Chapter 263

Lisa waited at the dining table in Bob’s apartment, scrolling through social media posts. It seemed as though every other one was about Bob and the Vampiric Conspiracy. Some were even questioning Lisa’s possible involvement.

How could she not know what her own husband was up to? one of the comments suggested. She had to have been in on it with him. She’s had it out for Crystal since day one.

She doesn’t like anyone that her father dates, another insinuated. I wouldn’t put it past her to go in on this Vampiric Conspiracy with Bob to get rid of Alpha King Andrew’s latest squeeze AND his ex. Talk about daddy issues!

Lisa wants Bob to be Alpha King as badly as he does, said a third. She just wants to keep up her lavish lifestyle, no matter what it costs. Why else would she keep choosing some random guy over her wonderful father?

That last remark had hurt the most. She loved her father and was completely devoted to him. That was the only reason why she was so particular about who she approved of as his girlfriend in the first place.

Just because she had decided to put the love of her life over her father did not mean that she did not love Andrew or would do anything to harm him. Moon Goddess forbid that she would do anything to cause the death of anyone that he cared about, even someone that she did not particularly like. She used to think that Bob had been the same way, but now…

Lisa held her head in her hands. She wondered how she had gotten so deep into this kind of trouble. She had always been a good girl, keeping up appearances and partying only with the best of the best, and somehow, one man had managed to drag her down.

Bob had told her that he was innocent of this crime, that the vampires had somehow—for some reason—set him up. He even tried to tell her that maybe Andrew was just looking for a scapegoat in his desperation for someone to pin this entire mess on. Lisa wasn’t sure that she believed him.

For this to be the second vampiric attack on Crystal seemed to be too coincidental. Then there was the fact that Bob had convinced Lisa not to attend Andrew’s wedding, despite the fact that she had wanted to be there to support him. The more that Lisa thought about it, the more that Bob’s plea of innocence unraveled before her very eyes.

A noise at the entrance to the apartment drew Lisa out of her thoughts. As the door to the apartment opened, she lifted her head up to see Bob walk inside. She stood up and rushed to him.

“What did they say?” she asked.

Bob did not look at Lisa while he closed the door. He subconsciously touched something that Lisa could not see strapped to his belt.

“They said no.”

All the color fled Lisa’s face. She shook her head in disbelief.

“But…if my father brings up charges against you, we’re going to need their lawyer…”

“They said that we’re on our own.”

“Did you tell them that you’re innocent? That the evidence won’t hold up in court?”

Bob nodded.

“They didn’t care.”

Unshed tears glistened in Lisa’s eyes. She held her hands up to her mouth as she forced back her emotions.

“I just can’t believe that they won’t help us. They were our last hope. What are we going to do?”

“Don’t worry, my love. It’s going to be all right.”

Bob opened his arms wide for Lisa. Something deep inside Lisa told her not to seek his comfort, but she couldn’t help it. She needed someone’s warm embrace in this moment more than anything.

Lisa fell into his arms and began to sob into his chest. He stroked her hair gently with one hand while the other landed on her lower back.

“It just feels like we’re all out of options,” she said.

“All except one.”

Suddenly, Bob whipped Lisa around and pinned her with her back against his torso. He raised a handgun to her head and pressed the cold barrel to her temple.

“Bob!” Lisa screeched, struggling against his vice-like hold. “Bob, what are you doing?”

“I’m getting us out of this mess,” he hissed.

Lisa’s throat tightened.

“What do you mean?” she asked, the tears evident in her voice.

“This gun has two silver bullets in it, one for you and one for me. Once I take care of you, I’m going to shoot myself.”

Bob’s voice lowered, and his face darkened.

“We will not be taken alive, not if I have anything to do with it. You are all I have left in this world.”

Lisa’s heart thudded hard against her ribs. Tears streamed down her cheeks, and her lower lip trembled. She tried to find a way to wiggle out of Bob’s grasp, but his grip on her only tightened, and the gun followed her head wherever she went.

“You’ve lost your mind!”

The clicking of the gun made her blood freeze.

“Don’t worry, my love,” Bob said in an eerily calm tone. “This will all be over soon.”

Before Bob could pull the trigger, Lisa’s wolf took over. Her fangs descended, and she dug them deep into Bob’s arm. Swiftly, she ripped the flesh off his arm, causing Bob to cry out in pain.

Bob flung the gun onto the couch as he grasped at the gaping wound in his arm. The gun discharged, leaving a bullet hole in the arm of the couch. Now free, Lisa dove for the gun and quickly popped the second bullet out of the chamber before throwing the bullet as far away as she could.

She felt a hand grab her arm and turned to see Bob, bleeding profusely from his injured arm, as he secured his grip on her. Panicking, Lisa used the handle of the handgun as a club and bludgeoned Bob about the head as ferociously as she could.

When Bob finally released her, Lisa transformed into her full wolf form. Similar to her father, she sprouted silky black fur and maintained her deep dark eyes. Although much smaller than Andrew’s wolf form, Lisa’s wolf form had strong, lean muscles made for pouncing and sharpened fangs made for ripping.

The wolf loomed over a now-cowering Bob. She lowered her head toward him and sniffed his injured arm. With one long stroke of her tongue, the wolf licked his blood.

Then she snarled at Bob and bit into his shoulder. As he screamed in pain, she threw him against the dining table, which collapsed beneath his weight.

Her path clear, the wolf ran through the apartment’s front door and leapt off the balcony onto the ground three floors below.

She paused, sniffing the air for any threats. Not detecting any, the wolf angled herself in the direction of the only sanctuary that she had left. She howled in desperation, a wolf separated from her pack and home, and the sound resonated throughout the city.

As Bob hobbled his way to the doorframe, Lisa’s wolf ran off into the night.