Lies
837 Words
Noah’s POV
The SUV hadn't even come to a full stop before I was out the door. The gravel crunched under my boots, a harsh, jagged sound in the silence of the estate’s driveway. I shoved the manila envelope, the one with my mother’s betrayal inside, deep into the inner pocket of my charcoal overcoat. It felt like a lead weight against my ribs.
I didn't make it three steps into the foyer before a hand clamped onto my shoulder, spinning me around.
"Where the hell have you been?" Cassian hissed.
He looked like a man who had spent the last six hours vibrating out of his skin. His shirt was untucked, his hair was a bird's nest, and the faint scent of bourbon followed him like a shadow. But it was his eyes that stopped me, they weren't just angry. They were haunted.
"Business, Cassian. The kind that keeps this roof over our heads," I lied, my voice steady despite the hammer in my chest. "What’s so urgent that you had to blow up my phone?"
"Maeve is talking," he whispered, casting a look toward the grand staircase. "She’s terrified, Noah. She’s saying Julian wasn't just here for Aria. She’s saying he was here because of her." He jerked his chin toward the hallway leading to the east wing. Elena’s wing.
"Where’s Aria?" I asked, my pulse quickening.
"With Maeve. She won't leave her side. But Noah—" Cassian stepped closer, his voice dropping to an octave. "Julian’s last words. 'It's all a lie.' Maeve just confirmed it. She overheard them talking when they thought she was out cold. She says Elena isn't…"
"Noah! Cassian!"
A sharp, panicked cry cut through the tension.
We both turned. Elena was standing at the top of the stairs, her face pale, her hand clutching the banister so hard her knuckles were white. She looked small, fragile in a way that usually made my protective instincts flare. But today, after seeing Silas, all I saw were the gaps in her story.
"She’s doing it again!" Elena sobbed, her voice trembling as she began to descend the stairs.
"Aria... she’s turned Maeve against me. I went in there to offer my help, to bring her some tea, and they started screaming. They called me a traitor. They said I should have died with Julian."
She reached the bottom step and practically collapsed into Cassian’s arms. He caught her instinctively, his body stiffening.
"Elena, calm down," Cassian said, though his voice had no warmth.
"How can I be calm?" she wailed, burying her face in his chest. "I’m carrying your child, Cassian! The future of this pack! And that... that Omega is in there filling a sick girl’s head with poison. She wants me gone. She wants the Mark all to herself so she can push me out. She knows Grand Luna left me in charge of the household staff, and she can't stand it!"
I watched her closely. The way she shook, the way her breath hitched at exactly the right moments. It was a masterclass in manipulation.
She wasn't just defending herself; she was weaponizing the "Heir" to make us choose between the woman we were supposed to protect and the woman we actually cared about.
"Aria wouldn't do that," I said coldly.
Elena looked up at me, her eyes brimming with unshed tears. "You weren't here, Noah! You were in the city, hiding in your office. You didn't see the way she looked at me. She wants to destroy this family from the inside. She’s using Maeve’s trauma to invent lies about Julian and me."
She turned back to Cassian, grabbing his lapels, her voice a desperate whisper. "You saved me, Cassian. You ripped his heart out for me. Are you really going to let her tell you that your own child is a lie? Are you going to let her win?"
Cassian looked at me over the top of her head. I saw the doubt in his eyes, the flickering light of a man who wanted to believe the woman he’d promised his life to, even as the truth started to scream in his ear.
Elena had played it perfectly. By accusing Aria and Maeve, she had made anything Maeve said look like a coordinated attack.
"I need to see Aria," I said, moving toward the stairs.
"No!" Elena cried out, her voice sharpening. "If you go in there now, she’ll just lie to you too. She’ll use that kiss, Noah! I saw you! I saw the way you looked at her before the trial! She knows she has you wrapped around her finger, and she’s using it to tear us apart!"
I froze. The secret was out. Elena had been watching. And now, she was using the one thing I was most ashamed of as a shield for her own secrets.
- Writer
