Chapter 7: The Liar and the Actress

(Alexandra)

“I SEE an incredibly gorgeous man and you see an enemy. We are seeing things differently, dear.”

I frowned as I glanced at Beatrix, my cousin, my best friend, and my assistant all rolled into one. She was on the left side of the hall, a few tables away from me. She raised her wineglass when our eyes met. Beatrix showed up as Kenji’s partner for tonight and no one doubted her because she was a famous model in the country. She also had an established background and was also known for supporting charities.

There was only three people Luther had kept close all these years. Tristan, Isaac, and Kenji. And since the twin brothers were constantly in San Antonio, Beatrix targeted Kenji who worked in Manila, and seduced him so she would have a reason to return here one day since San Antonio was also Kenji’s hometown.

Now, Beatrix got the playboy billionaire wrapped around her fingers.

I snorted. “Have you forgotten what the humans did to us, to our family? It’s impossible for me to appreciate any of them!”

This was among the wolves’ advantage that no humans knew about. We could communicate with each other through our heads.

“I get that. I fight them, too. Although we always do it in bed. Sometimes, we fight quickly, sometimes it could go on for hours depending on how skillful they are. It was hot, I’m telling you.”

Beatrix giggled after seeing my reaction. I would never understand how she could stomach having sex with any human but she was very efficient at what she does. If sex was her way of getting information, then I guess it’s fine since she discards them after she acquires what she wants from them.

“What? I’m just stating facts here. Your husband is the hottest human I’d ever seen. A man like that is sure to fuck your brains out!”

“Are you aware of how embarrassing you sounded?”

“Don’t be such a prude. What do you think is more addictive than money? It’s sex, dear! Use your body properly. If you can’t communicate with your husband through words, then do it through your body. Trust me, it’ll work. Sex is my specialty, remember? Do you still remember the tricks I taught you? Use it on Luther and I swear, even the devil will melt. It’s you, after all. If I could make the men come to me, you could do it, too. In fact, I know you could do it way better than me.”

“I will handle my own problems, Trix. Thank you very much,” I said sarcastically. “As for you, be careful. I don’t give a damn about your sexual escapades, but remember not to get swayed. Don’t forget what and who we are fighting for.”

When Beatrix became silent, I didn’t have to look at her to know that her smile had already faded. She had changed so much. From a shy and hopeless romantic girl, she had become a man-eater, as she put it, leaving a trail of broken hearts wherever she goes. But then who among our pack didn’t change? Who we are now were just fragments of the people we used to be.

“As if I could ever forget. My life had stopped the day my mate died, Xandra. You know that. Forgiving and forgetting is out of the question here.”

I closed my eyes. “As it should.”

“Enough of this topic. I heard from Kenji that your husband is the rumored devil incarnate that the humans in the business world talked about. They say that once he gets what he wants, he wouldn’t let it go. He would keep it for the rest of his life.”

A wry smile appeared on my lips. “Are you seriously worried about me?”

“Are you kidding me? Of course not! The humans may have encountered a lot of wolves in the past, but this will be their first time to encounter the crimson wolf. You are the beast among the beasts that’s why all the alphas helped each other in order to protect you and hide you from the humans when you were born. I know that you are yet to unleash who you truly are. Worrying about you is like forgetting the teachings of the elders about the blood-red wolf who is prophesied to end all wars.”

“Stop that.” I hear that prophecy word almost every day. And if I hear it again tonight, I feel like my ears would explode. “Anyway, when will the rest of the wolves arrive?”

“Soon. They are just busy ironing out the details for now.”

“Good. Any news about the VP?”

“It was as you expected, Xandra, although he contacted the Alpha sooner than we thought. Things are working smoothly on our end.”

That was the only good news I heard today. I had already heard some of the most important things about the Governor and the VP that’s why what Luther had offered was not enough for him to get under my skirt although my hunch that there was a Mage backing him up was confirmed after our last conversation. He could block the sound which prevents the wolves from getting information. Only Mages could do that and Luther was definitely not one of them. So, the question was how he was able to get them to help him.

I’d never seen a Mage before. The Alpha said that it would be easy to spot them because of their scent. All Mages had the scent of a flower. They were considered a rarity in this world because they were only a few of them left who was born with mana or magic as humans called it. As far as I know, they never involve themselves with the affairs of both humans and other supernatural beings. I will make sure to get to the bottom of it.

For now, I will focus on the tip Luther had given regarding the spies. It would be easier to move once the wolves had arrived although I had to admit my husband’s every word was intriguing. If that was his plan, he was succeeding.

“All right. Thanks, Trix. Remember to keep me updated about the pack’s movements,” I said after some time.

“Yes, ma’am,” Beatrix replied in a teasing voice.

I had to end our conversation when I saw Mrs. Molly walking towards me. Her son had left for a while to say goodbye to his VIP guests. Was he in a hurry to take me away from here after the trip I mentioned? He didn’t look worried, though.

In fact, Luther seemed like he was having fun and it was annoying.

Mrs. Molly looked like she had gotten over her despair. Humans were truly so blessed. They could move on quickly unlike us. She was smiling from ear-to-ear as she approached me which was very fishy. Just what on Earth was this old psycho up to after saying the worst things about me to her circle of friends who were eyeing us with anticipation and excitement? These sick people were always hungry for entertainment.

“Aren’t you even going to say ‘hello?’ to your mother-in-law?” Mrs. Molly asked as she stood in front of me with that smug expression.

“Well, hello there, mother-in-law,” I replied with my arms crossed. I didn’t stand to greet her which irked her more.

“This is such a shame. Your parents should have taught you some manners at least before sending you to my family.” She took a deep breath. I could feel her blood pressure rising. “Anyway, I brought something for you. You should be lucky. Not everybody gets to receive gifts from me. We started on the wrong foot and you can’t blame me. My son is too good for you. Still, for the sake of peace, I will try to endure having you with us. Consider this gift as my way of welcoming you to my family.”

I bit my lower lip to stop myself from cussing in front of her. Mrs. Molly was the embodiment of every daughter-in-law’s nightmare.

I stared at the box which came from a renowned jewelry brand. It was probably a bracelet or a necklace. From the start, I knew that Mrs. Molly was not the brightest crayon in the box, but I didn’t know that she would be this empty-headed. Did she really think that I wouldn’t be able to smell the aconite inside the box? I wonder how many aconites she plucked just for this. The humans referred to it as wolf's bane which was poison to most of us. It could also numb us and hinder our capacity to shift.

“My arm is hurting. Are you just going to sit there and gawk? Get up quickly and try this bracelet on. I personally chose this for you. This is very expensive so you have to take care of this.”

“I’m so touched. Thank you, Ma.” She flinched, but kept her smile on.

I finally stood up and accepted the gift. I opened the box and eagerly wore the bracelet which was adorned with pink pearls. If it was another wolf, she would have thrown up just by the smell of the aconite alone and had severe breathing problems which could lead to instant death. Much more, if she were to have a direct contact with it.

After the treaty, all the aconites in this town had been burned. That’s what the Governor had told us. He swore that any human who would use it against the wolves would be imprisoned.

Now, I know that the Sinclairs were the first to break the rule. They still had a lot of them in their territory. Who knows? They might even have an entire garden filled with nothing but aconites. And my mother-in-law did not hesitate to use it and even intended to kill a wolf in public. This makes me feel so furious inside that I was tempted to hit her with the fork on the table, but then I realized the golden fork would be a waste to use on her.

Right now, in my eyes, the fork was more important than this human’s life.

I tried to smile as coyly as possible when I saw how upset Mrs. Molly was after waiting for about a minute or so. For now, this reaction was enough for me. When I waved, the pearls dangled. “I’ve never worn something like this before. It’s beautiful!”

“Why aren’t you affected? Does this mean that you are not a werewolf? Were we wrong about you all along? Did you lie to us?”

I could hear Beatrix laughing from wherever she is.

“What do you mean, Ma?”

She shook her head. “N-nothing.”

I stepped closer to her and whispered in her ear. “Why do you look like that after seeing me wear your gift? Were you expecting something? Did you perhaps dip the bracelet with aconites before giving it to me? And seeing that I didn’t have any physical reaction against it, were you disappointed? Did you just try to poison your own daughter-in-law?”

She was taken aback. “Don’t put words into my mouth! I-I don’t even know what you’re talking about!”

“Here’s tip number one. Aconites don’t work on me, Ma.” I put my hand on her shoulder and pressed her there. “And in case you haven’t heard yet, wolves give back whatever they receive. That’s why to show my appreciation for this gift, here is the next tip. In five seconds, you will witness this entire hall be filled with red… and with screams. I honestly didn’t want to do this yet, but you gave me no choice. So, at the count of five, I want you to prepare yourself, Ma. Five, four…”

She was wheezing when she stepped back.

“Remember, whatever happens is on you now, Ma,” I added before I went back to counting and signaled the staff nearby. “Three, two, One!”

“Everybody, run away now! The monsters are preparing something! They deceived us! They will attack us tonight! Hide and save yourselves, please!” Mrs. Molly screamed with all her might as she dropped on the floor and covered her head with her hands which had caught the guests’ attention, but only for a while.

They were all stunned when suddenly, the red petals filled the hall and the little girls who knew nothing of what’s going on around them screamed with delight as they tried to catch the petals with their tiny hands.

“Molly! What in the world are you doing? Get up! You are embarrassing our family!” the Governor broke the moment as he shouted at his wife as if he had forgotten the appearance that he was desperately trying to keep up.

“I can’t get up! You know that I’m afraid of blood! I can’t bear to look at it! Did everybody die? What about Cynthia? I never really liked the Congressman’s wife. I’d always hoped for that two-faced bitch to die but not in this place! Not in front of me! This is driving me crazy, Duncan! Why is such tragedy happening to our wonderful family?”

The Governor broke out in cold sweat as he looked at everyone who had heard every single word his wife uttered since the music had been gone for some time now. He grabbed her by the arm and whispered, “What blood and death are you talking about? I swear if you don’t get up now, I will annul our marriage, you useless piece of shit! The Congressman just heard you slander his wife in front of everyone!”

I tried my best not to laugh. Cynthia Zaragosa, the Congressman’s wife, was among Mrs. Molly’s so-called friends who was sitting at her table wide-eyed. When the people began murmuring, Cynthia got up with tears in her eyes as she walked towards the door. Her husband followed right after glaring at the Governor.

I heard they were business partners. My father-in-law needed the Zaragosas for his future endeavors which, by the looks of it, will not be happening anymore. What a pity.

When Mrs. Molly looked up, she was astonished to see the petals on the floor and not the blood she was imagining. She gasped when she saw people looking at her strangely.

“Oh. They didn’t die? But why?” she asked so innocently, unaware of the friendships that had ended because of her big, bad, mouth.

The Governor looked murderous. If only many people were not looking, he had probably strangled his wife already. After all, he looked like he could do it. He gritted his teeth. “Stop this madness! Are you trying to advertise to the whole world just how dumb you are? Just apologize to the guests, Molly. Now,” he whispered in a calm but dangerous voice.

“Why? It was that monster’s fault! She said that-“

“I don’t want to hear your excuses! You have been making my blood boil since the start of the wedding! Just do what I tell you to do before I wring your neck, you imbecile!”

She winced. “Don’t say that. You are scaring me, Duncan.”

I sighed and glanced at everyone when it looked like Mrs. Molly was still not in her right mind to deliver her speech. And as a new member of their family, it was now my duty to rescue her at times like this.

I tried to appear as sad as I could. “Please forgive my mother-in-law. I’m sure she didn’t mean to say those… ugly things. All of you were aware that she didn’t like me for her son. Maybe that was the reason why she suddenly acted like this. It was a little frustrating but I understand where she’s coming from. Besides, she is a good person deep inside. I could tell.” I raised my hand when I saw Luther. “She even gave me this beautiful bracelet and-“I didn’t get to finish my sentence when I coughed. I bit my tongue until blood dripped from my mouth as my eyes watered.

I joined an acting club when I was still in university just for this moment. That was the difference between Mrs. Molly and I. She was not a good actress… unlike me.

When my tongue healed right away, I added, “Wait! The bracelet is laced with aconite!” I glanced at my mother-in-law, aghast. “How could you trick me like this, Ma? I knew you didn’t approve of me, but I never thought you would poison me and to think that my pack and I trusted you!”

The Governor was about to help Mrs. Molly stand, but after seeing the blood in my mouth, he pushed her away. For the second time, she fell on the floor.

I was sure it hurt, but her husband didn’t care. He even screeched, “Damn it, Molly!”

I tried to hide my smile when Mrs. Molly looked at me as if she had been hit by a lightning. This was not a part of my plan. I didn’t think I would get to eliminate someone so easily on my first day with the humans. Because of her, I now have one less Sinclair to deal with.

Got you there. How does it feel to fall into your own trap, Ma?