#Chapter 37 A Duel For Her

Xavier’s POV

I escaped to my study after what I did. My mind swirled as if I had been the one who got drunk tonight.

I tried to get my bearings together and come back to my senses. I was horrified, terrified, sad, and angry. How could I have let it get to that point?

Lyon whimpered in the back of my mind. “You know Eloise is faithful to us… Why would you do this?”

“I don’t know!” I unintentionally screamed out loud as tears streamed down my face.

Eloise’s slap woke me up from my delusional anger. As I took a deep breath and wiped my face, I took a few moments to remember everything that Eloise had told me. I began to recall that she told how she had lost an earring while at the central market.

“She also told you that she met Liam there…” Lyon’s words trailed.

I let out a heavy sigh and I sunk my head into my hands.

Just a few days before my mother’s birthday, I remembered that Eloise told me Liam saved her from a cart that almost crashed into her. That means, he was there when she lost her earring. Liam had to have picked it up and stuffed it in his pocket.

Eloise was truly a perfect wife but it was because she seemed perfect that it caused me to panic. She was really willing to put up with anything just to be my wife–to be the wife of the Leonard family’s Alpha.

The last time Belinda and I wronged her, she was deeply humiliated. She suffered a lot from that whole ordeal and I honestly thought would’ve left in an angry state. Instead, she calmly stayed in Noah City and got over it.

Still, I knew it in her heart that she didn’t stay for me or for my family–she did it for her damned Wisdom family. If I wasn’t the Alpha and if the Leonards couldn’t protect her family, then I’m sure she would’ve left me without hesitation.

My mind was overwhelmed with conflicting feelings and thoughts.

I picked up a cup that sat on my desk and threw it at the wall. I couldn’t believe that I allowed myself to be deceived by such a foolish and petty lie. I allowed my jealousy and possessiveness to blind me.

Because of that, I violated my wife. I hurt Eloise.

How weak was I to allow anything related to Eloise to break me down? Every time she came to the center of something, I would lose my mind over it.

Why didn’t I just trust her? Why couldn’t I trust her? She’s been a good wife to me ever since we got married. Even though she knew it was nothing more than a contract, she still went above and beyond to fulfill her role as a wife.

Eloise tried to get along with my mother. Even after Belinda admitted that she hated her, she still took it upon herself to be kind.

“It was because Eloise knew how much Belinda meant to you…” Lyon spoke.

Eloise even waited for me every single night. She would always greet me with a smile and ask me how my days at work were. She also fought so hard for us to share meals together every night.

I got up from my chair and began to pace around the room. It made more sense to me why Liam fought extra hard during the Luna Festival. All along Liam was trying to attract someone’s attention.

But did it really have to be Eloise of all people?! He could have any other girl in the whole city but he had to choose my wife?

Flashes of memories came back to me of how Liam blushed at Eloise when he came up to us at my mother’s dinner party. How he smiled at her before defeating every single werewolf in his fights. How he looked to her again when I fought him.

I should’ve noticed it earlier. I should’ve known that he was trying to take her from me.

Lyon roared in the back of my head and it caused waves of pain to ripple from my head throughout my body. I doubled over and knelt on the floor.

A knock came at the door and before I could say anything, Adrian came in. Once he saw that I was in pain, he rushed to my side. “My Lord! What happened?”

I sat up on the floor, pressing the palm of my hand to my head. “Headaches,” I half-lied. “Where is Liam right now?”

Adrian tried to help me off the floor but I shoved his hand away. He let out a sigh before he answered me. “He’s in his room, asleep. Where dragged him to, my Lord.” A smirk came across his lips.

“Tomorrow morning, I want you to bring him to me.” My voice went cold.

Adrian’s smirk disappeared quickly and he nodded his head.

“Oh, and make sure Lady Eloise is taken care of.” I tried to hide the pain in my voice from having said her name.

Adrian gave me a reassuring nod and left me alone.

––––––––

The next morning, I sat in the lounge where I first met Eloise. Thought it was a fitting place since this had everything to do with her.

Instead of a usual breakfast, I drank. The alcohol helped suppress the thoughts–especially Lyon’s.

I knew that my wolf would try to talk me out of anything rash but I wasn’t in the mood to be civil. Liam has been actively trying to take my wife from me. I was not in the mood to be kind.

There was a knock at my door that tore me from my bottle.

“Come in.”

The door opened and standing there was just Liam. He looked uncomfortable to see me but he came inside nonetheless.

The door shut behind him.

I took another swig of my bottle. The silence between us was deafening and it was starting to piss me off.

“Do you know why I called you here? Or are you going to stand there and play stupid?”

Liam dug into his pocket and took out Eloise’s earring. He tossed it to me.

I squeezed the bottle in my hand after I saw her earring. My blood was already starting to boil. “You lied to me about Eloise giving these to you. Now, you’re going to tell me the truth. Tell me how you feel about her.”

“I’m in love with her,” Liam replied without hesitation.

“She’s your sister-in-law!” I threw the bottle at Liam.

The glass shattered against the wall. Its shards ricocheted off the wall and scratched Liam’s face.

Liam calmly wiped the blood onto his hands. “I know that. I also know that you married her because of a contract.”

A lump formed in my throat and I couldn’t speak.

“Where do you think Belinda has been all of this time? Well, I suppose a ‘vacation’ is pretty believable for someone like her,” Liam scoffed. “She can’t seem to find this contract but I know I’ll be able to.”

Liam took a step closer to me as if his revelation to me had given him newfound confidence. “Your relationship with Eloise isn’t real, Xavier. Everything you ever did was because of an obligation, not because you love her.”

“You know nothing of my motives or reasoning,” I stated flatly.

“I’m not an idiot, Xavier. I know that you hate her because she’s the daughter of the Wisdom family. Unlike you, I can see past that. I’m mature enough to know that she’s not those people who chose to side with Douglas. I can actually love her!” Liam shouted with enthusiasm.

“You’re delusional.”

“Am I really? How about this–I challenge you to a life-or-death battle. Whoever loses, well, obviously they die. They get erased from history.”

“And whoever wins?”

“Gets to be with Eloise.”

I sneered at Liam. “I admire your courage, even if I find it to be naive and misplaced. Do you really think you have what it takes to beat me?”

“I do because I have something REAL to fight for.” Liam smirked.

I laughed at his words. “You know what? I agree to your challenge! And as a bonus, I’ll humor you. Let’s say you do manage to beat me–”

“I will.” Liam interrupted.

I held up my hand. “Let’s say you manage to do so. In the end, even with me gone, I know that Eloise won’t choose you. And even if by some miracle she does–she’ll only see me when she looks at you.”

We made our way to the dueling arena–the same place where the Luna Festival was held. We both undressed until we were just in our shorts.

“I won’t hold back,” I stated.

“Neither will I.”

“It’s not too late to take it all back, you know. We can forget this happened and you can go on to find another girl.”

“I WANT Eloise,” Liam shouted.

I let out a sigh. “You choose death then. What a shame.”