Chapter 417: Backfired on her
Katelyn turned on her heels and strode out of the Nightshade mansion.
The moment she disappeared, William rounded on his wife. "Who told you to give the Princess’s personal contact information to Sage’s ex?" he thundered.
Blythe flinched, lowering her gaze. "I only wanted them to be friends," she murmured in a trembling voice.
"Friends?" William stepped closer, his anger radiating. "Do you even hear yourself? Blythe, if the Princess refuses to marry my son because of this stunt, you’ll be leaving this pack. Keep that in mind."
Blythe’s head snapped up, eyes wide. "Are you serious?"
"Yes, I am," he growled. "I won’t tolerate you in this house if you’ve ruined this alliance." With that, he turned on his heel and stormed off to meet Sage.
Blythe stood frozen for a moment, her heart pounding. Then, with shaking hands, she hurried to the bedroom and grabbed her phone. She dialed Eleanor’s number, and the call connected after a few rings.
"Aunt Blythe! Good morning," came Eleanor’s cheerful voice on the other end.
Blythe didn’t waste time. "What did you do to Princess Katelyn?" she demanded.
"I—I didn’t do anything. What happened?" Eleanor stammered, confusion lacing her tone.
"Don’t lie to me!" Blythe snapped. "You must have said something. The Princess came here and humiliated me in front of everyone! Do you have any idea what you’ve done?"
Blythe’s hand trembled around the phone as she listened to Eleanor’s voice.
"I’m sorry, Aunt Blythe," Eleanor said quickly. "I only did what you asked. You told me to break their alliance, so I reminded the Princess how close I am to Sage."
Blythe’s color drained. "Don’t ever go near them again," she snapped. "And delete the Princess’s number if you want to keep living comfortably. Katelyn doesn’t forgive or forget." She ended the call before Eleanor could protest.
For a long moment she stood where she was, the silence of the room pressing in. Her scheme was meant to make Sage look bad in William’s eyes and drive a wedge between him and the Princess, but it backfired on her. This was the first time William got angry at her.
"I can’t believe Katelyn was this bold," Blythe murmured. ’If Katelyn marries Sage, I’ll be the one to suffer.’ The idea made her hands clench. She decided to find a way that the alliance would break without her getting being involved.
~~~~~
Sage stared at the empty bottle of suppressants on the table.
"I can’t believe that even with a mate, I still have to take these," he muttered in disbelief. "But this rut, it’s worse than ever. Maybe because I’ve finally found my mate... and she refuses to be with me."
A sudden chime of the doorbell cut through his thoughts. He frowned. "Who’s here at this hour?"
Setting the bottle down, he pushed himself up and went to the door.
"Dad!" he blurted, surprised to see William standing there.
"You didn’t go to the office," William said, his tone more statement than question.
"I was tired," Sage lied. "Thought I’d take a few days off." The last thing he wanted was his father pushing him toward Katelyn in his rut period. "Come in."
William stepped inside and made his way to the living room. He sank into the couch and motioned for Sage to sit.
"Princess Katelyn came to the house today," he said.
Sage froze. "What? Why?"
"Because Blythe gave her number to your ex." William’s voice hardened. "Who were you dating before, Sage?"
"Eleanor," Sage admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "It was casual, nothing serious. But why did Katelyn go there?"
"Apparently, Eleanor said something to her. You should find out what it was, and apologize to the Princess on Blythe’s behalf."
Sage’s expression darkened. "And why should I do that? If your wife caused the problem, then she should be the one to fix it."
William’s gaze sharpened. "Sage, I’m telling you to do it."
Sage stood up. "I’m not a child, and I’m done following orders that protect her from her own mistakes. Your wife made the mess, and she’s the one who’ll clean it up. Because I’m tired, I want you to leave."
William’s brows drew together, his expression hardening. He stood abruptly.
"Make sure Princess Katelyn marries only you, Sage," he said curtly, then turned and strode out of the apartment, leaving his son staring after him in bewilderment.
Sage ran a hand through his hair, frowning. "What the hell happened at home?" he muttered.
He hurried to his bedroom, snatched his phone off the nightstand, and scrolled through his contacts until he found one.
A familiar voice answered, respectful and calm. "Greetings, young master."
"Zyon," Sage said sharply. "Tell me what happened at the house. Did Princess Katelyn come there?"
"Yes, Your Highness," Zyon replied. "She arrived earlier today. Madam Blythe had given Princess Katelyn’s personal number to Miss Eleanor, who then said something most inappropriate to Her Highness. The Princess was furious. She scolded Madam in front of everyone and warned that if she ever refused the marriage proposal, Madam would be the reason."
Sage’s grip on the phone tightened, his pulse quickening. "I see..." he murmured, a muscle ticking in his jaw. "Thank you, Zyon."
When the call ended, he sank down on the edge of the bed.
"I can’t believe Kate did it," he murmured, smiling.
But it faded soon as he recalled his last day’s confrontation with Eleanor. "Did she call Katelyn after leaving from my sight? But why did Kate not mention it? I’ve to ask her later in the evening."
But his restless mind couldn’t wait and he dialed Katelyn’s number. Though he had less hopes she would answer his call, but surprisingly she did.
"Sage, stay at the door. I’m on your way to your apartment," Katelyn replied.
"Huh? Okay," Sage said, clearly flustered. He went to the door again and opened it. His eyes followed the direction from where Katelyn’s pheromonal fragrance was coming and spotted her.