Page 2 of Love the Way You Lion (Rise of the Resistance #3)

The Writer’s Plans Are Set In Motion

WILDE

“ O ur plans, my love, are complete,” she declares softly, her fingers the last to leave the cool surface of the phone.

As the device is set aside, I take a slow, deliberate look around the room—a space filled with muted light and shadows that blend into the quiet anticipation of change.

I wonder, almost reverently, how the environment will greet me upon my return.

Will its corners seem resplendent with novelty, every detail shining freshly reborn, or will the familiar contours remain, only to contrast with the transformation within me?

The uncertainty hangs palpable in the air as I offer a measured nod.

“Have you set in motion the pieces through which we will spread the word? And do you have the detailed timeline of the quests that will facilitate my return?” I ask, voice low and laced with both hope and trepidation.

I receive another nod in response. “Belle and Amanda are primed and ready to begin, and once Deli learns that there is a pathway to repair, she will become as compliant as ever. Calista and Veruca have secured everything necessary from the other side,” she explains with an air of quiet confidence.

Is it truly as straightforward as that?

I run my fingers thoughtfully over my chin, lost in contemplation. The intricacy of our meticulously orchestrated plan lies in the precise alignment of its moving parts. Without the correct pawns strategically positioned on the board, the entire game could stall before it ever begins.

Yet, when the plan finally reaches its full, vivid form, I know it will mend everything. I will be reborn, free from any lingering doubts about affections and allegiances. I hold on to the belief that, without a single harsh word, the chaos will be smoothed out.

I realize that those who have not yet been privy to our undertaking might initially be overwhelmed by a tide of raw emotion.

But I trust that once my beloved steps forward and reveals this alternate path—a route forged by determination and hope—they will rally like a disciplined battalion, marching in unison until everything settles into a harmonious order.

Have they not always marched this way?

I admit, however, that Talia and Taurus have occasionally introduced a disruptive element, a wrench thrown into our otherwise methodical workings.

Talia’s candid confession just a few days ago spurred a moment of doubt, a whispered thought about whether we should delay our plans to observe the unfolding events.

No. The schedule must not be tampered with; the plan must remain steadfast.

In previous endeavors of this kind, my efforts had been thwarted by the anticipatory actions of those in the know, their foreknowledge altering outcomes with unpredictable behavior, leaving behind irreparable messes.

I had never been afforded the chance to mend such a disaster before Talia and Taurus reentered our world—with calamitous results, as history has shown.

I wooed Talia partly out of a personal longing that I had nurtured for years, and partly to gain a strategic advantage concerning the dilemma of her mate.

I had been certain that she would succumb to my affections—her heart always seemed to lean my way—and that her falling in love with me would grant me a measure of control over her tumultuous household as our plan progressed.

Now, with her heart securely in my grasp and her declarations of love echoing in the quiet, I find solace. I know I can rely on her to keep her headstrong companion from derailing my carefully plotted quest.

But why, you ask?

Because it is an absolute necessity. The realignment of power following the departure of our former allies has become more imperative now than ever before.

Those vacated positions have been filled by new occupants—individuals who are far more combative and alarmingly resistant—and their presence is creating more complications than I ever anticipated.

I must return reborn and reclaim my rightful position in our family’s intricate hierarchy, with my beloved by my side, each of us occupying the place where destiny has always intended us to be.

They will listen.

Mark my words: once our plan is set in motion, no conversation will stray from its reverberations for a long, long time.