The Witch and Her Four Dangerous Alphas-Chapter 243: So is this really my end?

Selene’s POV~

Elarliya did not stop.

Even with my father’s claws digging into her neck, even with his fangs bared inches from her throat, she smiled up at him like this was some twisted game she was enjoying far too much.

"My Maximus," she purred softly, tilting her head. "You were always so handsome when you were angry. So strong...so easy to provoke."

My stomach twisted in revulsion.

He snarled, a sound so deep and broken it shook the ground beneath us. "Say one more word," he warned hoarsely. "One more, and I will end you."

She laughed.

A light, mocking laugh that scraped against my ears like knives.

"Oh, don’t look at me like that," she said sweetly. "I’m only speaking the truth. Your precious mate was nothing but a beggar. A slut. A woman who survived only because she spread her legs for anyone who would spare her a coin."

My father screamed.

It was not a roar this time. It was a shattered scream ripped straight from his soul, filled with grief, rage, and madness all tangled together as one.

"SHUT UP!" he bellowed, his claws slamming into the stone so hard it cracked beneath the force. "You know nothing about her. NOTHING!"

Elarliya’s eyes gleamed.

"She had no status," she continued calmly. "No name worth remembering. No honor. She lived in filth and died the same way. And somehow, from that filth, she gave birth to this child."

Her gaze flicked to me. Disgust filled her expression.

"She should be grateful I raised the girl at all."

My father’s body shook violently.

"You took her," he growled, voice breaking. "You took my mate’s child and twisted her life. You poisoned her mind. You used her."

"And?" Elarliya shrugged lightly. "She lived, didn’t she? Better than she ever would have with a dead whore for a mother and a broken mate for a father."

That was it.

Something inside him snapped.

My father grabbed her by the throat and slammed her against the wall, lifting her clear off the ground. His eyes were glowing now, wild and unhinged, tears streaking down his face as his voice shattered.

"You will not speak her name again," he roared. "You will not stain her memory with your filth. She was kind. She was gentle. She was brave. She was my mate."

Elarliya gasped, but she was still smiling.

"She begged," she wheezed. "Begged me once. She cried when she realized I would outlive her. Cried knowing I would keep you."

His grip tightened.

"You are lying."

"Oh, am I?" she whispered. "She knew she was nothing. She knew she could never stand beside you. That’s why she hid. That’s why she died."

"LIAR!" he screamed, slamming her back again as cracks spread across the wall. "She died because of monsters like you."

I could barely breathe.

The poison burned through my veins, but the pain in my chest was worse. Hearing her speak about my mother like that made something dark rise inside me, something violent and unforgiving.

Elarliya laughed softly, blood trailing from her lips.

"Look at you," she mocked him. "Still clinging to a dead woman who opened her legs to survive. She gave you nothing but shame."

My father’s voice dropped suddenly.

"She gave me a daughter."

His eyes flicked to me, filled with agony and fierce love.

"And that is something you will never understand."

Elarliya smiled at him mockingly, even as my father’s grip bruised her skin and his claws dug into the stone beside her head. She did not fear him. Instead, she slowly lifted her hand and traced her fingers along his cheek, wiping away his tears like she owned them.

"Maximus," she whispered softly, almost lovingly. "Why are you always chasing after her? She was nothing but a whore."

My stomach churned violently.

She leaned closer, her eyes shining with obsession. "Look at me. I preserved myself only for you. Only you. Can’t you see the love in my eyes? Can’t you feel how much I want you?"

I felt like vomiting.

My father’s eyes did not soften. They burned brighter, darker, filled with such raw hatred that even the air around him trembled. His body shook, not with desire, but with the effort it took not to strangle her on the spot.

"Get your hands off me," he growled, his voice hoarse. "You disgust me."

She froze.

For a brief second, something like disbelief flickered across her face. Then she laughed loudly, full of mockery.

"You’re so pathetic, Maximus," she sneered. "I’ve done everything to win your affection. Everything. But if you won’t listen willingly, then I’ll just have to use force."

My heart screamed in warning.

Something was very wrong.

"Father...!" I tried to shout.

But it was too late.

My father’s bloodshot eyes suddenly went blank. His body stiffened, then collapsed heavily to the ground as if all strength had been ripped from him at once.

"No!" I screamed.

Elarliya crouched beside him, gently stroking his hair as if he were sleeping peacefully. "Rest now, my dear," she murmured sweetly. "When you wake up, you’ll see only me. Love only me. Remember only me."

She ran her hand through his hair possessively, then turned to look at me.

Her smile was pure cruelty.

"Kill her," she ordered calmly, addressing the wolves around us. "Tear out her eyes. Scatter her body parts in different directions. I don’t even want her to have a grave."

The wolves snarled in approval.

She turned away from me then, dragging my unconscious father with her, leaving him under guard while the others closed in. Horror paralyzed me completely.

I tried to move. But I couldn’t.

My body was numb. My vision blurred so badly that even their shapes smeared together. My mind spun uselessly, the poison burning through me like ice in my veins.

"Father..." I whispered weakly, reaching out. "Father..."

My fingers fell limp against the stone.

I tried to heal myself. I tried to call my magic. Nothing responded. My witch powers were completely sealed, crushed under the poison meant specifically for me.

So this was it.

Was this really my end?

Tears slipped from my eyes as realization crushed me. She had always known. About my mother. About everything. She had planned it all, worked with the council, and manipulated every step of my life.

My mother’s lifeless eyes flashed before me.

"I’m sorry," I whispered brokenly. "I’m useless... I failed you."

A massive wolf lunged toward me, jaws wide, saliva dripping from its fangs.

I closed my eyes and waited for death.