Welcome To Hell, Dear Wife-Chapter 30: Version of Vengeance

Chapter 30: Version of Vengeance
Lucas slammed the door shut behind him and sighed angrily.
He could still smell the faint scent of her on him, and it made his lip curl in disgust.
Why on earth was she so difficult to tame?
He started walking toward the stairs, but he hadn’t even taken two steps before he came across people.
Of course, they were waiting. He had expected that as soon as he walked into the dining hall with them.
Jack, Uncle Aurelian, and of course Callis.
Jack was the first to speak. "Seriously, Alpha? Is this even necessary? Do we really need to go this far?" His voice sounded strained with a mixture of confusion and anger. "The whole pack is buzzing with questions, and none of us are ready to give them answers."
His uncle uncrossed his arms. "Look, son. I know that I gave you the go-ahead to handle her any way you like, but this particular path is starting to seem like a dangerous gamble. The pack would never understand this move of yours, no matter how hard you explain it. They’ll only see it as betrayal, and can you even blame them? I still think we should just send her away or whatever."
Lucas said nothing. He had already explained the architecture of his plan to them, but they still don’t get it anyway.
Jack couldn’t stand the silence. "Send her away? Why on goddess’ earth would we ever do that? We should shred her to pieces and call it a day! That devil’s incarnate doesn’t deserve to breathe the same air as us."
He took a step forward as if he was going to move and break down a door. "You know what, Alpha, why don’t you just let me handle it? I’ll make it as clean as possible."
Lucas’ hand immediately went out to hold Jack’s arm with a force that made even Jack groan.
"You will not touch her, Jack," he growled. "She is mine, my toy. One that you only look and not touch."
Jack wrenched his arm back with a scowl. "Then you will really play that game? Because from where I’m standing, it looks like we allowed a bomb into our sanctuary not a toy."
Lucas could not even be angry at any of them because he understood exactly how every one of them felt. They had all lost a person or two, because of Lorena after all.
He could do nothing but repeat what he had said again. "Her father died too quickly, and you all know that," Lucas started.
"He did not give us the chance to ruin him while he was alive and instead died a hero even. He took a step forward. He never saw his legacy crumble, neither did he watch everything he loved turn to ash like we did."
He looked from Jack’s defiant face to Aurelian’s calm one, hoping it was finally sinking into their skulls.
"Lorena Sanders is that legacy. She is the last living piece of his rot, and I will not simply let that piece die. I will shatter it. I will grind it to dust under my heel until she forgets her own name and only remembers the sound of my voice telling her she’s nothing. Death is a mercy, a gift. One that I’m not generous enough to give one like her. I will collect all that is owed, slowly and in full."
Callis, who had been quiet through the whole exchange, finally spoke as she moved closer to Lucas. "You know I always support any path you take. I trust you. I just hope that the pack does too. After all, it’s not easy to expect them to live alongside the daughter of the man who slaughtered their families."
"They’ll have to understand me. We started all of this together, after all. So they will."
He turned without any more words and went down the staircase with his beta, uncle, and friend tailing right behind him.
The dining hall, as he expected, was full of so much panic.
"—married her?"
"-Sanders’ daughter!"
"He brought the enemy into our den!"
"Is he trying to get us all killed again?"
"My son died because of that bitch!"
"Has he lost his mind?"
They went quiet as soon as they saw Lucas, but an elder among them could not care less as he stepped forward as soon as Lucas was properly in the room. "Lucas! You will explain this! You bring the daughter of that monster into our place? Where our children play? This is an insult to every life lost that day!"
Another elder with a grizzled beard stepped forward as he trembled with rage. "How can we live with her in this estate? How?"
A younger one seemed to get his courage back as he snapped too. "It’s like inviting a venomous snake into our bed and expecting it not to bite!"
Everyone soon started letting their thoughts be known, and then a grating voice that Lucas hated started talking.
He wasn’t even surprised. This was exactly the kind of fight she leads,
anything that was against him.
His aunt Victoria never liked him, and she never hid it either. Lucas was, in fact, used to it by now, and he knew it all stemmed from the fact that she thinks his cousin should be the alpha and not him.
"This isn’t leadership, Alpha," she started, her voice dropping with that mock pity she was fond of using. "A true alpha protects his pack from threats, not bring them home and give them his name. Your father would be so ashamed of you right now."
Her words sparked agreement as the pack erupted.
"She’s right!"
"This is weakness!"
"This is unacceptable, no matter the plan you have!"
Victoria, sensing she had some advantage, pressed further. "You see? They will not follow you down this path of destruction, nephew. Your reign—"
"Enough, aunt. Enough."
Lucas’ voice came out loud, and they all went silent immediately while Victoria grumbled silently.
Lucas looked from end to end of the room. "I have knowledge of your fears," he started in a soft voice. "I know you have questions, and I also value your voices..."
His eyes then locked on Victoria as if scolding her. "But do not mistake that for a right to question my authority. I have my own plan, one you will have to trust like you’ve been trusting me all this while."
He took a step forward and looked at them all. "Lorena Sanders will live here. She will wake up in my house,
our estate,
every day. And she will eat our food and breathe our air until I strip her of everything she is, piece by piece. Know that I am not rubbing anything in your faces. I am not that stupid. But this is my version of vengeance, one that I deserve to decide. And one that you will all bear witness to."
There was still murmuring as some now understood what he was trying to do while others still could not care less but couldn’t counter him either.
"Trust my judgment like you’ve always done. It has brought us this far," he pleaded, even though it came off more like a command.
"Stand behind me and let our plans work, even if you don’t understand my methods."