Contractually Yours Alpha (Riley)

Chapter Two Hundred and Forty

ALIYA'S POV

I woke up with a pounding headache.

The events from earlier came flooding back, sending a wave of panic through me. A blindfold covered my eyes, plunging me into darkness, and my wrists and ankles were bound in chains, secured to the wall behind me.

My slight movement must have captured my captor's notice. I heard footsteps approaching, and instinctively, I shrank back. Just then, the blindfold was yanked off, and it took a moment for my eyes to adjust to the light. We were in what seemed like an ancestral hall, the walls adorned with strange markings, and the windows similar to those in a cathedral. Candles were scattered across the floor and in the center was a table draped with white cloth.

The man who had removed my blindfold was dressed in a black robe. I recognized him almost immediately-he was one of the High Regents, and his name was Varek. The door swung open, and four more regents entered, each one dressed like Varek. They shut it behind them, and one took position by the door to guard it. The other three advanced toward me. Despite the scarves covering their faces, I recognized Gregold immediately.

"Why am I here?" I asked him.

"To finish what should have been done a very long time ago," Gregold said calmly.

There was something eerie about him, something off-putting. I'd prefer Julia's presence to this strange man's any day.

"Where is Julia and the other empresses?"

"Julia? Gone. The other empresses, likewise."

"What do you mean by 'gone'?"

"They were stripped of their gifts-a punishment for their misdeeds," he said, then smiled. "Women should never be put in power over men. It was high time the goddess realized they were weak and incapable of making decisions. Everything would have gone much easier if we were given full control.

The goddess had realized her mistake and corrected it."

My eyes drifted to the table in the middle; this seemed like some kind of ritual. A ritual involving me.

My heart pounded in my chest. Could this be true that the empresses were all gone?

I'd always viewed them as ruthless and powerful figures, and honestly, I wouldn't have cared if they all died, but being in the hands of these men felt like an even worse fate.

By now, perhaps Sebastian would realize I'm missing.

How long have I been here? I wouldn't be getting an answer to that, but I knew what I had to do I needed to stallnoveldrama

for time.

"I don't think the goddess made a mistake when she placed the empresses in power; they clearly outsmarted you all combined." I said, feigning bravery I didn't feel.

"Outsmart? One of them had the Overlord right under her nose, and she'd rather bed him."

"None of you knew who he was either; maybe he was just very good at staying undetected."

Gregold opened his mouth as if to respond, then paused, his smile widening.

He nodded to the other men and took a few steps back. Of course, he realized what I was trying to do.

Chapter Two Hundred and Forly

One of the men pulled out a bundle of keys, freeing me from the chains that bound my hands and feet, then tore away my gown. The false bravado was gone. In a panic, I kneed him in the crotch.

"You can either do this the easy way, or you will be drugged" Gregold said, but I could barely hear his voice as I struggled harder. I headbutted the man in the nose, and that earned me a slap so hard I fell back to the ground. "Esne stultus?" Gregold questioned the man who had hit me. He'd spoken in Latin; the phrase translates as 'Are you stupid?'

The man glared at me with furious eyes, then approached again, tearing off the rest of my clothes. This time, no matter how many times I hit, scratched, or punched him, he kept focused on his task.

In the end, his face was marked with bruises, and I was completely naked in a room full of men. I let my hair shield my breasts and coiled into a position that gave them less of a view.

Varek approached me, his eyes fixed on my face alone. He easily lifted me, I struggled even harder, and then I felt a cloth pressed to my nose. The fight left me. I was too weak to move a limb but very aware of what was happening. Varek proceeded to place me on the table.

The man with the now- bruised face stepped forward, a tray in his hands. On the tray was a dagger. The handle was gold, but the blade looked rusted. Gregold slit his palm with the weapon and sprayed his blood all over the object. It glowed a fierce red, the color of flames.

"We are but your humble servants, here to do your bidding,' he said, and the others repeated the chant.

He brought the dagger to my wrist, and tears spilled down my eyes.

"Please," I managed to mutter.

I couldn't die, not like this.

"Worry not. You will pass on to eternal rest; your destiny has been fulfilled.” Then

he slit my wrist and moved to the other hand to do the same.

My blood spilled onto the floor.

As the minutes passed and my vision blurred, I knew what was coming-death. But there were no promises of rest.

I didn't want to die.

"We will meet again, little one," Gregold muttered before lifting the dagger to my heart.