Chapter 43
Chapter 43
Elara’s POV
I could barely breathe as Miela’s voice echoed in the room. The aulin looped over and over, each repetition digging deeper into my chest,
I want you to accuse Alpha Cael of raping you…and nobody will take his pack seriously
A chill crawled up my spine. It was unmistakable–Miela’s voice. The whispers began immediately, each person exchanging confused, questioning
nces
Why was Miela playing this? And who was she talking to
My eyes
et Micla’s, and I saw it. Her face drained of color, panic flashing through her eyes. Then, before anyone could react, she shot to her feet.
“No! Wait, this isn’t the footage I wanted to play! Somebody pause it, now!” Her voice cracked, desperate.
I didn’t hesitate. I pulled the remote from my pocket and hit pause
“Recognize your own voice, Miela?” I asked, the smile on my lips barely concealing the satisfaction.
Miela’s eyes narrowed. “You” She hissed, voice low and full of venom. “You switched my footage.”
I stayed calm, the remote still in my hand. “Did Or was this your plan all along?”
Hart
gaze snapped to Thome, She rushed to grab his hand. “Alpha, you’ve got to make her delete this. Please, play my footage, not this?”
But before Thorne could answer, I spoke, slow and deliberate. “Hold on. Before we jump to any conclusions, Miela… Do you remember who you were talking to?”
Miela’s breath hitched. Her eyes flickered to Fenna, who had been hiding behind Vessa. A sickening realization seemed to wash over her. “YOU!” screamed, pointing at Fenna. “You backstabbing bitch!
Fenna flinched, refusing to meet Miela’s gaze. I could see the wheels turning in her head now. She knew exactly what I was doing–what I’d planned.
I’d given Fenna an earpiece the day before. She’d been my inside informant, the one who’d been listening in on Miela’s poisonous conversations. And when Miela had started plotting at this party, I had no intention of letting her get away with it. I knew she’d take a swing first. And I’d let her. The trap was set, and Mela had walked right into it.
The crowd was murmuring, watching this mess unfold. I could see Thome trying to keep a neutral face, but I could feel his discomfort. The air in the
room thickened, heavy with tension.
Vessa stepped forward, sneering. “Fenna didn’t betray you, Miela She’s just not stupid enough to stand by while you try to ruin Alpha Cael’s life.”
“No, I swear it’s not like that!” Miela’s voice wavered, desperate “I–I only said those things because Fenna told me about the rape. I just wanted to make Cael’s reputation stink, but he’s a rapist, okay? I just wanted the truth out!”
ng his hand. “Gamma Elara, this audio doesn’t prove anything. Miela didn’t say she wanted to slander Alpha Cael. She could be talking about something else, using her maid as a pawn. That’s an ethical issue, not a legal one!
The crowd’s attitude shifted, murmurs turning into shocked gasps. Gamma Theo from the Obsidian Pack stepped forw
A few people nodded in agreement. But I wasn’t tona.
A
“Is that so?” I asked, my voice smooth and calm. “Well, Theo, would you like to hear the full version of this conversation!”
His face dropped. “Full version
“Of course,” leaned back, glancing at Thorne. “I didn’t want to play it at first. I thought Miela might come clean, but since the insists on lying, I guess,
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there’s no harm in letting everyone hear the rest.”
I saw Mela’s eyes widen, pank flooding her face. She bolled trward me, reaching for the cenote, but I was faster. I hit play.
I know Alpha Cael isn’t that into Elata. Fenna, you should keep sleeping with him”
Mela’s mother’s voice. Cold, Calculating
Miela’s voice followed, venomous “No, Mom. Just making Cael forget about Elara won’t work. Fenda, you need to accuse him of raping you in front of everyone.”
A collective gasp filled the room. Miela’s face drained of all color, her body shaking
The room crupted into chaos. People were shouting, trying to make sense of the audio, plecing together the ugly truth. Mila’s own words had sealed her fate. She had orchestrated the whole thing–seducing Alpha Carl’s maid and then turning her into a weapon to run him,
Miela’s hands trembled, her eyes frantic. She lunged at me, trying to snatch the remote. But the Blood Moon soldiers were already there, blocking her path.
And the audio continued, Miela’s words ringing out in the now–silent room:
“His reputation will be destroyed. No one will take his pack seriously. We’ve got the proof. If Fenna says it’s rape, how could Cal deny it?”
The noise in the room swelled again, but Cael’s voice cut through it. “I didn’t sleep with Fenna. We just let Miela beleveldid”
The crowd’s confusion was palpable, Theo looked bewildered, shaking his head. “This is insane. Fenna, did Miss Mola really ask you to seduce Alpha Cael
Fenna stumbled forward, her voice quivering but resolute. “Yes. And she asked me to lie about the rape. She hated Gamma Elara and Alpha Cael so much she wanted to ruin them both. She choked up. “One of her maids…she was charged with a crime she didn’t commit. Miela had her thrown out of Direstone Pack, had her claws chopped off and her forehead tattooed…”
Miela’s scream cut through the room, shrill and desperate “LIART Her face was a mess of rage and panic, her hair wild. She locked nothing like the poised lady everyone once admired. Now, she was nothing but a hysterical wreck.
“I didn’t I didn’t!” she shrieked, stumbling toward Thome. Her voice cracked as she clung to him. “Thorne, my love, you know they’re lying about that maid. She tried to steal your room key. She got what she deserved”
Thome’s expression was unreadable as he looked down at her. “Yes, I remember her,” his voice was flat, indifferent
know
Miela’s broath hitched, thinking she had won him back. But Thorne wasn’t finished. “But I didn’t sentence her to have her claws chopped off and her forehead tattooed. That was you, wasn’t it?”
Miela frone, her eyes wide in shock.
“You went behind my back,” Thorne said, his voice low, a dangerous edge creeping
Her lips trembled. “0–Of course not. Maybe 1–maybe remembered it wrong. Fenna’s memory
I couldn’t help but smirk “Another lie, MielaTM
yis wrong too. That maid–she just got expelled, I swear!”
“Miela,” I said, cutting her off. “You’re digging yourself into a
Her face twisted with panic. She started to fall apart. “No, no! You don’t understand-
a hole. And I think it’s time to bring in a witness
I clapped my hands. The doors at the front of the room swung open. Two Blood Moon soldiers entered, flanking a young woman. She was pretty, but her face was marred with a seared tattoo reading “THIEF.” She was missing her wolf claws. Both of them. Her disfigurement was the hanhest proof of Mista’s cruelty
Chapter 43
The room went silent…
Miela’s breath hitched, her body trembling as she stared at the woman.
“Meet the witness,” I said, my voice icy. “The maid you destroyed, all because you couldn’t get your way”
AD
