Bounded By Revenge; The Betrayed Luna’s Rise

Hidden truth

ARIA

Breakfast the next morning was already underway when I entered the dining hall. Darius sat at the head of the table with Selena on his right and Noah between them, the boy swinging his legs happily while he stabbed at his eggs. My usual seat remained empty, just as it had the day before. I took it without comment and reached for the teapot, the quiet clink of porcelain the only sound that acknowledged my presence.

For a while no one spoke. Then the question that had been circling in my mind since the hospital slipped out before I could stop it.

“Darius… if Caspian were still alive, what would you do?”

The room went still. Darius’s fork paused halfway to his mouth. His gray eyes lifted to mine, and for a brief second something sharp and startled flashed across his face before he locked it away.

Selena’s expression hardened instantly. “What kind of question is that?”

Noah looked between the adults, confusion turning quickly to distress. His lower lip trembled and a soft whimper escaped him. Within seconds the whimper became full crying. Selena immediately gathered him against her chest, murmuring soothing words while shooting me a look of pure offense.

Darius set his fork down with deliberate care. “That is enough, Aria. Asking something so ridiculous at the breakfast table—especially in front of the child—is thoughtless.”

“I only—”

“You’ve upset him.” His voice was cold, final. “And you’ve insulted Selena by bringing up a man who is gone.”

Selena rose, still holding the sobbing boy. “I think it’s best if Noah and I leave the table. It’s clear we are not welcome here.” She turned to Darius. “We’ll return to the east wing. If the Luna is so uncomfortable with our presence, perhaps it would be better if we left the manor entirely.”

“Selena, wait—” I began, rising as well, but she did not look at me. Darius was already on his feet, following her without a glance in my direction. Their footsteps faded up the stairs, leaving me alone with the half-eaten breakfast and the heavy silence that followed.

I remained seated for a long time after they were gone, staring at the empty places across from me.

Later that afternoon I decided on a different approach. If words had failed, perhaps a gesture would soften the tension. I went to my jewelry box and selected several pieces I had rarely worn—simple gold bangles and a pair of emerald earrings that had once belonged to my mother. Carefully wrapping them in soft cloth, I carried the small parcel toward the east wing, intending to leave it as an apology.

I had nearly reached the door when soft, unmistakable sounds drifted through the wood. A woman’s low moan. Then Darius’s voice, rough and intimate.

I froze.

Selena’s words came next, breathless and clear. “Divorce her soon, Darius. Take me and our son. I don’t want to live in the shadows any longer. Noah is your true heir. He deserves to be recognized.”

There was a brief pause, the rustle of movement. Darius’s answer was calm, almost businesslike. “I’m working on it. Some things still need to cool down. And I have to find Ryker. He’s the only one left who knows what we did to Caspian. Once he’s gone, there will be nothing standing in our way.”

Another soft sound—a kiss. “Don’t worry,” he murmured. “You’ll be my Luna soon enough.”

The moans resumed.

My hand was already on the doorknob when strong fingers closed around my wrist and yanked me backward into the shadows of the corridor. A maid I did not recognize pressed a finger to her lips and pulled me swiftly down a side passage, through a servants’ door, and out into the quiet garden beyond the east wing.

Only when we were safely out of earshot did she release me.

“My name is Rosa,” she said in a low voice. “Caspian asked me to watch over you. I couldn’t let you make that mistake.”

I stared at her, the full weight of what I had just overheard crashing down on me. Tears burned behind my eyes, but I forced them back. “What is going on? Why are you here? What do you know?”

Rosa shook her head. “I can’t say more. Not yet.” She pressed a small folded paper into my hand. “His contact. If you need him, use it carefully.”

Before I could demand anything else, she melted back into the servants’ corridor and was gone.

I returned to my own chambers on unsteady legs. The moment the door closed behind me, the tears I had been holding finally broke free. I sank onto the edge of the bed and pressed both hands over my mouth, trying to muffle the sobs that tore through me.

Seven years. Seven years of managing his household, tending his wounded warriors, smiling through every cold silence, every forgotten anniversary, every moment he looked past me as though I were furniture. I had given him everything—my loyalty, my youth, my body, the child I had lost and the future I could never have—and he had been planning to discard me the entire time. He and Selena. Together. While I played the perfect Luna and called it love.

The knock on the door came without warning.

I scrambled to my feet, wiped my face with shaking hands, and forced my expression into something composed before calling, “Come in.”

Darius stepped inside. His eyes moved over me, lingering on the redness around mine. His facial features softened pretentiously.

“You’ve been crying.” He crossed the room and stopped in front of me. “Don’t. The doctor’s news is difficult, I know. But you mustn’t give up hope. There may still be ways. You could still give me an heir one day.”

The lie was so practiced it almost sounded sincere. I lowered my eyes and nodded, letting him believe I accepted the comfort.

“I have work to finish,” he said after a moment. “Rest.”

The door closed behind him.

The second his footsteps faded, I clenched both fists so tightly that one of my nails cracked and broke against my palm.

Of course he was being kind now. Of course he needed me calm and compliant. I was the previous Gamma’s daughter. My family’s influence still reached deep into the werewolf military. As long as he remained married to me, that power stayed within his grasp. Without me, the alliance would fracture.

He did not love me. He had never loved me. He only needed the position my name still protected.

I wiped the last traces of tears from my face, unfolded the paper Rosa had given me, and stared at the number written in the paper. Then I picked up my phone and dialed.

When the line connected, my voice was steady.

“Caspian. We need to meet.”