Todos os capítulos de The Triplets' Regret: Bowing to Their Luna: Capítulo 81 - Capítulo 90

"There is always a choice." My anger cooled slightly, replaced by the grim reality of pack politics. "You could have come to me. You could have told me what she was demanding. We could have found a way to protect them.""You?" Clara laughed, though it sounded more like a choke. "You are very kind, Miss, but you are not powerful. Not back then. You were just a healer. You did not have the strength to protect my family from a noblewoman like her.""And what about now?"Clara fell silent, wiping her tears with the back of her hand."Right now, I am fully licensed." I leaned closer, making sure she felt the weight of my words. "I am officially protected by all three Alpha heirs. I am recognized throughout this entire territory as a legitimate, untouchable business owner. I have vast resources. I have powerful allies. If you had just come to me a month ago, I could have solved your problems in a single afternoon. Instead, you chose treachery.""I am so sorry." Clara looked at me with wide,

The change in her physical presence was staggering. The confident, arrogant swagger I remembered so vividly was completely gone. In its place was a nervous, hunched posture. Her eyes darted rapidly around the room, taking in the organized glass vials, the expensive brass scales, and the undeniable proof of a thriving, lucrative business. Her hands could not stop fidgeting with the hem of her coarse skirt."Miss Veyn." Her voice was soft. It lacked the biting edge I was so used to hearing. "Thank you for agreeing to see me.""I have not agreed to anything yet." I did not offer her a stool. I kept my posture rigid and my tone neutral. "What exactly do you want?"Bethany swallowed hard. Her throat bobbed visibly. When she finally looked back at me, her eyes swam with a complex mix of emotions. Envy. Deep resentment. But above all else, raw, undisguised fear."I want to apologize."I raised a single eyebrow. "Apologize?""For how I treated you. Before." She took a shaky breath, her finger

"Please," she sobbed, the tears finally spilling over. "If I do not find a way to secure my position, I will be swept away when the new hierarchy settles. Everything I have worked for will be gone. I am begging for your mercy.""That is not my problem.""But you have real power now! You have influence with the heirs! You could easily protect me. You could give me a tiny place in your organization, just washing vials, anything!""I do not have an organization for you to join." I picked up the heavy stone pestle and began grinding the herbs again, letting the harsh scraping sound fill the room. "And you are never going to be part of this. Not today. Not tomorrow. Not ever.""But Cassia, please.""Bethany." I did not look at her. "Leave. Walk out that door right now, before you force me to make this situation much worse for you."She stood frozen for a long, agonizing minute. Her breathing was harsh and ragged. I could hear the sheer, desperate effort it took for her to keep from droppin

The sunset hour arrived with agonizing slowness. I dismissed Mira early and dressed with absolute, meticulous care. I chose a gown of deep charcoal gray that Doctor Helena had gifted me. It was elegant but deliberately not ostentatious. It looked highly professional but entirely unyielding. I pinned my hair up tightly with silver accents that perfectly matched the glowing sapphire pendant resting at my throat. When I finally looked into my small mirror, I saw a woman who looked like she belonged in the halls of power. I saw a woman who looked like she could hold her ground against a titan.I just prayed to the Goddess that I felt half as confident as I looked.The great hall was suffocatingly packed when we finally arrived. Every single wooden bench was filled to capacity. Wealthy nobles, guild officials, and even curious upper servants pressed tightly against the towering stone walls. They were all drawn by the unprecedented, thrilling spectacle of the Duchess Vane's return from exil

"My parents were scientists, not sorcerers," I stated loudly. "They were dedicated geneticists. They studied the nature of mate bonds because they wanted to understand the biology behind them, not to exploit them for political gain.""Did they?" The Duchess's smile widened into something predatory and cruel. "And you would know this fact how exactly? You were a small, ignorant child when they died. You were a child who knew absolutely nothing of their dark work, their twisted plans, or their treasonous schemes.""I know the truth because I have read their personal journals," I replied, refusing to break eye contact. "I have studied their original research notes. I know exactly what they were actually doing in that laboratory, not the fabricated version you have constructed to justify your own crimes.""Journals?" The Duchess's eyes narrowed into tiny, dangerous slits. "What journals?""The ones you desperately tried to destroy. The ones you mistakenly thought were lost in the laborato