Chapter 174: Chapter 174 Win The Battle Lose The War
"You have no clue what this feels like, Fiona. No idea what it’s like watching your mate get screwed by another man while you’re powerless to stop it.
You can’t imagine how it cuts when your mate sneaks around, meeting up with him behind your back. That’s foreign to you, because I’ve never pulled that shit on you."
Fiona’s sobs grew more violent at his words.
She clung to Reginald desperately, nausea rolling through her from the emotional chaos tearing her apart.
She couldn’t contain it anymore. This was crushing her. Everything was destroying her.
"What’s your answer to that? Got any idea how that feels? Here’s the truth—no, you don’t.
I never treated you like garbage, but I sure as hell know what it’s like, because that’s exactly the hell you put me through."
Fiona wrapped her arms around Reginald, crying so hard her lungs burned, grateful he wasn’t shoving her away—maybe she could still fix this disaster.
"Tell me what to do. How do I make this right? How do I fix what I broke?"
"Hell if I know." Reginald dropped his head. He didn’t return her embrace, but Fiona didn’t care. "There were moments I wanted to hurt you the same way you destroyed me, but... I don’t know. That’s just my rage talking."
"Then hurt me, Reginald. Rip me apart if that’s what you need to heal. Give me the same pain I gave you, but afterward, please find some way to forgive me."
Reginald stayed silent. He didn’t spell out his desires, but Fiona was sharp enough to read his silence and connect the dots.
Finally, Fiona pulled back and framed his face with her hands. "Go screw someone else. I won’t say a word. Let’s call it even. It’s fine. It’ll tear me apart, but I’ve earned it."
"I won’t sink that low."
The words stung like a slap, making it clear how little Reginald thought of her now. "Please, pick anyone you want. I won’t lose my mind over it. Let go, you need to blow off steam too. All this battle crap and revenge must be eating you alive. Please, have some fun."
Reginald said nothing, but he didn’t shoot down the idea either.
"Go find someone who catches your eye, do whatever the hell you want with them, but please, come back to me."
Fiona had degraded herself to rock bottom, too ashamed to face her own reflection, but this was the price of her betrayal.
"I’ll consider it," Reginald said.
"Okay."
——
**Phoebe’s POV**
"You swore you’d do whatever I told you, right? Now, drink this." Marcela handed me the mixture with a sweet smile, like she was offering candy to a child.
I wrinkled my nose at the awful smell but forced myself to down the entire thing.
I’d never been more grateful for losing my taste buds—I couldn’t taste the horror, though the rotten stench still hit me full force.
"Perfect. We’re doing this daily. No skipping allowed."
This was my second time choking down Marcela’s brew, and I already wanted to quit. The thought passed quickly—I wasn’t giving up.
I’d get used to the smell.
But even after a week, I still couldn’t. I’d tried everything—holding my breath, pinching my nose—but once the liquid hit my mouth, the stench clung there, forcing me to endure it.
Marcela could only offer sympathetic looks.
Deep down, I knew she enjoyed watching me suffer. Not from cruelty, but to teach me a lesson about being so damn stubborn.
Fine by me. I’d see this through to the bitter end.
——
"They’ve got us surrounded. The king’s leading ten thousand warriors to break through the fortress."
Alpha Sterling observed everything from the watchtower, smirking. "He brought his entire army here. Left the palace wide open."
"That’s exactly what we planned," Reginald said, studying the king’s banner. He’d bet everything that Perry came here specifically for him.
It was the trap. Reginald knew the king would lead the charge personally, just like before—too hungry for revenge after the kidnapping. Perry wanted to rip him apart with his bare hands and feed the pieces to his wolves.
"This won’t end like last time."
"Think the fortress can hold?" Allen asked. They’d done their job perfectly, drawing the king himself into their web.
This was Allen’s real reason for helping Reginald and his rebels.
Reginald wasn’t the only one with hidden motives—the Valerium people were done taking hits. This was their chance to strike back at King Perry.
This was the price Perry would pay for trying to crush their kingdom.
"It’ll hold. Word must be reaching him now. Don’t sweat it. Even if the fortress falls, it’ll be too late for him to turn around and save his kingdom. He’s screwed either way."
All the alphas and Darius grinned at that.
They were just bait to lure Perry from the palace, and Reginald made perfect bait.
"He might win this battle, but he’s about to lose the war." Reginald watched the ten thousand warriors move at their king’s command.
