Mating the Female Alpha
Chapter 77 – This isn’t Bernice.

Landry's POV

"Landry darling...I was thinking about something I wanted to talk to you about," Bernice says as she comes into his study. She was wearing a very short dress that would have made Landry's manhood hard, but something was still off about her. His wolf was less than enthusiastic to see her for some reason.

He looked up at her and waited for her to approach. To his surprise, she walked around his desk and sits on his lap. Her closeness would have pleased him at one point, but he remained wary. She wrapped her arms around his neck and gazed down at him, pressing herself close to him.

She ran his fingers down his neck, staring at him with a look that seemed odd for Bernice. She never acted like this, and it was making him feel uneasy.

"Is something wrong?" He asked her. "You aren't acting like yourself."

She frowned and dropped her hands to her sides.

"I'm sorry... I know I'm being weird," she breathed, staring down at her hands. She began tugging at her fingers nervously. "I just never did this before. Something Cora told me really resonated with me..." "What's that?"

"She said that I should leave if I don't intend on loving you properly. I don't want to leave you, because I do love you, Landry. I think I always have and I'm sorry for not telling you sooner."

He frowned; this didn't sound like her at all.

He should be happy that she was confessing her feelings toward him, but he couldn't bring himself to be anything but skeptical.

"What I'm saying is... I want to marry you," she finally got out. "I want to be your luna."

"Is that so?" Landry asked.

She nodded almost eagerly.

"Yes, Landry. I love you."

She leaned down and kissed him again. He didn't say much to her, but she took that as confirmation as she stood to her feet.

"I can't wait to tell everyone we are marrying!" She cooed as she ran from his office.

He stared after her, watching the door close behind her.

"Believe me now?" Amon, who has been quiet up until that point, asked.

"Yeah..." Landry finally said to his wolf. "That's not Bernice."

...

Bernice's POV

I can't see anything.

I thought I was woken up, but my eyes remained closed, and my body was unmoved. I could feel the cold concrete ground under my body, and I couldn't move to get comfortable. I smelled my own blood, dripping off my body.

At one point, it felt like my body was on fire, it must have been from the wolfbane, but now everything is just numb. My breathing was shallow, but it was still there. I could feel my heart in my chest. I knew I was still alive. What did they think they were going to gain from torturing me like this? It wasn't making any sense.

It seemed they had left me alone for the time being. Which was good because I wasn't sure how much torture I was going to be able to handle.

Any more of this and I would surely die before I'm supposed to. I was so close to making it to 25; I wanted to die with dignity in battle.

Did this count as battle?

My fingers twitched as my consciousness began to return to me. I still couldn't hear or feel my wolf, but I knew she was still there somewhere. I could feel her within me.

I finally managed to open my eyes; I was alone, just as I thought.

I lifted my head, feeling pain shooting through my body. I groaned in misery, allowing my head to hit the concrete floors again.

"I wouldn't move. You'll only make it worse for yourself," a voice, that sounded familiar, but nothing I heard recently, sounding through the cell I was in.

I couldn't see who it was, and I wouldn't dare speak. I wasn't even sure I could even if I wanted to.

"Don't worry though... it'll be over soon enough. Once Cora breaks his pathetic heart, you won't be needed. Think of it as an insurance policy."

What was she talking about?

I lifted my head again, ignoring the shooting pain. I needed to see who this was.

Stepped into view I couldn't help the gasp that escaped my lips.

It was the reporter, Rachel.

...

Jessie's POV

Jessie lurked around Landry's palace, unable to bring herself to return home. There was something off with this Bernice and she was determined to find out what it was.

She followed Bernice everywhere she went; she didn't partake in any strange activities. She was acting kind of normal. However, the way she walked was different. She held her head high and acted as though she was in charge. She even heard that she agreed to marry Landry; typically Jessie would have been excited to hear that news. But it was very unlike Bernice. Especially because she didn't even bother bringing it up to Jessie.

Jessie couldn't shake the feeling that something was seriously wrong, and she wondered if Landry could feel it too. Part of her wanted to bring it up to Landry, but she worried about how he would react if he knew the woman he loves isn't really here.

"I know I promised I would be back by now..." Bernice said into the phone. Jessie lurked around the corner, listening intently to her phone conversation. "But it'd be better if he thinks I'm head over heels in love with him. That way when I leave, it'll crush him. It'll break his heart and leave him completely vulnerable. That is what you want, isn't it?"

Jessie's heart pounded violently against her ribcage; Bernice's cruel words were nauseating. She knew something was off, but she never suspected that Bernice would be working against Landry. That only proved that this wasn't Bernice. Who was this wolf?

"I'll be returning soon," Bernice continued. "I can't stay here much longer, or my cover will be blown..." she paused. "No, I haven't been able to do anything yet. I need him to trust me so I can shatter his heart. You know the plan. Something like that takes time. But I don't have much more time... you know my powers are limited." She paused again while whomever she was talking to was speaking.

"I have to go... It's not safe to talk here. Please, trust me..." she breathed, her tone growing shaky.

She hung up the phone just as stumbled against a wall. She looked to be getting dizzy.

Whomever she was talking to on the phone, it was clear that they were working against Landry. Jessie knew now that she was an imposter.

The imposter Bernice groans as if she was in pain. Something was happening.

Jessie struggled to keep herself hidden, but she wanted to get a closer look to see what was going on.

She could have never prepared for what she was about to see though.

Bernice's entire face and body began shifting and standing before her was none other than Cora.

Cora was a shapeshifter.

Which meant Bernice was still in danger.