Reborn To Defy The Alpha-Chapter 87: Payback Time

Nikki’s eyebrows lifted, slow and deliberate. "Did to you?" she echoed. "I think you’re mixing things up, Roff." She tilted her head in a mockery of deep thought, her hand waving lazily toward the cramped concrete space behind him. "Last I checked, neither my father nor I forced you into this cage."

​Roff felt the heat of humiliation prickling at his skin. He lunged forward, the movement jerky and desperate, and spat. "You set it all in motion. You ruined everything." 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

​A soft, airy laugh escaped Nikki’s throat. Her eyes remained bright, dancing with a cruel sort of amusement. "Seems she hit you pretty hard if you’ve already forgotten the real culprit." Her gaze sharpened, the warmth vanishing in an instant. "The one who interfered with you and your little fun."

The memory of Rhea’s face, flashed in Roff’s mind. "Rhea," he spat. He gripped the bars so hard the metal bit into his calloused palms.

​"Yes. Her," Nikki said. She offered a small, encouraging nod. Her eyes flicked past him to the two men huddled on the thin, stained mattresses of the bunks. They watched her like cornered animals, wary and silent. "That bitch ruined everything for you and your friends." She tipped her chin toward them, her movements slow and deliberate. "It’s all her fault."

Roff’s jaw ached from the tension. He swallowed against a dry throat, trying to push back the surge of bile. "But if you and your father hadn’t gathered the whole pack," he snapped, his voice cracking with a rough edge, "no one would’ve known what was going on."

​Nikki shook her head with a look that bordered on pity. "No. You’ve got it wrong, again." She leaned closer to the bars, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial silk. "If Rhea hadn’t interfered. If she hadn’t interrupted you. If she hadn’t knocked you all out." Her lips curved into a sharp, thin line. "None of this would have happened."

Roff felt blood rush to his face, a burning crawl that started at his collar and climbed to his ears. He could still feel the phantom impact of the blow that had leveled him. The darkness that had followed was a stain on his pride. He had been taken down by an Omega. A girl without a wolf. His fingers curled into tight balls, nails digging into the meat of his hands. Since when were Omegas that strong? The question gnawed at his gut, sour humiliating.

​Nikki watched the conflict play out across his features. She smiled, sensing the exact moment his resentment outweighed his caution.

​"That’s why I’m here," she continued smoothly. "To give you a chance to pay her back."

Roff’s head snapped up. His eyes searched hers for the catch. "What are you talking about?"

​She tilted her head again. "Before I say anything else, promise me you won’t try anything stupid when I come closer." She widened her eyes, projecting a fake, wide eyed innocence. "I want to say it to your ears only. You know, the walls have ears." She tapped the side of her head and gave him a sharp wink. "Or should I say werewolves... hearing."

Roff felt his muscles lock. Behind him, he heard the shift of fabric and the creak of a bed frame as his friends moved, sensing the shift in the air. He waited a beat, his heart thumping a heavy rhythm against his ribs, before he gave a single, stiff nod.

Nikki stepped flush against the bars. "Come on," she breathed. "Bring your ear."

​He hesitated, his jaw working, but the thirst for some kind of retribution won out. He leaned his head toward the metal, shoulders hunched. Nikki rose onto her toes, her breath warm against his skin as she began to whisper.

With every low, hushed word, Roff’s face transformed. His brows knit together into a deep furrow. His mouth pressed into a hard, grim line of fury.

​In the shadows of the cell, the other two men exchanged a look of pure confusion.

"Are you insane?" Roff barked, jerking his head back as she stepped away.

​"Nope," Nikki replied. Her tone was light, almost conversational. "Obviously not."

​"You’re asking us to risk even more trouble," he snapped, his voice low but fierce. "After what we’ve already done. The Alpha will kill us if he finds out."

​"That’s why we make sure he doesn’t," Nikki said. She gave a small, indifferent shrug.

​Roff stared at her, his eyes narrowed as he searched for any sign of a lie. "I can’t risk it."

Nikki leaned back in, her eyes burning with a sudden, quiet intensity that pinned him in place. "Trust me. This is the only way to make that whore pay for what she did." She let the silence hang for a moment. "Besides, don’t you want to get back at her?"

​"Yes," Roff said. The word was out before he could stop it. He faltered, his confidence wavering. "But... what about her strength? That insanity. What are you going to do about that?"

​Nikki’s smile returned, calm and terrifyingly confident. "Everything will be taken care of. You and your friends just need to do your part." She straightened her jacket and stepped back. "Then come right back to your cell."

Roff glanced over his shoulder. Both men were frowning, completely lost in the wake of the silent exchange. He looked back at Nikki, his teeth gritted. He nodded. "We’ll do it."

​"Good," Nikki said.

​"We’ll do what?" one of the men blurted out, his voice high with nerves.

Roff ignored him. "Just tell me when."

Tonight," Nikki replied. "Be ready."

​Roff swallowed hard, a lump of unease settling in his chest. "And if something goes wrong?"

​"Nothing will go wrong," Nikki said. Her voice was as smooth as glass. "But if by some tiny chance it does." Her smile sharpened into something predatory. "I won’t let you or your friends take the fall. Trust me."

She turned on her heel, her smile widening as she walked away. "Come on," she called out over her shoulder. "Let’s go prepare, girls."

​Lyra and Lena fell in step behind her, their heels clicking rhythmically against the floor. The sound faded as they moved down the long walkway.

Roff remained at the bars, his eyes fixed on the empty space where she had stood. His thoughts ground against one another like tectonic plates. It wasn’t until the heavy security door at the end of the block clanged shut that he finally pulled away.

​The sound of the lock engaging echoed through the hollow space.

Both men in the cell scrambled to their feet.

​"What the hell was that about?" one demanded, rushing toward Roff. "What did she want?"

Roff walked back to the bench, his movements slow and heavy. He sat down on the cold surface, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. He laced his fingers together, staring at the floor.

​"Payback time," he said.

​The two men looked at each other, their faces etched with a growing dread.

​"What’s that supposed to mean?" one asked.

The other simply shrugged, his eyes locked on Roff’s shadowed, darkening expression.