**Ch 323: Broken Trust

"Thanks for letting me stay." I gave Nora a big hug.

"You're welcome to stay with me anytime," she said, and I waved her goodbye since it was time to head over to Ava's gender reveal party. Today was Sunday, and it was already evening. Once I walked outside, I noticed Kai was sitting on top of the hood of our car. After he saw me, he got up and came my way.

"I'm sorry for losing it on you," he sweetly apologized.

"I forgive you, and I'm sorry for what I did..." I started to say, but Kai shook his head.

"Look, I know you love Orlando, but you have to trust me and stay away from him," Kai gently told me.

"Even Crystal?"

"Everyone Victoria, including their friends," Kai strictly asserted.

"Ok, I will," I promised brokenheartedly.

"You better because next time I find you with Orlando, I will kill him." Kai threatened, and his dark eyes were exceedingly intimidating. The line was drawn, so I knew he meant it.

"I-I get it, Kai," I replied in a mumbling voice.

He knew I felt timid right now, so he brought me into his arms, and kissed my hair and temple.

"I know I'm being harsh, but you have to trust me," he whispered as his lips pressed into my forehead while his hands cupped the back of my head and neck.

After he calmed me down, we went to the hotel for Ava's party. Blue flower petals sprinkled down on her and John from over the second floor as everyone clapped and whistled to find out they were having a vamp boy. Another future Royal to the family, but I think this future Alpha will reign in the Hart Coven since Ava married John to unite the O'Donnell Coven, which was Mrs. Collin's Coven until she married Kai's father. Either way, the baby was still blood-related to Kai, which makes the Hart Coven unite with the Collin Coven too. In other words, this future Alpha plays an important role to unite the Collin Coven because their marriage only united them with the O'Donnell Coven.

After mingling for a second, I left the ballroom and went outside to get Ava's gift out of my car. I couldn't believe I forgot to grab it.

"Victoria!"

"Orlando..." I looked across the parking lot and saw him there. "What are you doing here?" I whispered as I peeked around everywhere.

"I'm done playing around. I'm bringing you home tonight," Orlando exclaimed, and then he started pulling my arm.

"Orlando, wait, I can't go with you," I urged, yanking my wrist free, and he had such a dumbfounded look on his face.

"I told you already we can be together. You don't have to be with him. Come with me now before they catch you," Orlando coaxed, and his doe-eyes reached into my soul.

"I can't come with you," my voice cracked as I peered around nervously. "It's not safe for you to be here. You have to leave."

Not taking my hint, Orlando cupped my cheeks. "I can protect you."

Teardrops rolled down my cheek as I say again. "You can't. You must leave. If Kai finds you here, he'll—"

"He'll what?" Orlando sighed, getting frustrated as he released my face. "Why are you so scared of him? Do you really want to share your bed with a man that sleeps around?"

"Please, you have to go," I sniveled as my voice cracked.

Orlando disappointedly shakes his head before he pulls out his phone. "Is this why you fear him?" he asked after he scrolled through it. He held up the picture, and my mouth gaped. It was a picture of Kai clearly feeding on a woman.

"So it's true, you know he's a vampire," Orlando snickered aloud, and the next thing I knew, I was pulled into his chest. My body thrashed around until my feet landed on gravel, and my back hit something metal. After my dizziness went away, I glanced around to discover I was now at an old warehouse, and my back was against a metal cargo load. Directly in front of me, Orlando stood before me as his ocean-blue eyes altered into a vengeful red.

"Orlando." Only his name uttered off my tongue as he chuckled.

"I told you not to go to Egypt. We could've been happy together, but you just had to go there and wake your mate," Orlando snickered as the truth rolled from his mouth.

"You knew and lied to me," I muttered as tears filled my eyes.

Orlando laughed up a storm as if I had said something really funny. The man I love wasn't even here anymore.

"You know, Kai was right when he called you a brainless girl at the masked ball. I mean, really babe, why else would we be there?" Orlando chuckles, amused as Crystal, Zach, Alejandro, Ashley, and another woman I didn't recognize appeared, and their eyes all shone bright red. I couldn't even tell Orlando or Alejandro apart from each other anymore.

"You all tricked me," I merely whispered, and they laughed.

"Oh, my dear Victoria. We've done better than ruse you. I know every deepest secret about you, and we got you to cheat on your mate with his worst enemy. And you honestly thought Zach would ever cheat on me when we're destined mates!" Crystal said, belittling me.

"Claiming Zach cheated on you and the wedding–"

"Was all just a ploy to get you to come back home from Egypt, and off of Kai after he had you," Crystal confessed.

"But nothing worked," Zach bitterly added next to her. "Not even the erratic heat waves I cast upon Egypt to stop you from finding Kai."

"You broke my heartless heart when my proposal didn't work to keep you here with me," Orlando said, faking a boo-boo lip. "Even my surprise visit to Egypt didn't convince you to come back home with me. You could've been my wife and Queen of my clan. I would've given you everything."

"Everything but your loyalty not to cheat on me! Kai's been telling me the truth! You cheated that night before I left for Egypt!" I snapped as another teardrop rolled to my jaw.

"Honestly, Victoria, I wasn't getting any action from you, so naturally, I've cheated. I never had any plans to mark you. So you wouldn't know about my mistresses even as a vampiress, but Kai ruined it all. Now that you know he's your mate, we'll have to do things the hard way," Orlando confessed without shame.

"I will never let you mark me as yours!" I yelled, keeping my ground.

Orlando laughs wickedly like a sick freak. "Oh, but I will mark you for Kai's mistake, and then I'll mate with other beautiful vampiresses and women for you to feel the torturing pain as I do them raw."

"You're sick!"