All Chapters of MARKED BY DECEPTION : Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

☆☆LILA☆☆Theo’s words replayed in my head long after he left.Stay inside.But how was I supposed to stay inside when something was going on outside?How was I supposed to stay calm when everything inside me screamed that something was wrong?The house felt too quiet. Zio went on a business trip, and Nanny Rosa had gone to visit her grandkids. I must’ve paced a hundred times before finally grabbing my phone. My fingers hovered over Raya’s contact for a long second. Then I pressed the call.She picked up on the second ring. “Lila?”“Hey,” I said quickly. “Where are you?”“Still at the pack house" she sounded tired.“I’m coming over.”There was a pause. “Theo told you to stay home, didn’t he?”“I can’t just sit here, Raya. Please.”She sighed. “Fine. I’ll come get you.”By the time she pulled up, the sun was already higher, burning through a thin layer of clouds. I got in the car, clutching my hands together so she wouldn’t see how badly they were shaking.The forest road was too quiet,

☆☆ LILA ☆☆I kept staring at the ceiling. I hadn’t really slept. I just lay there, staring at the ceiling until the sun came up through my window. It should’ve felt warm. Comforting. But it didn’t. It just reminded me of everything that happened yesterday. I was getting married in a few days. When I finally went downstairs, the house was already alive, there were people everywhere, maids and neighbours and pack women I barely knew. Our legal team released a press release yesterday stating that the news was true, and that Theo and I would be doing an interview later on. Some ladies were carrying wrapped boxes; others were arranging trays of sweets and ribbons. Someone had brought flowers. Their laughter floated through the air. For a second, I thought I’d walked into the wrong house. Then I saw Nanny Rosa bustling out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron. The moment she saw me, her face lit up. “There’s my beautiful Luna-to-be,” she said, her voice all warmth and pride.

I blinked, I am sure I’d misheard him.“What? Rowan’s sister?”Kai nodded, eyes unreadable. “I didn’t believe it at first either. But I followed her. She’s been sneaking out at night to the borders, to the healers’ camp. She’s helping people from both clans. Even rogues.”The words sank into me like cold rain. “Why would she do that? She’s risking everything, her family, her position.”“I don’t know,” Kai said, rubbing the back of his neck. “I don’t know why she’s doing it. But I know better than to trust Blackwood.”I stared at him, my mind spinning. “Does Rowan know?”He hesitated. “No. I don’t think so. But if he does, he’s doing a damn good job pretending not to. He’s planning something, Lila. I can feel it.”Why would Selene risk her life to help people? It didn’t make sense. None of it did.I was about to say something when Kai’s phone rang loudly, diverting our attention.He glanced at the screen, his jaw tightening. “Excuse me, Lila, I’ve got to go.”“Of course,” I said softly.

☆☆LILA☆☆The first thing I woke up to see was a blue ceiling, i looked around the unfamiliar room trying to understand where I wasI tried to move, but my body felt heavy. My eyelids stung when I tried to open them very well. I didn’t even know where I was. Everything in this room was sky blue.There was a faint sound beside me, beep, beep. A machine somewhere close.When I finally managed to sit up, something tugged at my hand. I looked down and saw a tube taped to my skin. My heart skipped. I followed it up to a drip stand, slowly realising what it was.My breathing quickened.I gripped the tube and tried to pull it out, but a hand caught mine before I could.“Hey! Don’t do that.”Her voice was calm but firm.I turned quickly, and my head throbbed for a second. A woman was standing there, she looked my age, maybe younger than I was. She wore dark blue scrubs and had a neat ponytail that made her face look sharper. Her eyes were grey, almost silver, she was beautiful.“You’ll hurt yo

☆☆THEO☆☆ The pack house was still a mess. Four days after the day that was supposed to be our wedding and everything was still upside down. The Elders were everywhere, questioning people like that would somehow bring her back. Kai was trying to calm me down, again. I could hear him outside, talking to one of the guards. At first, I thought she ran away. It would’ve been easier that way. Lila ran when things got too much that sounded like her. But when I saw the bodies outside her room, I knew that she was taken. No one runs and leaves that much damage behind, and Lila was not capable of taking down five wolves by herself, but I knew who could do it. I stood by the window, staring at the woods. My room looked like hell, with broken glass on the table and papers scattered everywhere. I hadn’t eaten or slept in days. I couldn’t. My head felt heavy, but I couldn’t stop thinking. I’d already snapped at Kai twice, and Raya hadn’t shown up since yesterday. She was probably still