Zephyrine


    Finished


    It was already nightfall when the door finally creaked open. Olga, Luna Tahlia’s elderly mother, stepped into the small living room and spoke quietly.


    “She’s awake.”


    My heart trembled at those words, and I hurried down the hall to her bedchamber, Lycannar following behind me.


    “Zephyrine,” Mearez called the moment she saw me. I went straight to her, pulling her into a hug, clinging a moment longer in gratitude for hering so quickly.<fne304> This content belongs to Find1Novel</fne304>


    “Will she live?” I asked when I pulled back, Mearez nodded silently, then moved toward her brother, leaving me alone with the Luna who had decided death was better than public disgrace over something she didn’t do.


    For a long moment, I could only stare past her, my mind turning over the thought of what would have happened if I hade toote.


    “You shouldn’t have saved me.” Her voice drifted across the room, and I turned toward her. “You should have let me end this pain.”


    Slowly, I walked to the bedside and sat, my gaze steady on her.


    “You have a son to look after. Shouldn’t you put him first?”


    “It’s because I put him first that I tied the noose,” she muttered, tears brimming in her eyes. “I can’t save him from being sentenced to death, so what gain is there in living?”


    My heart ached for her. Gently, I reached out to take her hand.


    “Luna Tahlia… I know you’re being framed.”


    Her eyes snapped to mine.


    “What?”


    “I know you didn’t kill Alpha ck. I know you didn’t murder your husband.”


    She looked away, blinking hard.


    “I didn’t kill him… but there were times I wished he’d stop breathing.”


    Silence fell between us. I hadn’t expected her to admit that. Did that mean Lycannar had done her a favor?


    “Have you ever sacrificed everything for a man,” she said suddenly, her voice trembling, “only to be reced by someone else, a younger one? After using me, he told me he wanted her instead. He discarded me and his son, treated us like filth. And then, on our matrimonial bed, he brought in my best friend… and mated with her.”


    I watched her break down, and my chest tightened painfully.


    “When I asked for a rejection, he refused,” she went on bitterly. “He wanted to eat his cake and keep it. How is that even possible?”


    “He became arrogant,” I said softly, “certain you’d never leave him. So he unted her before you, disrespecting you until he thought you’d walk away on your own. And when you finally did… that’s when he realized he’d lost a gem.”


    She stared at me, then slowly took my hand.


    “You speak like someone from experience.”


    I blinked, aware of the silent audience in the room.


    9:30 PM p p


    Finished


    “My mate.” I murmured, voice shaking. “I gave him everything… and still he brought home his childhood crush and…” I trailed off, unable to finish.


    yes filled with a rare gentleness. Luna Tahlia’s grip


    A warm palm rested on my shoulder, Mearez, sitting beside me now, her on my hand tightened. For a fleeting moment, surrounded <i>by </i>their quict support, I felt… safe.


    When I finally looked toward Lycannar, he was staring at me, unblinking, his gaze heavy with unfiltered obsession.


    “The Lycan King killed Alpha ck,” I said to Luna Tahlia. She nodded.


    “Then he did me a favor. I should thank him.”


    “Lupa…”


    “I’m not that anymore,” she cut in quietly. “Three days ago, I stood before the council hall of ckbridge pack. They judged me, stripped me of my dignity and position. Beta Yadev will be the next Alpha…. and my son will be sentenced to death for…”


    “Not if I can help it,” I interrupted sharply. “Your son is the rightful heir to ckbridge pack. I don’t care if he’s young… you’ll guide him until he can make his own decisions. That is how it should be. Don’t lose hope so early. We will get justice<b>.</b><b>” </b>


    I didn’t realize how fast I was speaking until the room fell silent again. Luna Tahlia was staring at me… and so was everyone


    else.


    “You speak like someone who knows exactly how an Alpha is crowned,” she murmured.


    I lowered my gaze immediately. As an Ashmere, it had been my first lesson, one meant for my brother before fate shifted everything.


    “I don’t want the position,” Luna Tahlia said after a moment, pulling me from my thoughts. “I only want to clear my name and take my son away from Yadev and his daughter, Ka. They might seem sweet, but inside… they’re poison.”


    I looked away, sighing. Of course I knew Ka’s cruelty. I just hadn’t realized she inherited it from her father.


    Turning back toward the window, I let out a shaky breath. Maybe it was time to use a fraction of my influence to set things right.


    When I nced <i>at </i>Lycannar again, he was still standing there silent, unmoving, like a storm gathering force. He’d heard every word about my mate using me and discarding me.


    We could win justice for Luna Tahlia.


    But the throne of ckbridge Pack… was it really going to slip away so easily?


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