جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 70

Sophia's POVI was in the study reviewing the final guest list when I heard the knock."Come in," I called out.The door opened and Violet walked in. Her blue hair was pulled back in a messy bun. She looked exhausted."You're back," I said, standing up immediately. "How did it go? Did you find Celeste?"Violet nodded and dropped into the chair across from my desk. "I found her. It took me three days of searching through that cursed forest but I found her.""And?" I leaned forward. "Did she give you something? Something we can use against Lila?"Violet reached into her bag and pulled out a small vial. The liquid inside glowed faintly purple. "This. Celeste calls it Truth Serum but it's more than that. If Lila is using any kind of transformation magic or illusion, this will break it. Force her true form to show."My heart raced. "That's perfect. Exactly what we need.""There's a catch," Violet said. "It only works if she's within ten feet of whoever uses it. And it has to be ingested or

Sophia's POVToday was the day.The day I'd been planning for. Working toward. Dreaming about.My jewelry exhibition. My launch. My moment.I stood in front of the mirror in our bedroom, smoothing down the emerald green dress I'd chosen. It hugged my curves perfectly. Made my auburn hair look like fire. Made my green eyes pop.I looked powerful. Confident. Ready."You look beautiful," Ethan said from behind me.I turned to find him leaning against the doorframe. Already dressed in his dark suit. Looking devastatingly handsome as always."Thank you," I said. "Are you ready for today?""More than ready," he said, crossing the room to pull me into his arms. "Today, we show everyone who you really are. What you're capable of."I leaned into his chest. "And we humiliate Marcus in the process.""That too," Ethan said with a small smile.I pulled back to look at him. "Thank you. For everything. For supporting me. For helping me plan all of this. For believing in me.""Always," he said, kissi

Violet's POVThe serum didn't work.I stood in the empty exhibition hall. Staring at the vial in my hand.Empty. Because Lila drank every drop.And nothing happened.How was that possible?Celeste promised me. She swore this serum would expose any witch. Any illusion. Any transformation magic."It never fails," she'd said. "If they're hiding something, this will reveal it."But it failed. Spectacularly.I turned the vial over in my hands. Checking for... what? A crack? A defect?There was nothing wrong with it. The serum was perfect.Which meant the problem wasn't the serum.It was something else."Violet." Max's voice came from behind me.I didn't turn around. "I failed.""You didn't fail," Max said. He came to stand beside me. "Something went wrong. But it's not your fault.""Isn't it?" I looked at him. "I promised Sophia this would work. I told her we could expose Lila. And instead, I made everything worse.""Lila made everything worse," Max corrected. "Not you."I shook my head. I

Sophia's POVThe room was turning against me.I could feel it. See it in their faces. Hear it in their whispers."She tried to poison Luna.""Sophia Evergreen is a fraud.""We should leave. I won't support a murderer."Alphas were standing. Gathering their things. Preparing to walk out.My exhibition. My moment. My chance to prove myself.All falling apart."This is insane," Zyra growled in my head. "She's lying. They all know she's lying."But they didn't know. Or they didn't care.Because Lila had just proven she wasn't a witch. The serum did nothing to her. Nothing.How was that possible?I watched as she clung to Marcus. Tears streamed down her face. Playing the victim perfectly.And Marcus. That fool. He was eating it up. Holding her like she was the most precious thing in the world.Like he used to hold me. Before he threw me away."Sophia." Ethan was beside me. His hand on my arm. His voice was low and urgent. "We need to do something. Now.""I know," I said quietly.But what?

Sophia's POVViolet arrived early the next morning.She looked exhausted. Dark circles under her eyes. Her blue hair messier than usual."Did you sleep at all?" I asked as I let her into the study."No," Violet said. She dropped into a chair. "Too much on my mind."Ethan and Max were already there. Waiting."Alright," I said, closing the door. "Let's figure this out. Violet, show them what Celeste gave you."Violet pulled out the small bottle of silver powder. "Detection powder. It reveals magical residue. If Lila used magic recently, this will prove it.""How do we use it?" Ethan asked."We need access to her things," Violet said. "Her home. Her belongings. Anything she's touched in the past week.""That's not going to be easy," Max pointed out. "Marcus isn't going to let us waltz into Nightfall Pack and search Lila's room.""Then we don't ask permission," I said.Everyone looked at me."You want to break into Nightfall Pack?" Ethan asked. "Sophia, that's—""Necessary," I interrupted