A Luna Freed After Nine Lies

The first time I find a hair tie in Ryder Jones' jacket pocket, his mother, Nara Winter, comes to me to explain. "Thea, you've misunderstood Ryder. I accidentally left that hair tie in his pocket." The second time, I find a moonstone earring in our den. His buddy comes over with a grin to claim it. "So, that's where the other one went. Ryder's hopeless. I asked him to buy me a pair of earrings, and he somehow lost one. Don't overthink it, Thea." Then, there's the third time, and the fourth time… Every time after that, one of his family members or friends would step in to defend him. The ninth time, I pull a pair of female panties from beneath his pillow. Holding them up in front of him, I ask softly, "Whose are these?" Ryder's fingers pause almost imperceptibly on the newspaper he's holding before he nonchalantly reaches for his phone. "Which one of you left your panties at my place?" On the other end of the line are my younger brother, Zane Thornton, and my best friend, Talia Stone. "Ryder? Talia must've left her panties over there. Sorry. You know what we're like during mating season. We can't control ourselves. Is Thea being paranoid again?" Talia's voice also sounds reproachful. "Thea, I really can't stand this anymore. How can someone like you be worthy of being the Luna?" When the call ends, Ryder flashes me an innocent look. "See? Can you stop doubting me now? How many times has this happened? If you keep making a scene, I think—" I cut him off with a smile. "Let's dissolve our mate bond." What he doesn't know is that the panties belong neither to his lover nor to Talia. I bought them myself and deliberately hid them under his pillow.