Those She Trusted

AKIRA’S POV

The two servants didn’t even look at me. They stuffed my worn dresses into a rough travel sack as though they were nothing but rags.

“Hurry up,” the other one muttered, not caring if I heard. “I don't want to remain inside this cursed room.”

I sat on the cold floor with my back against the wall. There was no bed in my room, only a thin mat in the corner. I was leaving this prison forever, and yet, my chest felt tight. I wasn't going to miss this room or this palace. The only thing pulling at my heart was the thought of leaving Madura and Elijah behind.

Tears blurred my vision, hot and stinging. They were the only reason I had survived ten years of hell. I needed to see them. I needed to hold them one last time before the Bloodmoon warriors dragged me away to my death.

The door burst open, and Madura ran in. Her face was already red, tears covering her cheeks.

“Akira!” she sobbed, throwing herself down onto the floor and locking her arms around my neck. She held me so tight I could barely breathe, her body shaking against mine. “I'm so sorry! It’s all my fault! If I’d been stronger…”

“No, don’t,” I interrupted, pulling back slightly so I could look into her eyes. My own tears were falling now, mixing with hers. I wiped her wet cheeks with my bruised thumbs. “Don't carry this guilt, Maddie. It is not your fault. You tried to die for me. You did all you could.”

“I will never forget you,” Madura wept, clutching my torn shirt. “I swear it, Akira. I will never forget what you did for us.”

She stood up quickly, wiping her face with the back of her hand. “I—I need to go. I need a moment to compose myself. I can't look at you like this.” She turned and hurried out of the room, leaving the door slightly open.

I sat there, waiting. The minutes ticked by, turning into an hour. The servants finished packing the small sack, threw it on the floor near the door, and left without saying goodbye.

But Elijah never came.

My heart began to beat faster. Why wasn't he here? Was he too broken by the news? Was he somewhere out there crying? The thought of him hurting alone made me stand up, ignoring the burning pain on my back. I couldn’t leave without seeing him one last time.

I stepped into the corridor. As I passed one of the guest rooms, hushed voices drifted through a half-open door.

I recognized those voices immediately. Madura and Elijah.

A sad smile touched my lips. They were probably trying to think of one last way to save me. I stepped closer, ready to open the door, until I heard a question drop from Elijah’s mouth.

“Why did you go that far, Madura?” Elijah’s voice came through the crack, sounding frustrated but completely calm. “Grabbing a dagger and putting it to your throat? I thought all of this was supposed to be an act. Why go that far?”

A loud, mocking laugh came from Madura. The sound stripped the warmth straight out of my blood.

“Oh, please, Elijah,” Madura scoffed, her voice completely different now from the one she spoke to me with. “I knew it was the easiest way to fool that idiot. Did you see her face? She actually thought I was going to die for her. She is so stupid. She really believes we care about her.”

I froze, praying I’d somehow heard wrong.

“Well, I'm glad she accepted, but you shouldn’t have done that,” Elijah sighed, and I could hear the relief in his voice. “I am so tired of pretending. Do you know how hard it was to act as if I loved her? Touching her made my skin crawl. But at least it's over now. We don't have to worry about her wolf waking up and threatening your future as the Alpha.”

Every single word felt like a physical blow to my chest. Every memory I’d treasured crumbled into ash. The love, the protection, the tears—it had all been a lie to get rid of me.

Before I could think, my body moved on its own. I kicked the door open, the wood slamming hard against the wall.

Madura and Elijah jumped back, turning to look at me. Madura was standing close to him, her fingers laced through his. When they saw me, Madura jumped in fright while Elijah’s eyes widened.

“Maddie?” The word came out of my mouth like a broken sob. I looked at her, my chest heaving. “Is it true? Has everything been a lie?”

She looked at me like she didn’t understand. “Huh? Wha—what are you talking about?”

Swallowing hard, I squeezed my eyes shut and scoffed. “I heard everything, Madura. Stop the pretense.”

At once, her mask was gone. She looked at me and sneered. “Well, great then. I was tired of acting anyway.”

I turned to Elijah, a tear sliding down my cheek. “You too? How could you?”

Elijah didn't look down. He just stared at me with cold, indifferent eyes. “It had to be done.”

“You are really an idiot,” Madura laughed, stepping in front of him. “Did you actually think a handsome, strong Beta’s son like Elijah would choose a wolfless, cursed princess like you?”

“She is right. I never loved you, Akira. Every smile, every touch, every promise—it was all for Madura.”

No…

“Please stop,” I pleaded, almost turning to run off, but her voice rang out again. “If it pleases you to know, Elijah and I are mates. We’ve been mates all this while.”

A gasp escaped my lips.

“No,” I whispered, my brain scrambling to make sense of the horror. “You are lying.”

Madura scoffed and moved to Elijah, locking her arm in his. “I’m not.”

I refused to believe they could do this to me. Somehow, I still searched for an excuse that would make it all make sense. “Did you… Did you find out you were mates after we started dating? Is that it? You found out recently, and you didn't want to break my heart, so you hid it?”

Madura sneered loudly, tossing her hair back. “Are you really this dumb? We didn't find out recently. We found out three years ago, sis. Three years!”

The numbers hit me like a slap. They had discovered they were mates three years ago. Elijah had spent the last two years pretending to love me.

“I asked Elijah to pretend to be with you,” Madura said, her eyes gleaming with malice. “I was terrified that somehow, your pathetic wolf would wake up and the elders would try to give you the crown princess title back. We needed a plan to destroy you completely. The plan was for Elijah to seduce you, sleep with you, and then we would expose it so everyone would think you willingly stole another woman's true mate. That is an unforgivable crime. The elders would have banished you, but you always refused to open those cursed legs for him.”

She shrugged, leaning back against Elijah’s chest. “Thankfully, the Bloodmoon Pack demanded this year’s tribute, and it saved us the stress. You walked right into it.”

“Good. You finally know the truth,” another feminine-deep voice cut through the room. It was Elena’s. She walked in, her long silk dress rustling against the floor. “No one has ever loved you in Moonveil. As a matter of fact, nothing brings us greater joy than watching you leave this place forever to go die in the Bloodmoon pack.”

I looked at the three of them. Especially my sister and the man I loved.

The pain inside me went past tears. It went past screaming. Something deep inside my soul simply died, leaving behind a cold, empty void. I didn't say another word to them. There was nothing I could say. I turned around and walked out of the room, my steps steady despite the burning wounds on my back.

Just as I reached the end of the corridor, the loud sound of the palace horns echoed through the stone walls.

BOOM. BOOM.

The Bloodmoon warriors had arrived.

I stopped by the main doors, raising my hand to wipe the remaining tears from my face. I rubbed my eyes until they were completely dry. The sister I loved had sold me out. The man I loved had never existed. I had no home, no love, and no future left to protect.

Taking a deep breath, I straightened my back against the pain and pushed the palace doors open to face the monsters waiting outside.