Chapter 143
Nyssa pov
No, I couldn’t have heard that right. There was no way I just heard that Serena had given the rogue the Ashvein that killed him in the cell at our packhouse.
I hadn’t been fully informed about what happened that day, my father clearly hadn’t wanted to tell me everything but I knew a rogue had been captured for interrogation.
Apparently, the rogue had overdosed on it while in custody, and they still hadn’t discovered who had given him the Ashvein because it was impossible for him to have taken it without help. That’s why my father believed there was a traitor in the pack.
And the first person that came to mind was Kieran–of course it was him. The same two rogues Darius had killed during the attack, the ones who had gone after me, were the very ones who had ambushed Serena and me when we fled Emberfang in my past life. So I naturally assumed Kieran was the traitor and didn’t think much more of it since I was planning to kill him.
But now Cassian was telling me that Serena, the one person who had stood by me back then, who had given up everything to protect me, who had sacrificed her life for me was the traitor all along?
I’d rather believe there were two moons in the sky than accept that.
There was no way my Serena could’ve done something like that. No, she wouldn’t.
The room was steeped in heavy silence, and for a brief moment, no one said a word. Only the ticking of the clock filled the air as every gaze turned toward Serena, her eyes wide, her body trembling.
She stared at Cassian in shock, lips parted as if she wanted to speak, but no words came out. Instead, I watched her take an unsteady step back, her gaze shifting to me and the moment our eyes met, it felt like a knife had pierced straight through my chest.
Guilt.
That was the glint in her eyes as she looked at me, her lashes shimmering with unshed tears. She opened her mouth again, trying to speak, but only a choked sob escaped as she whispered,
“M–my lady…”
That was all she managed to say, and I let out a hollow, disbelieving laugh, shaking my head as my hands began to tremble.
“Why are you calling me, Serena?” I asked, my voice cracking. “Why are you even looking at me? You should be turning to Cassian and telling him he’s wrong. Tell him how ridiculous this is! How could he say something like that? He’s claiming you were the one who gave the prison guard Ashvein–the same Ashvein that killed the rogue who attacked our pack. Tell him he’s mistaken!”
I urged her, forcing a nervous smile as I reached out and lightly tugged her arm, silently begging her to speak–to deny it.
It had to be a misunderstanding. Maybe Cassian/meant someone else and just said Serena by mistake. She only had to say it wasn’t true, and when she did, I’d back her up and everything would go back to normal.
It was simple. So then…
Why wasn’t she saying anything?
Why was she still looking at me like that?
Why… why did she look guilty?
No. That couldn’t be possible.
“My lady, I–” she stammered, voice quivering as tears spilled down her cheeks.
And before I realized it, I snapped, yanking my hand away.
“Why do you keep calling me, Serena?! Why can’t you just say it’s not true? Why?!” My voice rose with every word. “Stop calling me and say it wasn’t you! That’s all you have to do, just say it!”
Serena flinched, quickly lowering her head as broken sobs slipped from her lips.
But still… she didn’t say the words I so desperately needed to hear.
And that’s when the crushing realization hit me.
Serena had betrayed me. She had been the traitor.
My lips trembled as the tears threatened to spill all at once. My heart ached, and my vision blurred as I stared at Serena, trying to comprehend it.
“Why…” I whispered, my voice trembling. “Why would you do this? Did you really betray me? After everything you did in my past life? You stood by my side, didn’t hesitate to follow me out of Emberfang when that bastard cast me out and… you didn’t even flinch before throwing yourself at that rogue. You died for me, Serena… so why-”
Just as I expected, my voice faded into air, and the next second, I groaned as that familiar force slammed into me. I couldn’t hold it back this time, the blood surged up my throat and spilled out before I even realized it, splattering onto the ground as I doubled over, coughing hard,
my chest aching.
“My lady!!”
“Miss!”
I heard everyone cry out in shock. The next thing I knew, Serena was beside me, her hands trembling as she reached for me, her cries growing louder.
“M–my lady. Oh, my lady, are you okay? You’re coughing blood. The doctor-” Her voice cracked as she turned to Sandra, who stood frozen, expression unchanged. “Please get the doctor, Miss Sandra!”
As I lifted my head and looked at her, I saw it.
The love. The care in her eyes.
The same worry she had always shown me, even in the past.
Even when I was pregnant, though I thought I was just sick and didn’t want to go to the hospital because of Kieran’s Alpha coronation.
She always said it.
“Luna, you should really see a doctor.”
She never hesitated to fight for me. She didn’t hesitate to leave with me when I was cast out of my pack.
“Let’s go together, Luna. I will serve only you in this life and the next. So please, take me with you. Don’t leave me alone here,”
She had smiled that night, even as she walked away from the only home she had ever known.
3
“Let’s go, Luna. It’ll be a long walk, but we can rest in the cave outside the boundary.”
And even in the end, she didn’t hesitate to say those last words before she died.
“Please run away, Luna. If there is an afterlife, I hope the Moon Goddess allows us to meet again.”
So was I really supposed to believe that the girl who had said those words… who had done all of that… was the one who betrayed me?
Yes, maybe she did.
But there had to be a reason.
I had known Serena all my life. She grew up with me. There was no way she would do something like that without a reason. And even if…
My hands curled into fists as I stared at the crying girl in front of me.
Even if she didn’t have a reason.
I would still stand by her side, just as she had stood by mine in my past life.
“My lady-”
“I’m fine.” I cut her off before she could finish, leaning back slightly as I wiped the blood from the corner of my mouth and drew in a deep, steady breath.
It didn’t matter what she did. I would always be by her side.
