Mated To The Crippled Alpha-Chapter 345: How You Want to Die?

Vito could have dodged.

He didn’t.

The teacup slammed into his shoulder, and though it didn’t break, the hot tea splashed across his neck and soaked into his shirt. The skin there turned red instantly. Tea leaves clung to the fabric, and droplets kept sliding down him, one after another.

Still, he stayed on his knees.

Didn’t move.

Didn’t complain.

Beside me, Yael’s tall body was shaking so badly it looked like he could barely stay standing. The fear pouring off him was so raw it made the whole room feel colder.

Amber’s eyes shifted to him.

"Move," she said.

Her voice wasn’t loud. It didn’t need to be.

Yael trembled harder, but he still stood in front of me, shielding me with his body. "Mom," he said, voice breaking, "I love her. Please don’t hurt her."

"Love?"

Amber gave a sharp, mocking laugh.

The woman I had seen before—the polished one, the elegant one—was gone. She didn’t even bother hiding herself now. She lounged against the sofa with one hand propping up her face, her gaze full of scorn.

"If your father knew both his sons had fallen for the daughter of our enemy," she said coldly, "he’d claw his way out of the grave just to discipline you himself."

Yael didn’t back down.

"You didn’t stop Vito from marrying Whitney," he said. "Why can’t I love Elena?"

Then, to my shock, he stepped forward and dropped to his knees in front of her.

"Mom, please," he begged. "I’m asking you. I’ve never asked you for anything in my whole life. But now I love Elena. Please spare her."

"Spare her?"

Amber let out another cold laugh. "Who do you think you are?"

Before anyone could react, she kicked him hard in the chest.

Yael’s body jerked with the impact.

And in that moment, I understood something clearly.

Amber did not see Vito and Yael as her children.

She saw them as tools.

She leaned down slowly and pressed a dagger into Yael’s hand.

"Not only will I not spare her," she said, "I want you to kill her yourself."

"Mom!"

Vito’s expression changed for the first time. "You promised me you wouldn’t force Yael to kill anyone."

So I had been right.

Vito had been protecting Yael all along.

Maybe Yael really was the only Blackwell whose hands were not fully stained yet.

Whitney moved closer to me without a word. She stood at my side, face pale and serious. She tried to stay composed, but her fingers were trembling. That tiny movement gave her away.

She was afraid of Amber too.

Just like Yael.

Just like Vito.

Amber looked at them like they were pathetic. "You are his sons. Darkness runs in your blood. What is the point of chasing light?" Her eyes settled on Yael again. "Be good and do as I say. Go kill her."

Then she crouched and touched his face with fake tenderness.

"Don’t you want me to love you?" she asked softly. "Be good. Kill this woman, and I’ll love you. It’s simple. Point the blade at her heart and push. She’ll die quickly."

The cruelty in her voice made my stomach twist.

Yael slapped her hand away.

Then he hurled the dagger as far as he could.

"I won’t do it," he shouted. "I promised Elena I would never hurt her again."

Amber’s face went still.

"Yael," she said quietly, "you know I hate disobedient children the most."

She patted his cheek lightly.

"And disobedient children are punished."

The second she said the word punished, Yael’s whole body started shaking violently.

Amber clapped once.

A man stepped out from the shadows.

He wore black from head to toe—a tactical jacket, a hat, a mask. Only his eyes showed. I couldn’t tell his age. I couldn’t even tell who he was.

But his eyes...

They were dead in the way only killers’ eyes are dead.

Vito bent down, picked up the dagger, and said quickly, "Mom, Yael is still young. Don’t be angry. I’ll kill her for him."

Before he could move, Whitney stepped in front of me.

"If you want to kill Elena," she said coldly, "you’ll have to kill me first."

"Whitney, don’t make trouble."

A chill flashed through Vito’s eyes, but it wasn’t aimed at me.

The man in black ignored everyone else and went straight for Yael.

Yael tried to fight him off, but he was no match. The man struck him once, clean and fast. Yael dropped unconscious immediately.

Then the man grabbed him by the hair and dragged him away like he was nothing.

Like he wasn’t human.

Like he wasn’t her son.

Watching that, something inside me turned.

Did a mother who felt no love for her children really exist?

I finally understood where Yael’s twisted heart came from.

Vito and Whitney stood facing each other, neither willing to give way.

Amber waved a hand impatiently. "Enough. Take Anna upstairs. Elena stays with me."

"Alright, Mom," Vito said calmly.

He set the dagger on the table and started walking toward Whitney. "Anna, come upstairs with me."

Whitney’s eyes turned red as she gripped my hand tightly. "I’m not leaving Elena. Vito, please let her go."

Vito caught her wrist.

Whitney slapped him across the face.

"Don’t touch me!"

"Whitney, behave," he said, voice controlled. He wasn’t using force yet. He was still trying to coax her.

But Whitney snapped.

With sudden strength, she shoved him aside, snatched the dagger from the table, and lunged at Amber.

Everything happened so fast that even I froze.

I had always thought Whitney was gentle. Soft. Fragile.

But right then, with tears in her eyes and a blade in her hand, she looked like someone who had been cornered too long.

"You monster!" she cried. "You’re the one who deserves to die!"

A terrible feeling crashed over me.

Amber was not someone Whitney could take down.

Before the blade could reach her, Vito caught it with his bare hand.

The knife bit deep into his palm.

Blood streamed down instantly, thick and red, dripping onto the floor.

Whitney froze in horror. "You..."

Vito’s face did not even change.

As if the wound belonged to someone else.

"Mom," he said calmly, "I’ll take her upstairs now. Sorry for the trouble."

He pulled the knife from Whitney’s hand. This time, when he looked at her, all warmth was gone.

He stepped closer.

"Will you come with me quietly," he asked in a cold voice, "or do I need to knock you out and carry you?"

Whitney shook her head, tears spilling now. "Vito, please don’t hurt Elena."

The danger in the room was rising too fast.

"Whitney," I said quickly, "go with him. I’ll be fine."

"Elena..."

"Listen to me." I forced my voice to stay steady. "I fought too hard to stay alive. I’m not going to throw my life away now."

I reached out and patted her head gently.

That small moment was all Vito needed.

He scooped her into his arms at once.

Whitney stared at him in disbelief before she started struggling wildly. "No! Let me go!" 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

It didn’t matter.

Vito carried her upstairs like her resistance weighed nothing.

And then it was just Amber and me in the living room.

She looked at me and sneered. "You really are talented. My son is already obsessed with you."

I met her gaze and sat down on the sofa like I had every right to be there.

"Your son?" I asked. "Do you even think of him that way?"

That made her expression shift.

Everyone else feared her. They flinched. They lowered their heads.

I didn’t.

"You’re not afraid of me?" she asked softly. "Do you have any idea how many ways I could kill you?"

To prove her point, she picked up the bloodied knife and walked toward me step by step.

The room felt heavy with her presence. Not loud. Not wild. Just controlled power. The kind that didn’t need to bare its teeth because everyone already knew it could bite.

She used the tip of the knife to lift my chin.

"How do you want to die, Elena?" she asked.

Forced to raise my head, I looked straight into her eyes.

"Why don’t you find out?" I said.

My calm unsettled her. I saw it.

Just for a second, she paused.

Then she recovered and dragged the knife down to my neck. The cold edge brushed my skin and made every nerve go tight.

"One small cut," she murmured, "and you’ll start bleeding. How long do you think it would take?"

Her gaze dropped to the silver chain around my neck.

Then her expression changed.

She hooked the knife under it and lifted it slightly, examining it more closely.

Panic flashed across her face.

"Where is the Stone of Duality?" she demanded.

So.

She had finally noticed.

I smiled at her, letting all the confidence I had gather on my face.

"Why don’t you take a guess?"