Chapter 48
Elara’s POV
“What the hell are you talking about?!”
jerked my hand away from Thome’s grip, trying not to let my anger show. His words, so insistent, burned through my chest.
“I paid your ransom!” Thorne snapped, his face flushed with frustration. “I thought they’d let you go just like they let Miela got”
“Don’t bullshit me,” I spat, shaking him off, my voice laced with fury. “You didn’t pay for me–you only paid for Mila! You only care about Mywords hit him like a punch. “If we weren’t mates, you’d’ve married Miela, not me Admiti
There it was. The truth, ugly and raw. It was hard to swallow, hut it had to be said. And I hated him for it.
Thated him for choosing Miela–again and again, over me.
For so long. I had begged myself not to care, but now… now it all came rushing back, and I couldn’t stop it.
Thome’s face softened for a moment, as if he was searching for something in my eyes, something he could fix, but I wasn’t ready to give him that chance,
Not anymore.
“You’re wrong, Elara,” he said, his voice lower now, but still so full of conviction. “There’s been a misunderstanding, I don’t want this between us.”
The nerve of him
I crossed my arms and stared him down, each word a bitter poison, “Amisunderstanding? Are you seriously telling me that now? You never cared when i was with you–why? Because I wasn’t the Alpha’s sister then, was I? I wasn’t good enough for you.” I scoffed, my heart a storm of rage and disbelief.
His jaw clenched, and he looked at me like I’d slapped him. But I didn’t care. I was done holding back.
“Is that what you think of me?” His voice trembled with something–anger, or maybe reget, I couldn’t tell. “I tried, Elara. I tried to talk to you. I’ve been trying since you came back. His gaze flicked to the floor, then back to me, pleading, You pushed me away every time.”
I felt the rage boil over, breaking free with a scream that wasn’t really a scream but just the rawest frustration I’d ever known.
“BECAUSE YOU GAVE UP ON ME!” I screamed, the words tearing through me. “You walked away when I needed you most! You rejected me. Thome. You never cared enough to stay, so don’t you dare tell me you want me back now!”
I saw him flinch, his whole body stiffening. He hadn’t expected that, and for a moment, I almost felt sorry for him. Almost.
But then I remembered everything. Every moment of betrayal.
“His voice cracked, but he gathered himself quickly “I rejected you because they all told me you weren’t good enough. Miela, Coria, even my own pack. They said you weren’t Luna material, Elara. I listened to them.”
I was shaking my head before he could finish. The words felt like acid on my skin. “And now?” I demanded, my voice dangerous, low “Now that you’ve realed they were wrong, you think it’s easy to comeback? You think I’ll just forget everything?”
He stepped forward, his breath shaky but his eyes steady. “I won’t give up. I can fix this, I can make you trust me again
A part of me wanted to believe him–God, I really did–but I’d been down that road before. I wasn’t foolish enough to let him back in. Not now. Not her everything
Before I could say anything else, a voice cut through the tension.
“Gamma Elatal”
Chapter 48
It was Jory, panting slightly as he rushed to my side, His eyes daited between Thorne and me, protective and alert – htt
I didn’t even have to think about It. “No, Jory,” I said, offering him a sinile, my voice steadying “We were jen talking. What are you d you be at the party?”
He glanced over at Thome before shaking his head. “The party wasn’t the same without you, I wohnteered to drive you back. Abe you in
“Of course I nodded, taking a step away from Thome. “Let’s po”
I started walking, but then i stopped, turning back to face Thorne. My voice was colil, culfing through the you bother me with your past. I’ll see you at Miela’s trial.”
pha Thorne, Thope this is die laer time
I didn’t wait for him to respond. turned and walked away, Jory by my side. But couldn’t stop the bitter taste i his eyes still on me, burning with something I couldn’t name,
rate in my m
i mouth, onulder’t shake the feeling of
By the morning, it was everywhere. The gossip, the whispers, the shock.
The youngest daughter of the Diaz family–Miela—had tried to frame Alpha Cael for something unthinkable, and then the truth about me had come out. Gamma Elara, the sister of the Alpha, the woman they all thought was just a shadow of a past mistake. The gossip spread like wildfire, and for three whole days, it was all anyone could talk about.
Then came the trial.
Thad known this day would come. It was inevitable.
The first rays of sunlight it up the Civic Square, and by the time the nobles and Alphas arrived, the crowd was already thick with anticipation. They were here for one thing and one thing only: Miela’s downfall.
I stood
with Jory beside me, my mind already working through the steps ahead. This was more than just a trial for Miela. It was the final chapter in a long. ugly story, I was going to see justice done
The moment arrived. “Let the defendant come forward an elder bellowed, his voice booming across the square.
Two guards stepped forward, dragging Miela to the center stage, shackled and disheveled. Her face was stained with the remnants of tears, her hair a tangled mess. She wore the same gown from the night of the party, but it was ruined–torn and dirty, a mockery of the image she had once presented to the world.
A wave of disgust rippled through the crowd.
“God, what is that awful smell?” Someone gasped, covering their nose.
“Seriously, how did she think she could call herself a lady?” another voice mocked.
I could see her flinch, her face flushing with embarrassment and shame, but I didn’t care. I wasn’t there for her tears or her pain. I was there for the truth.
The guards pulled her to the center of the stage, and the elder’s voice rang out avain, “Does the defendant have anyone here to speak on her behalf
Miela’s head shot up, her eyes darting frantically around, desperate for any sign of salvation. Her family had arrived.
“They’ll come,” she whispered to herself, hope flickering in her eyes.
But I knew better. It was too late for hope.
The truth had already been decided
