Mated To The Crippled Alpha-Chapter 205: The Bet

My heart dropped the moment Lewis told me.

For a few seconds, I couldn’t even breathe properly. The bond between us pulsed faintly, reacting to my shock before I could control it. Jake had only just returned to the city. Years ago, he left to build his career overseas, and we slowly drifted apart. I never thought the first real news I would hear about him after his return would be about his death.

Jake loved motorcycles. Even when the elders warned him about danger, he always laughed it off. When I was little and stubborn, determined to ride before I was ready, he stood behind me, steady and patient. He never snapped at me, never lost his temper. He simply corrected me again and again until I got it right.

He was never reckless in winter.

It took me a long time to find my voice. "H–how did he die?"

Lewis’s arms tightened around me instinctively. "They said he slipped into the water after drinking. By the time they found him, he had stopped breathing."

I pulled back immediately. "On a freezing winter night? You expect me to believe Jake would fall into the water like that?" My instincts sharpened, cold and alert. "Someone killed him. Silas is locked up. Camilla is in the hospital. So who did it?"

Lewis didn’t rush to answer. "That organization has more than a few hands working for it."

Of course they did.

He stroked my hair gently. "We just received the news. We don’t have all the details yet. Don’t assume too much."

But my mind was already racing. I had thought I won when I finally cornered Camilla. I thought exposing her would slow them down.

Instead, it only made them move faster.

They were mad. Cold and calculating.

I had tested Silas deliberately, revealing part of myself to see how they would react. They hadn’t known about my return. For now, that kept me safe.

But the Morrigans?

They were surrounded.

"Grandma..." The word slipped out of my mouth before I could stop it. Camilla hated her. That hatred wasn’t something that faded quietly.

"Don’t worry," Lewis said firmly. "I’ll move Penelope. A different nursing home. Different name. Only I will know where she is."

I exhaled slowly. "She must stay safe."

"She will. The Morrigans have already increased security."

I looked at Lewis, guilt rising like bile. "Did I make a mistake? If I had warned them earlier... maybe this wouldn’t have happened."

He touched my forehead gently, his eyes steady and warm. "You did nothing wrong. The Morrigans hurt you. You owed them nothing. Don’t carry guilt that isn’t yours."

His words should have comforted me. But fate felt heavier than logic.

"It’s late," he murmured. "You need rest. You are not Elena anymore. You are Riley. Whatever happened to them, your life is just beginning."

I lay in bed, but sleep refused to come. My thoughts tangled into knots Camilla, Silas, the Morrigans, the hidden mastermind pulling strings from the shadows. Every path led to danger.

"Sleep," Lewis whispered, his hand gently moving along my back in a slow rhythm. The scent of incense filled the room, steady and grounding. My breathing gradually slowed, and eventually, exhaustion dragged me under.

I slept without dreams.

When I woke up, sunlight was already spilling into the room. My head felt heavy, foggy. It was nearly noon. Lewis was gone.

Jake was dead.

The thought returned like a weight pressing on my chest. Who would be next?

I went to check on Silas. His burned face was no longer hidden. The skin was twisted and scarred, proof of the fire he survived. After staring at it long enough, it stopped looking shocking. Maybe I was getting used to cruelty.

His tongue was gone. His hands were shattered. His body lay almost useless on the bed, yet his eyes remained alive empty, but alive. For him, life and death probably felt the same now.

Theo stood nearby, watching carefully.

"Did he try to kill himself?" I asked.

"Yes. Failed."

"Keep him alive. Death would be mercy for someone like him. I want him breathing long enough to see Camilla fall."

When I said Camilla’s name, Theo’s expression shifted slightly.

"Has anyone approached the estate?" I asked.

"No."

That didn’t reassure me. Silence could mean patience.

A servant arrived with food. Theo lifted a spoon toward Silas’s mouth. He refused to open it, clearly trying to starve himself.

"If he won’t eat," I said coldly, "crush it and force–feed him. Enough to keep him alive. He doesn’t get to choose death."

Our enemies were ruthless. We had been too soft.

Theo nodded. "Yes, Mrs. Riley."

"Wait."

I stared at the food for a second. Something didn’t feel right. My instincts prickled faintly.

"Give it to me."

Theo didn’t question me. He handed it over. I stepped outside and scattered some of the food onto the ground. Within moments, ants swarmed over it.

We waited.

Seconds later, they began dropping.

One by one.

Dead.

Theo’s expression darkened immediately. "Poison. Highly toxic."

I nodded slowly. "They were never going to rescue Silas. Too risky. Easier to silence him."

Theo’s jaw tightened. "They dared poison food inside the Bolton estate. If they target you "

"No," I interrupted. "Their target is Silas."

The Boltons were structured differently from the Morrigans. Even if a main branch fell, others would compete for control. Killing randomly here would not secure inheritance or power.

But killing Silas?

That erased a loose end.

"Mrs. Riley," Theo said quietly, understanding dawning in his eyes, "you know who it is."

"Who else?" I replied. "The trap worked perfectly. We’ve hooked a large fish."

I turned to him, my mind already moving ahead. "Check the surveillance footage. Quietly."

"Understood. And Silas?"

"Make it look like he’s dead. Move him somewhere secure. Keep him barely alive. Tonight, after dark, stage a burial in the mountains. Let’s see who comes to collect."

Theo’s eyes lit up with grim satisfaction. "You think they’ll retrieve the body?"

"I’ve set the bait," I said calmly.

"Let’s see what bites."