第3章

Caius slept soundly that night and ran into Sage in the bathroom the next morning.

She was wearing an oversized shirt that made her look small and delicate.

Caius froze for a moment when he saw her.

But when he spoke, he only asked about me.

"How's Elara? Is she doing better?"

Sage smiled.

"I checked on her last night. She seemed fine. She just refused to speak."

Liar.

You're lying.

You never open the door to check on me.

"Figures. She's waiting for me to go comfort her again. But after so many times, I'm exhausted."

Caius finally said what was really on his mind.

Hearing Caius finally admit that he was tired of me, Sage could barely hide the delight in her eyes.

Still, she put on a concerned mask.

"That's exactly why she needs to learn her lesson. We're helping her grow.

"There's a gathering today with some old friends Elara and I both know. Come with me. If you stay here, you'll only keep worrying about her."

Caius nodded and went with Sage.

I followed them to the banquet hall, where I saw many familiar faces.

They were all people I'd once called friends.

I wanted to cry, but as a spirit, I had no tears left to shed.

"Well, well! If it isn't our famous healer, Sage!

"Long time no see. You're still gorgeous. And is that the Alpha? What brings you two here together?"

I looked at Caius. He greeted the crowd with a nod before answering.

"I asked Sage to treat Elara's loss of speech."

No one seemed surprised to hear about my condition.

It was clear they already knew.

But I'd never told anyone. How did they know?

"If Sage hadn't told us, we'd never have known the Luna had that kind of problem."

"She even said exposure therapy would help Elara get used to the dark. So we locked her in dark places a few times and made it look like an accident."

"A Luna with that kind of condition? How can anyone take her seriously? If Elara weren't the Alpha's fated mate, she'd have no right to hold that title."

"The Alpha has to manage pack affairs and stay up all night taking care of her. That's too much for one person."

Everyone murmured in agreement.

I hovered above them, feeling as though their words were killing me all over again.

So every incident I'd dismissed as an accident had been deliberate.

These people I'd called friends had always believed I wasn't worthy of being Luna.

Sage listened quietly. Caius frowned as everyone complained about how unfairly he had been burdened because of me.

Whatever faults I had, ordinary werewolves had no right to judge me.

He was about to speak up when Sage cut in.

She'd clearly noticed the change in his expression.

"Well, thanks to everyone's help with the exposure therapy, she's doing much better now.

"With the Alpha supporting her, I'm sure she'll overcome this."

Caius's clenched fist relaxed.

So that was all it took. Give Caius an excuse for the people who hurt me, and he would believe it without question.

I no longer had a body, yet I felt a crushing weight pulling my spirit down into hell.

Bzzz.

Caius's phone buzzed, cutting through the chatter.

"Excuse me. I need to take this."

Caius stepped out of the hall and answered a call from one of his Gammas.

"Alpha Caius, during our patrol, we noticed a terrible smell coming from the stone chamber. There's also blood seeping out from under the door.

"We don't have permission to enter, so we couldn't check inside. What are your orders?"

The stone chamber? Blood? That smell?

How was that possible?

I was the only one inside!

A terrible possibility flashed through Caius's mind.