Chapter 286. Monkey Wrench

Raina's POV

“Oh, Raina, here’s the story that no one told you about. It’s in the Wolverson archives. The one where, every twenty years, the vicennial Alpha King’s reign comes with a curse. Sometimes it’s power. Other times it’s wealth, but this time, it’s his mate. You.” Mercedes’ tone darkened, too calm and rehearsed, like she’d been dying to tell me this. “The trend doesn’t lie.”

My eyes drifted to her, narrowing with mistrust as I stewed over and then doubted her words. She wasn’t so unreadable.

The moon’s silver light filtered through the tangled branches above Mercedes’ head. As they kept her pinned to the tree, the chilly wind shifted her hair from her eyes, revealing a cold, serpentine glint, as if the moon itself were exposing the liar she truly was.

“I don’t know anything about that,” Venus muttered, folding her arms.

“Believe it or not, right after Snow came to me, I studied it, and all the signs pointed to you.” Mercedes curl