HIS DEATH

MAYA

I locked the door to my room, turning around to face Lucas. He was standing near the edge of the bed, shivering like a child caught out in the freezing rain. His hands trembled uncontrollably against his thighs, his eyes wide with fear as he stared at me.

"Sit down, Lucas," I said softly, gesturing toward the wooden chair near the corner.

He swallowed hard and hurried over, collapsing onto the chair as if his knees could no longer support his weight.

"You are the Alpha's brother and a royal blood," I started, keeping my voice low so no guards in the hallway could hear us. "Why did you stoop so low to serve Maria? Why let her treat you like an errand boy for her dark games?"

Lucas let out a small, bitter smile, looking down at his shaking hands. "My brother believes I must earn every kobo," he replied, his voice barely above a whisper. "He thinks because of my bloodline, I shouldn't just be handed wealth or power. So I do whatever work is given to me in this mansion."

"But by providence, you are above being a maid," I said, stepping closer to him, my gaze cutting deep into his. "You are above being used by that woman to kill and destroy innocent people."

Tears instantly welled up in Lucas's eyes. He squeezed his eyelids shut, a sob escaping his chest as he shook his head in absolute misery.

"She killed a certain woman many years ago," Lucas cried, his voice breaking into raw, painful gasps. "The Alpha's true wife, Philomena... I saw it all happen. I was just a boy, but I watched Maria do it. But then she framed me..."

My heart stopped. My breath hitched in my throat, but I forced myself to stay still, listening to every single word.

"She forced me into a video," Lucas continued, tears streaming freely down his pale cheeks. "She recorded me saying that I killed Philomena. With that video in her hands, I am tied to her forever. I cannot even refuse her anything she asks me to do, Maya. If that video gets out, Edward will tear me apart with his bare hands."

"But does your brother know about any of this?" I asked, my voice trembling slightly.

"He is my half-brother," Lucas explained, wiping his nose with his sleeve as he looked up at me with hollow, haunted eyes. "My dad killed his mum and destroyed the throne years ago. My mum caused a lot of havoc in the pack after she killed the old Luna just to take power. To get the throne back into stability, my dad made a deal. He promised Edward that he would marry Maria and treat her fine, because it was Maria's dad who saved the pack by handling the pack over to Edward through getting him married to Maria."

He took a deep, shaky breath, trying to steady his chest.

"When my dad got sick due to the reckless life my mum dragged him into, Maria's dad took over the throne temporarily," Lucas said softly. "But Maria's dad had a good relationship with my dad, so he gave the throne back to our bloodline by marrying his daughter, Maria, to Edward. It was all political deals and blood pacts. But Edward still hasn't forgiven me for the sins of my mother... even though I was just a baby back then."

Lucas lowered his head, staring at the floor in complete defeat. "He looks at me and sees the woman who ruined his childhood."

I stood there in the quiet room, processing the complex web of lies and ancient betrayals that had bound this pack for nearly two decades. My soul burned with anger over the truth of Philomena's death, but as I looked down at the weeping young man in front of me, pity washed over my heart.

I was deeply interested in the murder of Philomena—my past self—and how Maria had managed to cover her tracks for so long. But looking at Lucas now, I realized I still needed to help this young man free himself from her grip.

"How many crimes have you covered and also done for Maria?" I asked gently.

Lucas looked up, his eyes full of pure shame. "Too many," he replied. "Poisoning, stealing, framing servants... whenever she wants someone gone or quieted, she uses that video to force my hand."

Before I could ask him where the video was hidden, a sharp, heavy knock resounded against my locked door.

"Maya?" a stern, unfamiliar voice called out from the hallway. "It is Doctor Evans. The Alpha sent me to examine you and check on the baby."

I looked at Lucas immediately. "We need to pause this," I whispered. "Come back later tonight so we can finish our conversation and figure out a way to get that video from her."

Lucas nodded fast, scrambling up from the chair. He unlocked the door, bowing his head as he brushed past the middle-aged doctor standing in the doorway, hurrying down the dim corridor without looking back.

Doctor Evans walked in, carrying a heavy leather medical bag. He set it on the small table and turned to me with a strict, unyielding expression.

"Lie down on the bed, Maya," the doctor commanded, pulling out a small glass vial and a syringe from his bag. "Alpha Edward wants a full checkup on your vitals and the child's heart rate. You've been through too much stress today."

"I am fine, Doctor," I said, stepping back toward the window. "I don't need any medicine. Just check my pulse."

"You need rest," Doctor Evans insisted, filling the glass syringe with a clear liquid. "This is a mild sedative to help your blood pressure settle. The Alpha specifically ordered that you sleep for a few hours."

"No, I don't want to sleep," I argued, crossing my arms firmly over my chest. "I feel completely awake."

"I am the pack physician, and I insist," the doctor said, his tone leaving no room for argument. "If you refuse, I will have to inform Alpha Edward that you are disobeying medical orders for his heir."

I clenched my jaw in frustration. Knowing I couldn't cause another scene right now without risking Edward's anger, I reluctantly walked over to the bed and sat on the edge.

"Fine," I muttered.

Doctor Evans stepped forward, cleaning a small spot on my arm before sliding the needle gently into my skin. The liquid felt cold as it entered my bloodstream. Within less than two minutes, a heavy, irresistible drowsiness washed over my brain. My eyelids grew impossibly heavy, the quiet room spinning softly before completely fading into pitch black.

When my eyes slowly fluttered open, the bright afternoon sunlight had shifted into a dark, gloomy evening orange. My head felt heavy and groggy from the doctor's medicine.

I sat up slowly on the mattress, rubbing my temples as I tried to shake off the lingering sleep.

The heavy oak door to my room was wide open. Outside in the main hallway, chaotic shouting, running footsteps, and frantic crying echoed through the stone corridor.

I swung my legs over the side of the bed, my heart instantly racing with a dark, terrible premonition. I stood up, gripping the bedpost for support, and walked out into the hallway.

Servants were running back and forth with wet towels and wooden buckets, while several royal guards stood clustered outside the lower staircase, their faces grim and silent.

"What happened?" I asked a young maid who was rushing past my doorway, her eyes wide with fear. "Why is everyone running?"

The maid stopped, turning to look at me with a trembling lip, her hands shaking violently around the linen cloth she held.

"It's Master Lucas," the maid whispered, tears spilling down her cheeks. "They found him near the lower courtyard gardens just twenty minutes ago... he's dead."

My entire world froze. "What?" I gasped, the air completely leaving my lungs.

"He... he was poisoned, Maya," she sobbed, lowering her voice to a terrified whisper. "They found a dark glass bottle beside him. The guards are saying he took his own life, but everyone knows... everyone knows Luna Maria was the last person seen talking to him near the stables!"

I stood paralyzed in the middle of the dark hallway, the cold realization crashing over me like a tidal wave.

Maria had realized Lucas was weakening. She knew he was spending too much time near my room, and before he could ever hand over that video or speak the truth to Edward, she had silenced him forever.

I looked down the long corridor toward the stairwell, my hands clenching into tight fists until my nails dug into my palms. My heart burned with a fierce, deadly rage.

She thought killing Lucas would bury her secrets. She thought taking another innocent life would save her crown.

She had no idea that she had just signed her own death warrant.