Negan
~~
After my little chat with Elsa that night, I was even more curious now to meet with Rowland.
He must've gotten a lot of juicy clips of Phoebe and me for former Luna Catherine's plan... Whatever that may be.
My best bet was that she wanted to use the images to blackmail Phoebe somehow, not caring about what it would do to my reputation as well.
"It's fine. It's all part of the plan." I thought to myself, smirking coldly as I finally walked into my private residence.
I entered the room where Phoebe and I had done the deed barely a few minutes ago, taking in the scent of her pheromones which still lingered.
If I didn't have better control of my wolf than pure-blood wolves, hell knows, I would've done a lot more to Phoebe.
Walking to the balcony with a glass of whiskey in hand, I waited patiently, staring at the full moon which had a peculiar blue tinge tonight.
Right on cue, Rowland materialized beside me with a slight smirk on his face.
"I see you had your fun with the she-wolf." He teased, using his hands to shove my shoulder lightly.
I merely scoffed, my grip firm on the railing of the balcony. "Well? Did Catherine take the bait?"
Rowland sighed. "Ugh, you're becoming less fun as the day passes."
I ignored his remark, playing around with the liquor in my glass as I awaited his response to my question.
"Anyway..." He finally began, leaning against the rail of the balcony. "Catherine took the bait like a fish to a fisherman's hook. I took the pictures for her and then she ranted about how she was going to keep them for herself in case she needs them."
My brows curled into a frown.
In case?
"What other plans does she have for Phoebe, other than blackmail?" I muttered, fixing my gaze on Rowland.
The man hadn't said anything yet but I was already feeling uneasy. These werewolf nobles were capable of some of the most cynical things.
Suddenly, Rowland sniggered amusingly, leaning in closer to me. "Don't tell me you care about what happens to that pitiful Moon's Chosen? She's literally everything we stand against. Another undeserving wolf rising through the ranks simply because of some 'choice' made by the Moon goddess."
My irritation reached a new peak as I grabbed Rowland by the collar, bringing him close to the edge of the balcony.
He gasped in surprise, turning his gaze from the ground, which was several feet below, before focusing on me.
"Do I look like someone who 'cares', Rowland? Have you forgotten who I am?" I snarled, my fangs bared as I glared at him.
He shook his head, his eyes shining with fear. "N– No. I... I haven't, my Lord. It's... It was just a joke. I was just messing around."
The sudden rage that I felt overwhelming me just now dissipated as I came back to my senses.
What had come over me?
I quickly dragged Rowland away from the edge of the balcony, staring at him awkwardly. He was breathing heavily but soon adjusted his clothing as if nothing happened.
"I guess I'll put a stop to the snarky remarks." He muttered, his expression becoming stoic.
Ugh, the moron.
"To answer your question, my Lord, how did Queen Cleopatra of Egypt die?" Rowland asked with a calm tone.
I coughed, drawing in a deep breath to put my emotions in check. "Most historians agree that she committed suicide. So? What does that have to do with Phoebe?"
I arched an eyebrow, growing impatient at Rowland's cryptic words.
Fortunately, he responded with a smirk. "Cleopatra didn't just kill herself, my Lord. She took her life with poison. Snake venom."
And now he was telling me facts that I knew of already.
"Can you tell me something I don't know, Rowland?" I queried, tapping my feet on the ground.
He scanned his gaze around before he inched closer, whispering into my ears. "I believe Catherine plans to poison Phoebe. Make it seem like she took her own life... Like dear old Queen Cleopatra."
My lips curled up into a smirk at his words. How deliciously devious of the former Luna.
Usually, I wouldn't bother interfering in such affairs, especially when it came to the Alpha's family.
But Phoebe... The girl had managed to leave a mark on me.
I couldn't let her die such a pitiful death.
"I guess I'll have to subtly warn her about this," I muttered more to myself than Rowland.
However, his brows snapped into a frown as he asked. "Warn who, my–"
"Call me 'my lord' again and I'll fling you off this balcony," I promised coldly.
If there was one thing I hated, it was people using titles with me, especially people that I thought of as close members of my inner circle.
Yes, I was the leader of our organization of Half Werewolves... But Rowland was my right-hand man who'd been with me for years.
Anyway, it seemed he finally got the message into his head as he chuckled with a grin. "As you wish, Negan. So, who do you wish to warn? Don't tell me it's Phoebe."
I didn't give him an answer, instead taking a sip from my glass of whiskey.
Rowland gawked at me, blinking speechlessly. "You can't be serious. How does warning her benefit our cause? If she dies, that will be one less high official of the Blue Moon pack."
I harrumphed, shaking my head before I turned my gaze to him. "Simple. Chaos. Keeping her on her toes will breed more distrust within the Alpha's already dysfunctional household. And the more cautious she becomes, the more frustrated Catherine will be until she slips up and makes an error we can use to our advantage."
I paused, downing the rest of the whiskey in one gulp. "I have my eyes set on bigger fish, Rowland. Phoebe is merely a pawn for now. I'll use Catherine's desperation to my advantage."
I chuckled coldly, looking forward to the coming days. There was sweet, sweet, chaos ahead.
It was so palpable that I could almost taste it.