Mated To The Crippled Alpha-Chapter 203: The Real Girl

When the last layer of fake skin came off, I finally understood why his voice had always sounded torn and rough.

Fire.

It had eaten his face once.

The skin underneath was tight, uneven, twisted by old burns. No smooth lines. No features you could easily recognize. Whoever he had been before was long gone.

So tracing him through his face?

Impossible.

"Elena," he said, his ruined mouth stretching into something like a smile. "Are you satisfied with what you see?"

I could hear the challenge in his tone. He wanted to push me. Provoke me. Make me lose control. Maybe even kill him out of rage so he could die without speaking.

I didn’t give him that satisfaction.

"Just because you destroyed your face doesn’t mean you erased yourself," I said calmly. "Theo. Take his fingerprints."

"Understood, Mrs. Riley."

Theo grabbed Silas’s hand and pressed his fingers against white paper.

Then he froze.

"Mrs. Riley... he doesn’t have fingerprints."

For a second, even I couldn’t speak.

What kind of man burns his face and removes his fingerprints?

Silas let out a hoarse laugh. "You’re wasting your time. Kill me if you want. Consider it repayment for your death. But answers? I can’t give you any."

His calm almost annoyed me more than his defiance.

"You erased your face," I said slowly. "You erased your prints. But you still have blood. Hair. Skin. We can run DNA tests."

Theo nodded quickly. "Leave it to me."

I pulled out a small dagger from my coat.

The metal caught the light.

"DNA takes time," I continued softly. "But there are faster ways to make a man talk."

I let the blade drift lower, stopping just above his abdomen.

"You remember what you and your people did to me?" I asked quietly. "Cutting me apart. Treating my body like it meant nothing."

His eyes darkened.

"I can return the favor," I said. "Kidneys are valuable. Hearts. Livers. I’m sure someone in need would be grateful. Ever wondered what it feels like to have an organ removed while you’re still awake?"

The room felt colder.

I lowered the dagger further, letting the tip hover deliberately.

"And if you’re lucky enough to survive that... maybe we test something else. Ever thought about what it feels like to lose your ability to ever have children?"

"You !" His chest heaved with anger. "How can you speak like that?"

I didn’t blink.

"Pain changes people," I said simply. "The body can survive a lot. Infection doesn’t kill instantly. Organs can go one by one."

I tilted my head, studying him. "Have you ever heard the story of a predator taking its time? Not killing quickly. Just bite after bite. Starting from the feet."

The dagger traced slowly along his leg, slow and deliberate.

"When you killed me, I passed out quickly," I said. "But if I end you... I’ll make sure you beg for death."

Sweat began to bead across his burned skin.

For the first time, fear flickered in his eyes.

"Your fate is sealed," I continued. "But you can still choose how you go. Speak, and maybe Camilla gets a chance to live in peace."

His breathing grew uneven.

Finally, he said, "Fine. I’ll talk."

My heart slammed against my ribs, but I kept my face still.

"You’re right," he rasped. "She isn’t your real sister. The real Camilla... is someone else."

Even though I had suspected it, hearing it confirmed made something inside me crack.

"Who is she?" I demanded, stepping closer. "Where is she? Is she alive?"

"She’s alive."

Those two words almost brought me to my knees.

I grabbed his torn shirt. "Are you telling the truth? Is she safe? Did you make her disappear?"

For years I had lived with the thought that my sister betrayed me. That she chose them over me.

Now that weight began to loosen.

"She was pushed into the water," he said slowly. "It was planned. She was young. Easier to erase. Harder to find later."

My chest tightened.

"But she’s been cared for," he added. "Her life hasn’t been as cruel as ours."

"Where is she?" I whispered.

He swallowed. "Water."

Theo quickly brought him a glass. Silas drank deeply, like a man who hadn’t tasted relief in years.

"She’s at Mister’s house."

"Mister?" I pressed. "Who is he? Why were you and Camilla involved? How many of you are there? Where is your base?"

He gave a bitter smile. "One question at a time."

"Then start," I said. "I’m not in a hurry."

He closed his eyes briefly before speaking.

"Camilla and I were never leaders. We were pieces on a board. Mister raised us to hate the Sanders. To infiltrate. To destroy."

His voice grew distant.

"We were orphans. Abandoned. Taken into what we thought was a kind home." His burned face twitched. "It wasn’t kind."

The air in the shed felt heavy.

"They trained us," he continued. "From hunting animals to hunting people. They broke children until only the strongest remained."

"How many survived?" I asked.

"Few. Most died during training. Only those who passed moved forward."

"And Camilla?" I pressed. "Was she one of them? What’s her real name?"

He shook his head. "We don’t have real names. Only codenames. But I called her Camilla because... I wanted her to live like a normal girl, at least in name."

I let out a cold breath. "You’re devoted."

He didn’t deny it.

"Elena," he said suddenly, "you grew up in warmth. You don’t understand what hunger does to a person. What desperation turns you into. We did things to survive. If we didn’t cling to each other, we would’ve died."

My instincts stirred inside me anger, grief, something darker.

"Whatever you suffered," I said firmly, "it doesn’t justify killing me. Your pain isn’t my debt."

He gave a sad smile. "Who really understands fate?"

Silence fell between us.

Then he looked at me, something like acceptance in his eyes.

"Can you do something for me?" he asked.

"What?"

"If you see Camilla again... tell her I loved her."

The words were simple. Honest.

"I know I won’t leave this estate," he added quietly.

For a second, I felt something in me soften.

"Fine," I said slowly. "I’ll tell her."

He nodded.

"Now," I said, leaning in, "tell me everything else."

He inhaled.

"I will "

And then it happened.

So fast.

He bit down hard.

A sickening sound filled the room.

Before any of us could move, he spat something onto the ground.

His tongue.

Blood poured from his mouth as he choked on a broken cry.

"Arghh !"

He had chosen silence.

Over life.

Over everything.