The scent of burning sage still lingered in the Luna’s private quarters, mixing with the faint perfume of lavender drifting from the curtains. Candlelight flickered against the polished marble walls, casting long shadows that stretched across the floor like claw marks. The fire crackled low in the hearth, though no one in the room paid it any mind.
“How is it?” Genevieve asked, her voice smooth and emotionless as Lilian stepped inside.
Lilian hesitated. She wrung her hands, her shoes still wet from the rain outside. “The Alpha said that… that Lord Cassian refused to let anyone see Atasha.”
Silence fell.
Genevieve’s gaze didn’t flicker. “Luna, this…” Lilian tried again, voice shaking. “I mean…”
“Speak,” Genevieve ordered, turning her attention toward Celeste, who sat curled on the settee near the window, her eyes swollen from crying, hands gripping the silk cushion on her lap like she needed something to hold onto.
“I believe…” Lilian’s words faltered as she looked between them. “I believe the Tyrant Lord must have already hurt Atasha.”
Celeste jolted upright. “Nonsense!” she snapped, voice cracking. Her lower lip trembled. “I dare you to say that again!”
“Lady Celeste, please… calm yourself,” Lilian rushed forward, hands raised in a placating gesture. “I didn’t mean it like that, I only-”
“You only what?” Celeste hissed, rising to her feet. Her fists were clenched now, her entire body trembling. “You think I’d let something happen to her? You think I wouldn’t know if she was–if she was-” Her voice caught, the words too awful to finish. “How could you say something like that!? Atasha is fine. She should be.”
“Then explain why he’s hiding her,” Lilian shot back. “Explain why the guards won’t even let the Alpha inside. Why not a single healer has been allowed to step foot near her chamber? That’s not normal, Lady Celeste. None of this is normal.”
Luna Genevieve finally turned her head. Her hand rested elegantly on the back of a velvet chair, her expression unreadable beneath the golden firelight. “Leave,” she said coolly. “You are making Celeste upset.”
Lilian blinked. “Yes, Luna,” she murmured, backing out of the room without protest. The door
shut behind her with a soft click.
Genevieve waited a few seconds. Then, as if a switch had been flipped, her demeanor shifted.
11:04 Wed, Sep 10
Chapter 14
…
The faint tension in her shoulders dropped.
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“You should stop crying and drink some water,” she said without looking at her daughter. “I don’t want to see you waste your tears like this.”
“Mother…” Celeste pouted, wiping at her check as she turned away from the window. If Lilian were still in the room, she would’ve been shocked to see the tears vanish in an instant. Celeste’s lips curled into a small, almost mischievous smile, light, charming, and utterly at odds with her carlier sobs.
Everyone in the pack believed she was the only one who truly cared for Atasha. How could she not show such distress after knowing that her sister had been attacked?
“Stop mocking me,” Celeste said with a huff, grabbing the nearest glass and taking a long sip.
Genevieve didn’t hesitate. “Maybe he doesn’t know yet. Or maybe he simply doesn’t care. You really think a wolfless girl means anything to a man like that?” she asked, her voice laced with disdain. “The Demon Fangs are clawing at our borders. He was sent here to end them, not weep over some disposable bride. Women like Atasha don’t distract men like Cassian.”
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