4- The Trap they Set Backfired

ADIRA

"Unless... you already know something about it?"

I watched Delilah's expression carefully after asking that question.

For a brief moment, her eyes widened, and I caught the slight stiffness in her shoulders. However, she quickly recovered and gave me a worried smile.

"What are you talking about, Adira?" she asked softly. "Why would I know anything about what happened to Sue?"

She reached for my hand, wearing the same concerned expression she had always used whenever she wanted people to believe she genuinely cared about me.

"I'm just worried, that's all. You were with her earlier, and now she's being rushed to the pack hospital. Anyone would be concerned, especially since something like this happened during your birthday celebration."

She paused before continuing.

"Besides, you were the one who received a drink from her, weren't you? I'm just wondering if she accidentally gave you something she shouldn't have."

I looked at her hand holding mine.

How convincing.

In my previous life, I was touched by her concern. I even thanked her for worrying about me.

But now, every sweet word that came out of her mouth sounded like an insult.

I gently withdrew my hand.

"Don't worry about me. I didn't drink anything she gave me."

"Really?" Delilah asked, her eyes briefly moving toward the table. "But I saw her offering you wine earlier."

"I only drank my juice."

She looked as though she wanted to say something else, but before she could, another familiar voice interrupted us.

"What's going on here?"

I turned and saw Brody approaching with Mason beside him.

Brody immediately looked at me.

"Adira, babe. Are you alright?"

I nodded.

"Yes. Why?"

He glanced toward the direction where Sue had been taken.

"Delilah told me something happened to Sue. She said Sue was with you earlier."

"That's right."

"What happened?"

I stared at him.

"Didn't you see what happened? She suddenly started behaving strangely and removing her clothes in front of everyone."

Brody frowned.

"I know that. What I'm asking is whether you noticed anything unusual before that happened."

His voice was gentle, almost affectionate.

Anyone listening would think he was simply concerned about my well-being.

But I know him better now.

He wasn't asking because he was worried about me.

He was trying to determine whether I had somehow discovered their plan.

"Nothing unusual," I answered.

Mason crossed his arms.

"Are you sure, Adira? Sue was beside you for quite some time. Perhaps she told you something or gave you something to drink?"

I turned toward him.

"Why are you asking me that?"

He raised an eyebrow.

"Don't misunderstand me. I'm just trying to understand what happened."

Brody nodded in agreement.

"Exactly. We're not accusing you of anything, babe. We just want to make sure everything is alright."

He reached for my shoulder, but I subtly moved away.

"I'm fine, Brody."

His hand stopped in midair.

I continued, "And I already told Delilah that I only drank my juice."

Delilah immediately intervened.

"Adira, nobody is accusing you. We're just concerned because you were the last person seen with Sue before she started acting strangely."

She turned toward the surrounding guests.

"Please don't misunderstand us. I'm only worried about my friend."

I almost laughed.

She was doing an excellent job of playing the concerned best friend.

However, I noticed that several guests had begun exchanging suspicious glances.

Some seemed to believe Delilah's words, while others appeared uncertain.

"Well, she was with Sue earlier."

"Could Adira have given her something?"

"That's impossible. Why would the Alpha's daughter do something like that?"

"But we don't know what happened between them."

The whispers gradually grew louder.

I remained quiet.

I wasn't going to defend myself against an accusation they hadn't even openly made.

After all, I knew exactly what they wanted.

They wanted me to get nervous, deny everything repeatedly, and maybe say something they could twist against me.

They wanted the guests to start doubting me.

Just as they had done in my previous life.

But this time, I had prepared for it.

"Enough."

My father's authoritative voice suddenly silenced the surrounding conversations.

Alpha Walter stepped forward, his expression serious.

"If there is a problem, we should establish what happened before making assumptions."

He glanced at Brody, Delilah, and Mason.

"Has anyone contacted the pack hospital?"

"Yes, Alpha," one of the warriors answered. "Sue is currently being examined by the pack healer."

"Good. We will wait for the healer's findings."

My mother approached and stood beside me.

"Adira, sweetheart, are you certain you didn't drink anything unusual?"

I gently held her hand.

"Yes, Mom. I only drank my juice."

She nodded, although I could tell she was still worried.

I couldn't blame her.

After all, nobody wanted an incident like this to happen during a celebration.

Especially when the victim was the daughter of the pack's Gamma.

"Alpha Walter."

A familiar voice came from behind us.

Everyone turned toward the man approaching the group.

It was Beta Hugo Hart.

My father's younger brother and his trusted Beta.

He was also my uncle.

"Uncle Hugo," I greeted.

He gave me a brief smile, then looked at my father.

"I think there's something you should see."

My father frowned.

"What is it?"

"The security footage."

The moment those words left his mouth, I noticed Delilah's expression change.

Only slightly.

But I saw it.

Brody also turned toward Hugo, while Mason straightened his posture.

"Security footage?" my father repeated.

Hugo nodded.

"Yes, Alpha. I've already asked the security team to retrieve the recordings from the grand hall."

I lowered my gaze to hide my smile.

Good.

Everything was going according to plan.

Knowing my past life, I knew that Delilah would attempt something similar.

That's why, before the celebration began, I approached my uncle and asked him to install additional CCTV cameras around the hall.

I didn't tell him the entire reason.

I simply explained that I wanted to make sure the security arrangements were sufficient, especially since we were expecting guests from different packs.

Fortunately, Uncle Hugo had agreed.

He had personally supervised the installation and made sure the additional cameras covered areas that weren't clearly visible in the original recordings.

He was the only person who knew about those additional cameras.

Not even my father knew about them.

"That's a good idea," my father said. "Let's review the footage and find out what happened."

Delilah immediately spoke.

"Alpha Walter, is that really necessary? I mean, Sue might have simply drunk too much wine. Perhaps we should wait for the healer's assessment first."

My uncle looked at her.

"There's nothing wrong with checking the footage. If nothing unusual happens, then it will only clear everyone's doubts."

Delilah pressed her lips together.

"Of course. I was just thinking about Sue's condition."

I almost smiled.

She was beginning to panic.

"Let's go to the security room," my father ordered.

A few minutes later, we gathered inside the security room.

Several guests who had witnessed the incident also joined us, while the security personnel prepared the recordings.

I stood between my parents, silent as the footage played on the large monitor.

"Start from the time Miss Adira arrived at the table," my uncle instructed.

The security personnel nodded and adjusted the recording.

The video showed me standing near the table while talking to several guests.

Then Sue appeared, carrying a tray of wine glasses.

"That's her," someone commented.

We watched as Sue approached me and offered a glass of wine.

The recording clearly showed her placing the tray on the table.

Then I reached for a glass.

However, instead of drinking it, I simply placed it beside me.

A few seconds later, I picked up another glass.

That was the glass containing my juice.

I drank from it while continuing my conversation with the guests.

The footage then showed me casually moving the wine glasses around the table.

After that, I turned toward another guest.

And that was when Sue picked up the wrong glass.

She raised it to her lips and drank.

The room immediately fell silent.

"Wait..."

One of the guests leaned closer to the monitor.

"Wasn't that the same glass she offered Adira earlier?"

My uncle nodded.

"Yes."

The security personnel paused the recording and zoomed in on the table.

The difference between the two glasses was almost impossible to notice because they looked identical.

However, the footage clearly showed that I hadn't consumed the wine.

I had only drunk my juice.

And Sue had mistakenly picked up the glass she had originally intended for me.

"Continue," my father ordered.

The recording showed Sue taking another sip before leaving the table.

A few minutes later, she began acting strangely.

The same behavior everyone had witnessed in the grand hall.

One of the guests covered her mouth.

"Oh, Goddess..."

My mother immediately looked at me.

"Adira, you didn't drink that wine?"

I shook my head.

"No, Mom. I told you I only drank my juice."

My uncle turned toward the security personnel.

"Show them the other angle."

The screen changed.

This time, the recording came from one of the additional cameras I had requested.

It showed a much clearer view of the table.

There was no room for misunderstanding.

Sue had offered me the wine.

I had placed it on the table without drinking it.

And Sue had been the one who picked it up afterward.

My father slowly exhaled.

"Then it was the wine that caused her condition?"

"That's what we need to establish," Uncle Hugo answered. "But based on the footage, it's clear that Sue drank the wine she originally offered to Adira."

He turned toward the security personnel.

"Do we have a record of where the wine came from?"

"Yes, Beta Hugo. We're currently checking with the staff who prepared the drinks."

My uncle nodded.

"Good. Preserve the footage. We may need it for the investigation."

I remained quiet.

There was one thing I wanted everyone to realize.

And judging by their expressions, they were beginning to understand.

"Wait a minute."

One of the guests suddenly spoke.

"If Sue was originally offering that glass to Adira, does that mean..."

She didn't finish her sentence.

But she didn't need to.

Another guest continued.

"Someone might have intended for Adira to drink it."

The room fell silent.

My mother immediately turned toward me.

"What?"

The guest looked uncomfortable but continued.

"I'm not saying that's what happened, Luna. But the footage clearly shows that Sue offered the wine to Adira first. If Sue hadn't mistakenly picked up the wrong glass, Adira might have been the one who drank it."

My father's expression darkened.

"Are you suggesting that someone deliberately prepared a drink for my daughter?"

Nobody answered.

But the implication was obvious.

The wine hadn't been ordinary.

Based on Sue's behavior, the substance mixed into it was clearly dangerous and powerful enough to make someone lose control in front of an entire gathering.

If I had drunk it...

I slowly lowered my gaze.

I didn't need to imagine what would have happened.

I had already experienced the humiliation in my previous life.

Only this time, the victim had been someone else.

"Who would do such a thing?" my mother whispered.

I gently held her hand.

"Mom, don't worry. I'm fine."

She looked at me, her eyes filled with concern. My father, however, was visibly furious.

"Whoever is responsible for this will answer to me."

I glanced toward the three people standing across the room.

Delilah.

Brody.

Mason.

None of them said a word.

Delilah's face had lost its color. Her lips were slightly parted, but no sound came out.

Brody stood motionless, his jaw tightly clenched.

As for Mason, he kept his eyes fixed on the monitor, as though he hoped the footage would somehow change.

They had been caught off guard.

They hadn't expected additional cameras.

They hadn't expected me to know what they were planning.

And most importantly, they hadn't expected their own scheme to be exposed in front of everyone.

I almost felt sorry for them.

Almost.

Because I knew that if I hadn't been given another chance, I would have been the one humiliated tonight.

My parents would have been ashamed.

My reputation would have been destroyed.

And those three people would have walked away pretending they had nothing to do with it.

But not this time.

My mother finally released a deep breath, her expression softening as she looked at me.

"Thank the Moon Goddess you didn't drink it, sweetheart."

My father placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder.

"You're safe. That's what matters."

I nodded.

"Thank you, Dad."

I looked at the monitor one last time before turning to Delilah.

She was still standing beside Brody, unable to utter a single word.

The same woman who had smiled at me earlier and pretended to worry about my well-being.

The same woman who had tried to make everyone question my innocence.

Now, she couldn't even look me in the eyes.

I smiled faintly.

What was wrong, Delilah?

Weren't you excited about making my birthday unforgettable?

Well, congratulations.

You certainly succeeded.

Only this time, the person who ended up drinking your drugged wine wasn't me.

It could have been better if it was you, bitch.