Lahat ng Kabanata ng The Villainess Will Not Be Eclipsed Again: Kabanata 41 - Kabanata 50

DURING THE COURSE OF THE OUTER VALLEY RIDGE TRIAL The morning mist hangs low over the damp dirt in Sector Five, clinging to the high granite rocks like a cold grey shroud. Two squads stand twenty paces apart in the quiet clearing. The silence is heavy, filled only with the sound of cold wind moving through the high trees in the forest. On one side stands Squad 01. Uriel Thorne, Regis Nightshade, and Jakob Greaves form a terrifying, broad wall of high-tier strength. Tucked near the back, looking small and fragile in her oversized trial uniform, is Leah Bellmoore. On the other side stands Asher’s squad. Asher steps forward first, his heavy iron shield strapped securely to his broad arm, his golden Alpha aura flickering around his shoulders like a slow fire. Safe behind his right arm stands Willow. Her pale blond hair is tied neatly with a silk ribbon, her large blue eyes wide, innocent, and glossy as she watches the three high-ranking wolves in front of her. Flanking Asher and W

DURING THE COURSE OF THE OUTER VALLEY RIDGE TRIAL Then, in true Regis fashion, he turns his head toward Willow. A dark, menacing smile spreads across his handsome face, so cold and wrong that the wild birds in the surrounding trees instantly stop their singing. "Once I take her antidote," Regis whispers to Willow, his dark eyes gleam with a cruel promise, "I am going to have a lot of fun making you explain the exact poison you thought you could use on me after I dislocate your jaw.” Willow pales instantly. She takes a frightened step back, hiding her face behind Asher’s shoulders. Sitting in the damp grass, a small wave of satisfaction washes over Leah. It is deeply gratifying to see that Willow’s soft, innocent charm does not work on a lunatic like Regis Nightshade. Leah rises to her feet. She takes a slow, shaky step forward. Then a second step. Then a third. She moves as slowly as humanly possible, her knees trembling, her hands clutching her small bag. To anyone watching, sh

PAST TIMELINE…The world tilts violently sideways. Leah is thrown off her feet, her body crashing hard onto the hardwood floor. Her head snaps back, her temple slamming against the base of the heavy oak chair before she rolls onto her side.A hot, coppery taste fills her mouth instantly where her inner cheek was sliced open by her own teeth."Father—" Leah gasps, but the word is cut off in her throat.Augustine steps over her, his shoe pinning her shoulder to the floor as he releases his full, unyielding beta aura directly onto her small frame.A crushing, invisible weight slams down on Leah’s chest like a falling boulder. The air leaves her lungs in a single, desperate rush. She tries to draw a breath, but her throat closes up under the suffocating pressure of his power.She cannot breathe.Her chest heaves uselessly. She scratches at the smooth floor with her fingernails, her vision darkening around the edges as black spots begin to dance wildly before her eyes. She chokes on her o

PAST TIMELINE… Leah lifts her chin slightly, looking up into her brother's eyes. Even if she had actually poisoned the food... he would tell her to eat it? Would he watch the girl he once called his sister die of poison at the dining table just to punish her? Seventeen years of sharing a home, sharing holidays, sharing laughs... was it all completely meaningless to him? Was she truly the only person who ever thought they were a real family? Before Leah can speak, Willow cries out in horror. "No!" Willow shouts, darting forward from Bea’s arms. Willow slams her hand hard against the side of the plate. The plate flies off the edge of the table, crashing violently onto the hardwood floor, sending cold toast, eggs, and shattered pieces of porcelain spinning across the room. "No!" Willow cries, her voice high and desperate as she stands over the ruined food. "Leah is my sister! She is not going to eat poison! She might have done something terrible, but I will not stand here and watch

Selene remembers the past month since the school year started. She has stood by the high glass windows of the main building, watching the way other students stare at Leah as she walks down the hall. She has heard the loud, nasty gossip echoing off the stone walls. They call Leah a villainess. They say she is vile, a liar, and a venomous, calculating female who wants to ruin her ‘sister's’ life.Yet in all the weeks Selene has observed Leah in her classroom, she has never once seen the girl act like any of those things.Leah minds her own business. She arrives to class five minutes early. She leaves the room the second the bell rings. She never responds to Asher Lockwood’s loud, pathetic taunts when he tries to pick fights with her to impress Willow. She never starts drama. She never raises her voice.So why public opinion regarding Leah Bellmoore is this horribly twisted is something Selene simply cannot fathom.Normally, Selene would keep quiet. She would sit in her chair, bite her