Jason’s POVThe video loaded slowly, and for a moment, I hoped it had been taken down. Viki’s face appeared on the screen. Her eyes were still red and puffy. Her makeup was caked on and deliberately smudged in the right places. Her hands trembled as she stared into the camera.“Goddess, she’s trying to look as pathetic as possible for sympathy,” Della snorted.“I want to apologize,” she began, her voice cracking. “to Luna Talia for everything I’ve said and done.”Della rolled her eyes beside me. “Good start. Let’s see if she can keep it up.”Viki sniffled delicately. “I was jealous,” Viki continued. “Talia was just an omega, and yet Alpha Jason still made her Luna. I’ve known him my whole life, but I was forced to live in the shadows, pretending to be nothing when I was the one who truly loved him. I’m the daughter of our Beta, and I’m carrying his child. It wasn’t fair.”My jaw tightened. Viki was making it seem like I bullied her out of being Luna. The Moon Goddess chose me to be Ja
Talia’s POVThe moment Jason left with Viki, I finally allowed the tears to fall.I held them in through the accusations, the betrayal, the cold indifference, but now, with no one left to see me break, I collapsed.Solon caught me before I hit the ground. I sobbed into his chest as I clung to him. He wrapped his arms around me without hesitation.“You don’t have to hold it in anymore,” Solon cooed. “Let it out.”“I just don’t understand,” I said through choked breaths. “He used to treat me so well, and I’m his fated mate, but now….”Solon held me tighter, but he didn’t interrupt me.“He loved surprising me with little gifts,” I continued. “It could be a new rose or a necklace. Or even a cup of chamomile tea before bed when I had a stressful day. He used to listen and pay attention to my preferences.” My voice broke. “I thought that was what love was.”Solon let out a quiet sigh, brushing a strand of hair behind my ear. “Only through difficult times will you know who someone truly is.”
Jason’s POVI never thought Talia could be so cold.She used to be so agreeable and soft-spoken. Now, she stared at Viki like she was nothing. Her voice had no tremor. It was just cold as she gave her terms: a public confession or let Viki rot in that cell.“Talia, you can’t be serious. Our reputation will be ruined. The other packs will no longer take us seriously,” I said.“Sorry. What happens to your pack has nothing to do with me,” Talia countered.Viki curled against the cell wall as she began to cry again. “I didn’t mean to hurt her,” she sobbed, snot and tears running down her face. “I thought she was gone. I didn’t know she was… that she was someone so important. I was scared, Jason. Please, tell her. I didn’t mean it.”“I’m standing right here, Viki. Your apology doesn’t mean anything unless it is public,” Talia reiterated.Viki clutched her stomach and pleaded again, “Please, please Talia. I’m carrying the heir.”My gaze went to Talia. She had a stern expression. Talia meant
Talia’s POVViki clutched her swollen belly like a shield. “Jason, please,” she whimpered. “You have to save me. They’re treating me like a rogue. This is not healthy for our pup!”Jason looked torn, his gaze flicking from Viki’s tear-streaked face to Solon, who stood stone-faced beside me. Just as Jason opened his mouth to speak, Solon spoke. “Is this how you allow her to slander others at will, Alpha Jason?”“No, Prince Solon,” Jason muttered.“Jason, I didn’t do anything. You have to believe me!” Viki sobbed.“We heard everything, Viki. You’re not here because of Lady Talia. You’re here because you lied and slandered a royal guest,” Prince Solon stated.Viki looked hopeless for a split second before she whirled on me. Her eyes were filled with hatred as she hissed, “You planned this! You set me up!”Solon sneered at Viki’s audacity. “And it seems that you still don’t understand the severity of the situation.”I rolled my eyes. “Don’t flatter yourself, Viki. You made that post all o
Talia’s POVThis was not how I wanted to spend my night.I thought I would be able to get a good night’s rest, but it seemed that I could not escape Viki’s foolishness.‘We should just leave her in the dungeon to rot,’ my wolf growled. ‘It is what she deserves.’“I thought Viki left with Jason after you told him to back off,” I said, breaking the silence.“She spread lies about you, so I decided to take action,” Solon shrugged.“Solon!” I snapped. “I told you I’d handle it. You can’t always make decisions for me.”“Yes, I can! I’m your brother, and she slandered you,” he replied coolly. “She deserved to be punished.”I rubbed my temples in frustration. “Ok. I will meet her myself now.”I made my way down the dark, damn corridor that led to the holding cells. The scent of mildew and blood clung to the air. It didn’t matter how many times I came down here. It always made me uneasy.I stopped outside Viki’s cell, where she sat on the small cot. Viki sat hunched on the small cot, her arms
Talia’s POVOn the screen was a trending post from a gossip forum popular among the wolf packs. The headline was: “Royal Necklace Thief Exposed: The Barren Luna Who Faked Her Status.” Underneath the headline was a doctored photo of me angry at the banquet with Rosecrest clearly visible and it was paired with a cropped image of Jason and Viki looking like some fairytale couple.‘Why does she always have to cause problems?’ my wolf snarled. ‘She already got what she wanted!’The post twisted everything. It accused me of stealing Rosecrest, betraying the Moon Goddess’s mate bond by rejecting Jason, and of endangering Viki’s unborn child because I was “a bitter hateful barren omega that only cared about power”. The post turned my heartbreak into a weapon and made me out to be a villain. “It’s Viki,” Della snarled. “How dare she attempt to ruin your reputation! You should have let me claw her face.”“That would have only made the situation worse, and you know it,” I said.I wasn’t even up