The Alpha's Unwanted Bride

Chapter 479: SEED OF DESTRUCTION (IV)

Anna shut the door of her bedroom with a soft click, her face flushed with excitement and the thrill of control.

Lily followed her in, looking dazed and winded after the long climb from Jasmine’s room.

The page of Jasmine’s handwriting was now tucked safely into Anna’s vanity drawer, alongside the torn-out letters from Hunter.

Anna walked straight to her desk and pulled out the materials she’d prepared earlier—ink, parchment, two fountain pens, and Hunter’s personal letters.

She placed them on the table like weapons, each one a key to Jasmine’s downfall.

”Well,” she said, turning to Lily with a smirk, ”I did most of the work already. Your turn.”

Lily blinked. ”My turn?”

Anna sat on her bed, crossed her legs, and waved a dismissive hand. ”Yes, dear Lily. You’re the best at mimicking handwriting, remember? You used to forge your father’s signature to skip etiquette classes. Don’t act innocent now.”

Lily hesitated, looking between the pen and the letters. ”And you want me to write what, exactly?”

Anna tilted her head as though it should be obvious. ”Love letters. A full-fledged affair. From Jasmine to Hunter, and back. Make them believable. Jasmine writing about how she wishes Xaden was gone. Hunter writing back, promising her a future together and talking about Crescent Pack like she belongs there.”

Lily swallowed hard but sat down. ”Fine. But I hope this doesn’t backfire on us.”

Anna scoffed. ”It won’t. Trust me. Everything is falling into place.”

Lily uncapped the pen and began working, carefully mimicking Jasmine’s clumsy, inconsistent handwriting from the copied lesson page.

Anna watched her work, amused and strangely pleased by how natural Lily was at this.

”Make sure you mention the baby,” Anna instructed. ”Say something like, ’Our child deserves to be raised in a home where no one judges us.’ Something pathetic like that.”

Lily scribbled the line, muttering it under her breath. ”Our child deserves to be raised in a safe home...”

”And in Hunter’s letters, he should mention Xaden being a threat,” Anna added. ”That Jasmine asked him to take care of it.”

Lily looked up. ”You mean... make it sound like she told him to kill Xaden?”

Anna nodded, her eyes glinting. ”Exactly.”

They worked for nearly an hour.

Lily wrote six full pages—three from Jasmine, three from Hunter.

Each one designed to slowly, painfully shatter any trust Xaden still had for Jasmine.

Anna took the finished letters carefully, drying them by the fire and folding them with a silk ribbon.

”Thank you very much.” Anna smiled wickedly.

It was one of the rarest times in her life she used that word thank you

Later that night, Anna dressed in soft, quiet clothes and wrapped a thin shawl around her head to obscure her features. She waited until the hallway was still—until even the guards outside were yawning—and then she slipped into Jasmine’s empty room.

The door creaked open.

She slid inside, glancing around quickly. Nanny Nia was nowhere to be seen. Good.

The room smelled faintly like jasmine flowers and warm candlewax.

Disgusting.

Anna moved to the wardrobe and began tucking the forged letters into the inner folds of Jasmine’s things—a pouch hidden under her travel cloak, the lining of her robe, even under her pillow.

Then she added a final touch—a letter ”from Hunter,” half-burned as though Jasmine had tried to destroy the evidence herself.

When she was done, she took a moment to look around.

Everything looked untouched.

Perfect.

Next, she crept down toward the family hall.

As she turned, she bumped into someone.

The person had been holding a candle so the wax burned her finger.

She yelped in pain.

”Bloody hell! Can’t you see where you are going?!” She screamed.

Before her was none other than Nanny Nia.

Anna remembered how she had seen her naked and became repulsed.

Nanny Nia looked at her closely.

”You. What are you doing walking around the pack house so late in the night?” Nanny nia asked, her eyes wide alert.

Anna hated the bold ugly woman.

”What am I doing here? I own this pack. It belongs to my parents. I can go wherever I want. The question here is where are you coming from?” Anna asked gaslighting her.

Nanny Nia gave a coy smile.

”You’re up to something.” Nanny Nia said.

Anna wanted to deny and then Anna wandered why she should.

She smiled. ”And so?”

Nanny Nia was taken aback by her audacity.

”You’re a monster. And I’m sure it’s only a matter of time for your brother and everyone else to see through you.”

Anna threw back her head with laughter. ”Till then. But for now it be too late for you to save your little girl.”

Nanny Nia’s eyes widened.

”What do you mean? What do you mean you horrid girl?” Nanny Nia snapped.

Anna went off laughing.

It was dark, save for the moonlight spilling through the ornate windows.

She moved quietly until she reached the locked cabinet that held her family’s heirlooms, items passed down for generations, protected and revered.

She paused.

Then, using the spare key she had stolen already when she had hugged her brother, she opened it.

There it was.

The necklace.

Their mother’s wedding necklace—gold laced with opals, said to have been crafted by the moon priestesses themselves.

It shimmered even in the dark.

Anna reached in, heart pounding. The cold metal slid into her palm like it belonged there.

She closed the cabinet gently and returned to her room with the prize.

The next morning, while the sun was still crawling over the mountains,

Anna met Leviathan behind the stables, where the horses were being groomed for morning rides.

He leaned against the fence, a bitter scowl on his bruised face.

”You’re late,” he said coldly.

”You’re lucky I’m here at all,” she replied, tossing the necklace at him. ”Plant this in her belongings before she gets sent back. Somewhere obvious but not too easy.”

Leviathan caught it, and his eyes widened. ”This is...”

”The most valuable thing in this entire estate,” she confirmed. ”If it’s found with her, it’ll be the nail in her coffin. Not even Xaden can explain that away.”

He stared at the necklace, then looked back at her. ”You’re really going all out.”

”I don’t do anything halfway.”

A slow grin spread on Leviathan’s lips. ”Well... you’re in luck. I overheard something last night.”

Anna’s spine straightened. ”What?”

”Alpha Hunter,” Leviathan said, his voice low, ”was speaking to Rygar. Said he plans to release Jasmine soon. Something about it being ’her choice now.’ He’s letting her go.”

Anna froze—and then broke into a slow, dark smile.

”Then everything is happening faster than I expected,” she whispered.

Leviathan raised a brow. ”And you’re... happy about that?”

Anna’s grin widened. ”Of course I’m happy. If she comes back, I get to watch her fall. I get to see her face when she’s accused of betrayal. I get to see my brother’s heart shatter. And all of it... all of it will be my doing.”

”You’re scary.” Leviathan said with all honestly.

She turned to leave, her voice calm and triumphant.

”Let her come home.”