Silent Retribution

8. Eunoia

Eunoia: "Beautiful thinking; a well mind."

-2 hours later-

"What is she doing here?" Simone asked, pointing to Madison, who was in the hallway about six feet from Jae's loft, standing behind her and Rhea. The guards ended up giving in seeing four Alphas wanting to get through. Rhea took the keys from her pocket and gave Simone a quick look back.

"She's a doctor. It's in case Jae-in needs any medical assistance when we get there. I also needed a doctor who isn't a braggadocious one."

"Okay... So why is she here too?" Simone then pointed to a very pregnant Kenna who happened to be eating a pickle at that very moment. Her red curly hair was put up in a messy bun, and she was wearing leggings and a green maternity shirt.

"Wherever Maddy goes, I go." Kenna answered before taking a bite.

"I don't know why she's here either." Rhea added, sneering as she retrieved her phone from her back pocket.

"I have to make a phone call." Rhea added, walking back down the hallway.

She turned the corner and raised her phone to her ear, tapping the call button. After the third ring, the other person picked up.

"Hello?"

"Do you have the stuff I requested?" She asked, holding out her hand and absently glancing at her nails. The once vibrant red polish was now chipped.

"Yes, I have them right here," Came the response.

"And did you take the pill I gave you?"

"Yeah," the person grumbled. "I still don't see why I have to take it -"

"Just come to my daughter's room in 30 minutes and bring it," She cut them off, and the person clicked their tongue before Rhea ended the call and slipped her phone back into her pocket.

"Come out." Rhea demanded abruptly, turning her head to the left and watching as Charlotte emerged from the corner.

"Still sneaking around?"

"I came to see Jae-in." Charlotte replied coldly, locking eyes with Rhea.

"For a pest, you sure have a lot of guts, don't you?" Rhea said, turning to face her fully. Catching Charlotte off guard, Rhea grasped the front of her hair, pulling her head to the side.

"I'm curious where your confidence comes from," Rhea rhetorically said while Charlotte grabbed her wrist tightly, glaring at her. "Maybe it's because you're friends with my daughter." She pulled her hair harder. "Or maybe it's because you're fucking my mate."

Charlotte winced in pain, but her eyes never left Rhea's. "Let go of me," she hissed through gritted teeth.

Rhea's grip tightened even more, a vicious glint in her eyes. "You're lucky I don't rip your head off right now." Rhea glared into Charlotte's fear filled eyes as she let go suddenly,

"But if I did, Simone will hate me for the rest of our lives. And I can't have that." She grumbled, watching as Charlotte fixed her hair.

"Let's go." Taking hold of Charlotte's arm, Rhea shoved her forward, forcing her to move in the direction of Jae-in's room.

-

"She's still a bitch after all these years huh?" Kenna asked Simone finishing the rest of her pickle while she leaned up against the hallway wall.

"Yep." Simone mumbled, crossing her arms over her chest, her gaze on Jae-in's bedroom door. She would be lying if she said she wasn't worried about Jae. Every possible scenario crossed her mind. What if she's dead in there right now? What if she gave up and is just sitting there wasting away? What if she mentally checked out?

Madison gave Simone a quick look and noticed the injury on the back of her head. No one else noticed it, but Madison was accustomed to the scent of injuries of this kind because she has seen a great deal of them. Without realizing it, her hand extended to the back of her head, separating her hair and exposing it.

"That definitely needs stitches." Simone turned quickly away from Madison as she flattened out the back of her hair.

"Did Rhea do that?" Kenna questioned with a knowing look.

"Drop it." Simone said, tightening her arms around her chest again.

"If you want, I'll stitch it up after this -" Madison started saying but cut herself off sensing Rhea's pheromones. Rhea walked in with Charlotte in front of her. Sensing her too, Simone looked over a little bit surprised seeing Charlotte but kept her mouth shut and acted like she didn't know her.

"I recognize you, you're Jae-in's friend, right?" Kenna asked, looking her over briefly, making sure. Before Charlotte could respond, Rhea moved past her,

"Yep. She's also here to see her." Rhea answered, walking towards the door. Kenna rolled her eyes, glaring at the back of her head.

"I wasn't asking you -"

"It doesn't matter who you were asking. You got your answer, didn't you?" Kenna clenched her fist and went to take a step, but Madison grabbed her arm to stop her.

"Kenna, it's not worth it -" Kenna yanked her arm back,

"No, I'm tired of her." Madison grabbed her arm again,

"You know what. It makes sense why things aren't progressing in your and Simone's relationship. You're just a big insecure bitch who knows damn well that you have nothing else to offer Simone to make her stay, so you have to resort to violence just to keep her around." Madison tensed up,

Rhea, who was unusually silent, turned to face her and clenched the keys in her hand, drawing blood. Her eyes met hers, and then glanced momentarily at Charlotte's.

"Are you saying that you could do better?" Rhea asked calmly while Kenna looked at her with confusion.

"What are you talking about?-"

"If you were her mate, like you desperately wanted before, would've you treated her any better? Would your relationship be as strong?" Rhea stepped closer to her, "Your relationship back then with Simone was just about lust and you fucking know it. The difference between ours is that ours isn't about sex and lust. We built this relationship we have now without it, unlike yours, which, I'll remind you, didn't last long. A lust-driven relationship won't last." Rhea's eye shifted over to Charlotte's during that last comment.

"What?" Kenna chortled, "Is that supposed to make you look better? Yeah, you're right. Our relationship did start out with lust, but I didn't force her to be with me and lock her up for 20 years because she 'ran away'." Kenna looked at Jae-in's bedroom then back at Rhea, "Maybe your children would've had normal lives if you didn't force Simone back here." Rhea looked over her and down at her pregnant belly.

"Instead of being worried about mine, you should be worried about yours in the next 5 seconds 'cause that's all the time I need to rip you to shreds." Rhea's eyes started glowing a dark red, her arms crossed over her chest while her pheromones seeped out. Madison immediately got in front of Kenna. She knew she couldn't win in a fight against Rhea, but that didn't matter in this instance.

"You're not going to do anything." Simone spoke, grabbing Rhea's shoulder tightly. Rhea shook off her hand and turned slightly towards Simone. Rolling her eyes, she turned back to face Jae-in's door. Madison, who was unknownly holding her breath, let go of Kenna, who was rubbing her pregnant belly glaring at the back of Rhea's head.

After unlocking the door, it swung open, and an enraged Rhea stepped inside with no hesitation.