After One Night with the Alpha Chapter 213

Elle's POV

The question hung between us, loaded with implication. She wasn't asking for friendship or even acceptance—she was asking for alliance.

"Against what?" I asked, though I was pretty sure I already knew the answer.

"Against the woman who nearly destroyed this family once, and who's now planning to finish the job." Victoria's eyes blazed with old fury. "Against the woman who would see my son's position weakened just to satisfy her own ambition."

I thought about Brad, about everything he'd told me about his mother's sacrifices. About the lengths she'd gone to protect his inheritance, even at the cost of her own health and happiness.

"What do you need me to do?" I asked quietly.

Something that might have been surprise flickered across her features. "You're not going to ask me what's in it for you?"

"I'm carrying Brad's child," I said simply. "His enemies are my enemies."

For the first time since I'd entered the room, Victoria Rayne smiled. It wasn't warm—it was sharp and predatory—but it was genuine.

"Perhaps Brad chose more wisely than I thought," she murmured.

Before either of us could say more, footsteps echoed in the hallway outside. I turned, my hearing picking up the sound of casual, unhurried steps—and something else. A scent that made my nose wrinkle slightly.

"Lucas is here," I said quietly.

Victoria's expression hardened instantly. "Remember what I said about family obligations."

The doors opened, and my first glimpse of Lucas Rayne was... underwhelming. He was tall enough, with the basic bone structure of the Rayne family, but everything about him screamed weakness. His clothes were expensive but wrinkled, his hair unkempt, and his movements had the loose, unfocused quality of someone who spent more time chemically altered than sober. The werewolf scent that should have been strong and commanding was diluted, barely there.

Behind him walked a female werewolf who was clearly his mother—Mary. She was probably in her fifties, but well-preserved in the way of women who had access to expensive cosmetics and treatments. Her eyes were calculating, constantly assessing, and when she looked at Victoria, I caught a flash of something that made my skin crawl.

"Lady Victoria!" Lucas said with a grin that was trying too hard to be charming. "Looking beautiful as always."

Mary stepped forward more cautiously. "I hope you don't mind us visiting." she said with careful deference, though her eyes held a gleam of triumph.

Victoria's response was a cold, dismissive sound that wasn't quite a snort but definitely wasn't approval. The golden light in her amber eyes flashed dangerously.

I stepped forward smoothly, offering Lucas a polite smile. "You must be Lucas. It's nice to finally meet you. Brad's told me so much about his family."

Lucas's attention immediately shifted to me, his eyes lighting up with interest and something that made me distinctly uncomfortable.

"And you must be the famous Elle," he said, looking me up and down in a way that made my skin crawl. "Brad certainly has good taste."

"Thank you," I said neutrally, then turned to Mary. "Mrs. Mary, I'm Elle West. I hope you're settling in well here at the estate."

Mary's smile was brittle and calculating. "Thank you, dear. It's... quite something, being back in this house after so many years."

The underlying tension in that statement was impossible to miss. Victoria's hands tightened on her wheelchair armrests.

I moved to stand behind Victoria's wheelchair, placing one hand gently on the handles. "Mrs. Rayne has had a long day," I said with a warm smile that didn't reach my eyes. "Perhaps we should let her rest. I was just about to escort her to her room."

Victoria caught on immediately. "Yes," she said, her voice carrying just enough weakness to be believable. "I am rather tired."

I began pushing her wheelchair toward the side exit, effectively ending the confrontation before it could escalate. As we passed Lucas and Mary, I caught the confused disappointment on Lucas's face and the sharp calculation in Mary's eyes.

"It was lovely meeting you both," I said pleasantly. "I'm sure we'll have plenty of time to talk later."

As we moved down the hallway, I could hear Lucas's voice behind us.

"Well, she seems nice enough," he was saying to his mother. "Pretty, too. Pregnant really suits her. Even for a human, she's got this... glow about her."

The sound of Mary smacking him echoed down the hall. "You idiot," she hissed. "Stop staring at your brother's mate like that. We have work to do."

I kept pushing Victoria's wheelchair until we were well out of earshot, then stopped in a quiet alcove overlooking the estate gardens.

"Well played," Victoria said quietly. "Getting us out of there before things could escalate."

"Lucas isn't the threat," I said, echoing her earlier words. "He's too unfocused, too... obvious. Mary's the one watching every angle."

Victoria nodded approvingly. "Exactly. Lucas wants attention, approval, maybe some family money to fund his habits. Mary wants power. She wants to be the real Lady of this house, and she'll use Lucas as her pathway to get it."

I thought about what Brad had told me about the shares Elizabeth had given me. "She can't touch Brad's position directly. He's too well-established, too strong. But she can undermine the family structure around him."

"Which is why," Victoria said slowly, "I'm going to ask you something that may surprise you."

I waited.

"Elizabeth is considering recognizing Lucas as a real Rayne. If that happens, Mary will have equal standing with me in family matters. She'll have a voice in pack politics, in business decisions, in the future of this bloodline."

My stomach dropped. "Can you stop it?"

Victoria's laugh was bitter. "Not directly. Elizabeth makes those decisions. But..." She looked up at me with those sharp amber eyes. "You have something I don't."

"What's that?"