The Villain Alpha's Cursed Mate-Chapter 143: Kill His Wolf

"You’re... alive?!" The question flew from his lips the instant his gaze landed on Esme, as if his mind struggled to register her presence as real. His expression wavered between disbelief and shock as his eyes searched her face, wanting to confirm the impossible.

But Esme barely flinched at his reaction. She stood unmoved, her silence fueling his bewilderment, but then Leonardo leaned in, his voice soft but laced with a hint of annoyance as he whispered. freёwebnoѵel.com

"I can get him to shut up if you want." His offer was undeniably tempting, but Esme shook her head with a slight smile.

It had been far too long since she last faced Dahmer, and she wasn’t even aware that he was part of the victims who were drugged.

In their time apart, he had heaped countless cruel words upon her, and his scorn was a reminder of the bitter fate she narrowly escaped. She was supposed to have married Lennox that day — a sour fate Dahmer would have ensured without mercy. Her freedom had been on the line of being snatched away, and her path would have forever been sealed in the cage of him and Lennox’s making.

But then, Donovan intervened, tearing her from a life of torment she might never have escaped alone. She knew that his presence that day saved her from an unbearable future.

Approaching Dahmer, Esme didn’t wait for him to utter another word before her hand struck his face with a swift, resounding slap. His head snapped to the side, but the small, almost taunting smile never left her lips. She watched as anger ignited in Dahmer’s eyes, clearly not expecting to be slapped by her, but Esme folded her arms over her chest, projecting a calm defiance that only made a vein pulse on his forehead.

"You... you’ve got some nerve!" He growled in a low, venomous tone, but Esme hummed thoughtfully in response.

"Do you remember?" she asked, her voice steady. "You used to strike me far worse, never stopping until you saw blood or sensed I was close to death. But here I am, just a single slap, and you’re like a volcano on the brink of erupting." she clicked her tongue, her voice laced with mock disappointment.

Bound tightly in cursed ropes, Dahmer strained against them, his desperation flaring as though he couldn’t wait to get his hands on Esme right there for daring to slap him in the face.

"Don’t bother," Leonardo interjected, watching Dahmer struggle as though he were a mad man. "Those ropes are cursed; they’ll only tighten if you resist. Try to break free, and you’ll only end up harming yourself. Best save your energy for whatever lies ahead."

"The both of you..." Dahmer growled, letting his resentful gaze settle first on Leonardo. "For years, you had everyone fooled. You are infected! I don’t think you were infected... you’ve probably been one of the enemies all this time! Does that also mean Irwin is infected? Could it be that he was never sick, but pretending to be so he can hide the fact that he’s a demon all this time?! I won’t be surprised if your entire family were a pack of liars!"

The words barely left his lips before a powerful punch landed squarely on his jaw, snapping his head to the side again. Blood trickled from his nose as he tried to steady himself, and he coughed from the force of the blow.

Leonardo calmly pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his knuckles, as though ridding himself of something very distasteful. "I’m not a violent man," he said, his tone low yet steely. "Call me what you like, but leave my parents’ names out of your filthy mouth. Continue testing me, and you’ll find yourself regretting every word.

Dahmer chuckled at the underlying threat in his voice. He had always hated how Leonardo got in his way in the past, but now he had an even more valid reason to hate him. His gaze then shifted between Esme and Leonardo, and he laughed again, straining against the right ropes as he leaned forward.

"Listen, the both of you may assume you’ve escaped judgment, but I promise you it’s far from over. Do you have any idea the mess you’ve landed yourselves in?" His eyes gleamed wickedly as he sneered. "The king won’t spare either of you for working with the enemy. You just wait and see what happens! I have ruined your pathetic excuse of a life once, Esme, and I can do it again!"

"Oh, no... I’m absolutely terrified," Esme murmured, her tone dripping with mock fear as she feigned horror. "What should I do if the king finds out? Perhaps I should throw myself off a cliff for betraying a god like Lennox so gravely. Leonardo, we’re both guilty on this one. Should we make a run for it while we still can, or should we drop to our knees and fast for a hundred days in the hopes that he’ll forgive us? Tell me, what’s the wisest cause of action?"

Esme’s sarcasm was on point, drawing a chuckle from Leonardo, while Althea pressed a hand to her mouth to stifle her laugh. Their reactions only deepened Dahmer’s fury, and his face flushed red at the indirect mockery, his eyes blazing with a desire to strike Esme like a bull charging at its target.

Under different circumstances, Esme might have felt intimidated; in fact, those same troubling questions had crossed her mind just moments before. But now, none of that held weight. To her, nothing mattered more than ensuring the safety of those she cared about.

They had stood by her when no one else did, even rescuing her when others watched her endure Dahmer’s cruelty and submit to a marriage where she was valued only as a tool. She owed Donovan and his people this much, including Leonardo, and unlike the others, they had shown her respect, and treated her with a kindness she’d only ever known from Finnian and Vivienne.

"How about you leave us to worry about the king, hm?" came Esme’s calm retort, her voice edged with warning. "Because you, on the other hand, might want to focus on your situation– and that is the fact that you’re not escaping this anytime soon."

She then leaned close to his ear, her voice dropping to a chilling whisper. "You tried to kill me, sell me, shatter my confidence and spirit. You even tried to force yourself on me... Every single one of those acts demands atonement."

Straightening, her expression hardened, and Dahmer flinched involuntarily from the intensity of her gaze, as though her eyes were like shards of ice stabbing him in the chest. For a fleeting moment, he was unsettled by the fierce resolve in her gaze. To mask his fear, he scoffed loudly.

"What are you going to do, huh?! You’re just a wolfless whore! What makes you think I’m scared of you? You should be the one terrified, not me! I own you, Esme! So, free me before I make all three of you regret it. I don’t hesitate to hit women, I’d beat you both to a pulp!"

"You mean you had to live with this your entire life?" Althea asked, her tone softening with sympathy rather than fear. She couldn’t imagine what it must have been for Esme, enduring such a psychopath’s presence for so long."

"Yes," Esme replied with a soft dip of her head before facing Dahmer. "I’m wolfless, and I don’t have a wolf. I’ve accepted that. But... What about you?"

The unexpected question seemed to throw Dahmer off balance, and before he could react, two familiar warriors stumbled in.

"We heard the lady was in need of serum," Orion announced, holding up a vial of Lycobane serum. Esme and Althea exchanged surprised glances before letting their gaze settle on the warriors.

"How did you even know we were here?" Althea asked, curiosity lacing her words.

"Alpha’s orders," Atticus replied simply.

"Donovan?" Esme murmured, barely hiding her awe. Before anyone could say anything else, Donovan stepped forward from the shadows, where he had been silently listening.

His presence commanded silence from everyone in the room, and he crossed his arms, "What? Can’t a man be available to support his beloved in times like this? Go on... kill his wolf if you want. No one will stop you."