Chapter 106: Regret 

Killian’s POV 

“Well, I’ll continue my love speech from here. I want to say that I’ve longed to be this close to you, darling.” 

I lay still, breathing evenly as I listened to Daphne continue her monologue. 

“As Daphne Marjorie.” 

Her voice was soft, almost melodic, but there was a sickly sweetness to it. A tone of devotion and obsession I had heard from her once before in my life. That had ended in my hands. 

I could hear the tapping of her feet. I recognized her habit whenever she felt restless and anxious. The rustling of her gown against the marble floor, the way she occasionally bit her nails. I didn’t even need to open my eyes to know. 

“My beloved Killian,” she whispered, almost dreamily. Her warm breath brushed against my skin. “You knor even in sleep, you are the most extraordinary being. The only one worthy of devotion.” 

“I have loved you for so long. Even when I was a child, ‘I knew you were mine from the moment you held me and comforted me when my parents wouldn’t. But she-” Her voice cracked, venom seeping into her words. “That disgusting little whore stole you from me. Ruby Lucienne. Nothing but a parasite!” 

I forced myself to remain still, letting her spill her madness. 

“But I fixed it,” she breathed, her tone growing more fervent, sending ice through my veins. “I got rid of her. I protected you from her deceptions!” 

“Because you are mine, Killian. Always mine.” 

A twisted, horrifying laugh slipped from her lips. “Do you know what it felt like to watch you make her the happiest woman in the world? To see you throw away your greatness for that worthless woman? It made me sick. It made me furious!” “But I know, my Killian. One day, you will understand. And when you do? Then I am the only one destined for you.” 

She pressed a kiss against my cheek, sending a wave of disgust churning in my stomach. I could hear the heartbeat that should have been silent, feel the heat of her presence beside my bed. 

“All my efforts this time were not in vain. I don’t care even if I have to sell my soul to the Devil!” 

“As long as it means having you and making you mine for eternity!” 

At that moment, I let go of all restraint. My eyes snapped open. Before she could react, I lunged, my hand wrapping around her throat, lifting her off the ground. Her crazed eyes widened, a mix of shock and exhilaration flashing through them. “Killian!” 

I slammed her into the stone floor. The impact shook the room, her body crumpling like a broken doll. In a heartbeat, I was on top of her, my fingers tightening around her throat. 

“You should be dead, cousin,” I snarled, my voice dripping with fury. “I should have killed you alongside the executioners in that prison that day. I heard your bones snap, watched the life drain from your eyes. You wretched bitch, what the hell have you done?!” 

Daphne gasped, her nails clawing at my grip. It only made me tighten my hold. Spit began to dribble from her lips. 

“Answer me. How are you still alive?!” I roared. 

Tears welled at the corners of her deranged eyes. For a brief moment, I thought they were the tears of someone staring into death’s face for the second time. 

But no. This vile creature relished my touch, even as my claws dug into her. She smiled. 

“Dark magic,” she rasped. “Did you really think death could take me from you? I will never leave you, Killian. Not ever.” “Selling my soul was just a small price to pay. Well, not that it matters,” she added smoothly. 

Her form flickered for a moment, and suddenly, I saw the truth. 

Irwin. 

The greasy bastard who had stood before me just hours ago. The same kin I had despised and eliminated without a second thought. 

But it wasn’t him, was it? 

Realization hit me like a knife plunging into my gut. 

Daphne let out a weak laugh, her voice trembling with sheer exhilaration. “You finally see it now, don’t you? It was me. I was Irwin. It just took a little killing for me to replace him. There couldn’t be two Irwins, could there, my love?” 

“I fooled all of you. And, of course, I fooled you about Ruby.” 

1/2 

Chapter 106: Regret 

Her grin stretched unnaturally, monstrous, her eyes gleaming with sadistic pleasure. “I erased her… so that you could be 

mine.” 

Something inside me snapped. My grip faltered. So this was all a fabrication. The betrayal orchestrated in Ruby’s name. It had all been a game. How could I have been so blind? 

I recalled every code Leonidas had left me before he disappeared. This was the answer. A suffocating darkness of murderous rage coiled around me. The screams of vengeance roared in my ears. I released her throat only to seize her by the hair, yanking her upward. 

“You lied to me,” I hissed, dragging her across the room. “You stole her from me. YOU MADE ME KILL HER!” 

She giggled, “Yes. And you did it so beautifully.” 

That was the final push I needed to finish what I had started. I hurled her toward the door, watching as she crumpled at the threshold. She coughed violently, yet still, she laughed. I stepped toward her, seizing her once again with my claws, and yanked open my chamber door. The guards outside jolted in shock, their eyes darting between me and the disheveled woman in my grasp. 

“Chain her. Take her to the courtyard and bind her. I want her tied beneath the open sky.” 

My command thundered through the corridor. 

The guards momentarily stunned, clearly unprepared for the identity of the woman before them. 

“NOW!” 

My fury shook the air, leaving no room for defiance. They scrambled to obey. 

Daphne thrashed in their grip, spitting curses as she fought against their filthy hands. Yet, as she turned back to me, she smiled only for her expression to darken into a deep scowl. 

“Why can’t you see everything I’ve done for you, Killian?!” she snapped. 

“I am the only woman in this world worthy of you!” 

“KILLIAN RUDWICK!” 

I watched her disappear into the corridor’s dimy, my face devoid of expression. My fingers curled into fists, trembling at my sides. The remaining wolves exchanged wary glances. 

One of them finally dared to ask, “My King… Lady Daphne is dead. How could she return?” 

I turned to face them, my expression thunderous. “She was never dead. She deceived us all. And she sold her soul to the Devil. That was her own damned confession.” 

Murmurs erupted among them, disbelief and horror spreading like wildfire. They were all clearly shaken, stunned that Daphne had gone to such extreme lengths, throwing away her life for the sake of a single man. I silenced them with a single glare. 

“Leave her there. When the sun rises, we will decide her fate.” 

Without another word, I turned and strode back into my chambers, slamming the door behind me. I pressed my hand against my temple, my nails digging into my skin. When my legs could no longer hold me, I leaned against the cold stone wall, my hands covering my face. 

A name surfaced in my mind. 

And for the first time in years, something foreign burned in my chest. 

Regret. 

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