Mated To Sins

Chapter 16

Chapter 16

All hell let loose

Zima's POV

I adjusted my dress for what felt like the tenth time. I don’t know why that just happened but it’s never happening again. Never.

I don’t even know how Darius will react when he finds out.

“This is never happening again,” I muttered, shaking my head. The words felt like a lie, but I forced them out anyway.

I glanced at my parents’ photo. They were smiling in it, pure and proud. My chest tightened. They would probably be ashamed of me now.

My mind flashed back to what had just happened with Damon…the heat, the way my body betrayed me, the way his hands made me forget who I was for a moment. Shame crawled up my throat. I slapped my cheek hard enough to sting, dragging myself back to reality.

With a shaky breath, I stepped outside, and walked through to the hall. But then I froze. My breath hitched. Darius was in his full wolf form, tearing through everything around him. A full rampage.

“What in the name of the moon is going on here? What is going on? Darius?”

I shouted, but my voice barely broke through the chaos. People were backing away, terrified, while soldiers struggled to hold him down. The sound of growls and boots hitting the floor filled the air.

“Are you not Zima?”

A woman in a black gown stepped forward. Her teeth were uneven, and a scar stretched across her face. Her stare cut through me like a blade.

“Yes, and?”

“You caused this, didn’t you? Are you a w***e?”

“Girl!” I snapped, looking at her from head to toe before turning away. My voice shook, but I kept my chin up. I wasn’t giving her the satisfaction.

“Yeah, you do that,” she muttered, but I ignored her.

Damon stood at the corner beside his father. In the same space were Aria and Kael. Kael stood close to King Aiden, and the two of them spoke in low voices. Aria caught my eyes from across the room and made a small gesture toward the door, toward the toilets. I understood immediately.

I began walking in that direction, keeping my head low. Aria waited a few seconds, then quietly followed behind me.

My head spun with questions about why Aria had wanted to see me. No matter what happened, she would always be my only family.

Inside the restroom, Aria burst in, panting like a wounded wolf. Sweat slicked her forehead and her eyes darted around, wild with fear.

“You can’t be that man’s Luna. Or his mistress. Or whatever he wants you to be,” she said, her voice sharp with urgency.

“First of all, what is going on? Why is Darius tearing everything apart?” I asked, my words trembling.

“Okay, listen to me.” She took a shaky breath. “First off, I took that video of you and Kael. I leaked it, but I didn’t do it to hurt you.”

“What? Aria!”

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “That was the only way to get you into that academy, to get you close to our family’s killer.”

“Oh, you knew?”

“Yes. But you can’t be with any of them. You just can’t. That man is losing his mind after his father announced you as his new Luna. I’ve been searching for you.”

“No... no, Aria. That was the only way I could get close to him and make him pay.”

“You can’t be his Luna and you can’t be his son’s mate,” she said, her voice breaking. “You can play them, seduce them if you must, but don’t get that close. His sons are no different from their father.”

I stared at her, tears stinging my eyes. “So you’ve been acting all this while? Not even a letter. Nothing from you.”

“Kael was King Aiden’s beta. He was appointed as an alpha because the king of Lycans had the authority to do that. Don’t you get it? I needed him to think I was on his side. Every bit of news goes back to Aiden, and soon Kael will tell him who you really are.”

“Oh, shit... Kael, that scumbag.”

Aria’s voice dropped lower. “You have to poison King Aiden. As soon as possible. We’re talking tomorrow.”

My stomach turned. “What if I get caught?”

“You won’t,” she said, gripping my shoulders. “You just need to stay strong. Keep your head high. Remember, King Aiden still has Selene.”

“Killing him won’t bring her back,” I muttered. “We still don’t know where she is.”

“I’ll handle that,” Aria said firmly. “Kael knows more than he lets on. Once Aiden is gone, Kael will fall too. Do you understand?”

I nodded, though fear pressed heavy on my chest.

She handed me something wrapped in a small plastic bag.

“It’s wolfsbane,” she said in a low voice. “All you have to do is grind a little into powder and stir it into his coffee. The more he drinks, the weaker he gets, until it kills him slowly. Don’t add too much at once. Let it build up in his system.”

I nodded, my hands trembling as I took it from her. The plastic felt cold against my skin, heavier than it should have.

“I need to go,” she said softly. “They can’t find us together. You have to keep hating me in front of them.”

Before I could speak, she pulled me into a tight embrace. I felt her heartbeat racing against mine, uneven and desperate. Then she stepped back, eyes glistening.

“I love you,” she whispered.

And just like that, she was gone.

***

I wiped my face and stuffed the plastic bag into my hands. It was properly wrapped. Stepping outside, I noticed the calm. People had started leaving, and everything was torn apart, the tables, the chairs, everything. And there was Darius, sitting and panting like a wolf fresh out of a brawl.

I walked up to him, calculating each step.

“Darius,” I mumbled, placing a hand on his shoulder. He looked up at me, his hair wild, his clothes torn.

“Zee,” he said, brushing my face with the back of his hand. “You look like you just walked out of a funeral. Don’t tell me I was the dead man.”

“What happened?” I asked.

“Sorry you had to see me like that,” he said, voice rough but edged with a crooked smile. “But I still don’t understand why you would want to be my father’s Luna. It doesn’t make sense.”

“I…”

“I know he pressured you,” he cut in. “I know he might have threatened you, but you don’t have to do anything he says. You should have told me.”

“Is that why you did all this?” I asked, glancing around.

“Yes,” he said, his eyes burning. “I will burn down the world, tear my father’s empire apart, kill anyone who gets in the way if that is what it takes to keep their hands off you.”