her too, and she betrayed us all.

"You did well, Sarah; you served your purpose, child." Cynthia said, and then her eyes turned to Amanda. "But you are a true servant. I will groom you. I will teach you to be powerful, and you will become a force to be reckoned with."

Amanda smiled, exposing her tiny fangs.

Cynthia rose, heading to the door.

"Where are you going?" I asked.

She smiled at me, and right before my eyes, she transformed. Those brown eyes shifted into a familiar shade of gray... Standing before me was my exact doppelgänger. She looked exactly like me-from the hair to the skin tone, down to the missing pinkie finger. If even I couldn't tell the difference, how could anyone else?

"Don't leave this place just yet-we can't raise any form of suspicion," she said before turning to Amanda. She took her hand, and together, they left. The camera would record me walking in with the girl and then walking out; there would be no sign of danger.

Her words had sounded like a mere suggestion-'Don't leave yet, to avoid raising suspicion'—but only when I tried to leave and couldn't did I realize I had been compelled.

Aric was still out cold, his limp body placed at the side of the hall, while Sarah remained on her knees, tears streaming down her face. I didn't have time for either of them-my only thought was Alexander. She could kill him, and he wouldn't know it wasn't me; it would be my face he remembered as the one that ended his life. But

Chapter

One Hundred and Forty Cine

for some reason, I didn't think she would do that. I didn't trust her, but I believed she needed this pack's strength to face the 'army of the dead.' She wouldn't kill him, at least not today.

It had only been minutes, but it felt more like hours. Cynthia returned alone; she was still disguised as me. She transformed back to her original form.

"What did you do?" I asked her.

"Exactly what we agreed. Now I will take my leave. Don't forget the favor you owe me," she said, and with that, she vanished into thin air.

The moment she was gone, I was free of her compulsion. I ran out of the hall, not sparing a single glance at Sarah or Aric. I ran as fast as my feet could take me, ignoring the pack members who stared after me.

He wasn't in his office, so I returned to our apartment. The door was wide open.

The first thing I noticed was the smell of blood.

I ran straight to our room, where the scent was strongest and there, Alexander lay

on the bed, shirtless, a dagger buried in his heart.

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