Chapter 90
90
~Elara’s POV
Alpha Darlon pressed a gentle kiss to my forehead. “I’ll be back soon,” he whispered, his eyes soft but firm. Then he turned, grabbing his cloak, and was gone before I could protest. The door closed behind him with a soft click, leaving me in a room that suddenly felt enormous and empty. My heart thumped in my chest. I missed him already, even though he had just left.
A few minutes later, the door opened quietly. Lira and Ronan stepped in, bowing stiffly. “Princess,” Ronan said, his voice calm, “we heard that Alpha Darlon went to deal with some rogues p>
I nodded, forcing a smile. “Yes, he had to leave, even on our wedding night. It’s fine. I know he has duties p>
Lira’s smile was tight, too tight, and I couldn’t shake the odd coldness I felt behind their eyes. My stomach twisted, a warning I didn’t understand yet. “Thank you,” I said cautiously, “for coming. I appreciate your company. It would have been lonely otherwise p>
They both inclined their heads, but the warmth I expected wasn’t there. Instead, the glint in their eyes made me uneasy. I stepped back instinctively.
Suddenly, Lira moved toward me, wrapping her arms around me. “Lira?” I whispered, panic creeping in. “What are you p>
Ronan’s expression shifted at the same moment, and before I could react, he grabbed my arm roughly. “Why would you choose him over me?” he demanded, his voice low and harsh. I stumbled backward, trying to pull free, my heart racing, a scream forming in my throat.
“Please, stop! ” I yelled, my voice shaking.
But they refused to listen to me. It was as if they had made up their mind and then, Ronan started undressing me. He handled me violently, touching my body anyhow.
That was when I realized what they were trying to do, he wanted to forced himself on me.
“Monster!” I yelled out.
“Someboy help I tried calling out for help but Lira covered my mouth.
I fought with everything I had, pushing and twisting, but they were too strong. I slammed against the bed frame in my struggle, my head hitting the corner hard. Stars erupted in my vision. Pain seared through my skull.
I tried to jerk away again, to scream, but everything felt fuzzy, as though the world was slowing down. Lira’s grip tightened around my shoulders. Ronan’s voice rang in my ears, furious and relentless, but I couldn’t make sense of it anymore.
And then… silence.
The room felt heavy, dark, and still. My body stopped moving. My chest rose and fell. My hands twitched, my fingers brushing against the sheets as I realized I was gone.
I watched my body go still.
At first, I thought she was only unconscious. My past self lay there, eyes half open, lips slightly parted, chest not moving the way it should. I waited for a breath. Just one. It did not come.
“No,” I whispered from inside the shield. “No… get up p>
But she did not.
The room felt wrong. Too quiet. Too heavy. Even the air seemed afraid to move. I floated closer, screaming inside, begging a body that could no longer hear me.
Lira was the first to notice.
She stepped back slowly, her face draining of color. “Ronan,” she said, her voice shaking, “she is not moving p>
Ronan crouched beside the bed, his fingers brushing my past self’s neck. I saw his hand tremble. His eyes widened in pure terror.
“She… she is dead,” he whispered.
The word echoed through the room like a curse.
Dead.
I felt it tear through me. I clutched at my chest, even though nothing could touch me. This was it. This was how it ended. My wedding night. My life. Cut short by the people I trusted.
Lira staggered back, her hands flying to her mouth. “No. No, no, no,” she muttered. “This was not meant to happen p>
Ronan stood abruptly. “What do we do?” he demanded, panic breaking through his voice. “Think, Lira. Think p>
“I do not know!” she snapped, tears forming in her eyes. “Do you think I planned this? She was supposed to be ruined, not dead p>
Then there was a knock.
Sharp. Loud. Final.
All three of us froze. Even me.
Knock. Knock.
Ronan spun toward the door. “Someone is outside p>
The knocking came again, more urgent this time.
“What do we do?” Ronan whispered harshly.
Lira shook her head wildly. “I do not know. You said you had a way. So think p>
The knocking did not stop.
Ronan clenched his fists, then suddenly straightened. “Open the door p>
Lira stared at him like he had lost his mind. “Are you mad? Do you want us to be blamed p>
“I said open it,” he snapped. “Trust me p>
Her hands shook as she moved to the door. She hesitated, then pulled it open.
A maid stood there, holding a tray of food and wine. “Her Highness,” she began politely, then stopped.
Her eyes fell on the bed.
On my body.
The tray slipped from her hands and crashed to the floor. She screamed. Loud. Sharp. Terrified.
“The Princess!” she cried. “The Luna p>
She turned to run.
Ronan moved fast. He grabbed her arm. “Wait p>
She struggled, sobbing, trying to pull away. “You killed her! Help! Someone help p>
We did not,” Ronan said quickly, his voice firm, controlled now. Too controlled. “Please, calm down p>
Lira stepped in, her face already set into something convincing. Something cold. “It is not what it looks like p>
The maid shook her head violently. “She is dead p>
“Yes,” Ronan said softly, “and we tried to stop her p>
The maid froze, like someone had slapped her with the weight of the world.
Ronan’s voice dropped even lower, careful, measured. “We caught Luna Elara trying to pass information to rogues. Dangerous information. When she realized she had been discovered, she… she took her own life out of shame p>
I felt it again. That hollow ripping inside me. Liar. Monster.
The maid’s face twisted, her confusion and fear colliding. “That… that cannot be true p>
Lira stepped closer, trembling just enough to look human, to look broken. She placed her hand over her heart, her voice soft but piercing. “We loved her,” she said. “This is breaking us too p>
The maid looked between them, her body trembling, overwhelmed. Her hands shook. Her mouth opened and closed, searching for words, finding none.
I wanted to scream. I wanted to run through that room and tear the lies from their mouths. I wanted to shake the truth into everyone who believed them. But I could do nothing. I could only watch, my chest tight, my heart hammering against a cage of betrayal.
They were stealing from me. My life, my loyalty, my love. They were taking it all and twisting it into something unrecognizable. And the world, blind and trusting, would swallow their version.