THE MOONLIGHT DECEPTION

CHAPTER 3

Shattered Trust

CLARA POV

I told myself I had to tell someone, I couldn’t carry this alone, and if I did, it would eat me alive.

So I went to the Moreau house the next morning, the place that had raised me, the place I thought might protect me. Mother Moreau was sitting with Father in the parlor, and Seraphine lounged across the couch with a smug smile as if the world belonged to her.

“Clara,” Father said when he saw me. “ You are welcome. What brings you here?”

My throat was dry. My hands twisted together. “It’s Adrian,” I said quietly, then louder. “I heard him last night; he was speaking with hunters. He said I was only useful because I’m weak, that marrying me was a way to get to you, and to this family. He wants to destroy you through me.”

The silence was heavy. My chest squeezed with hope that maybe, finally, they would believe me.

But then Mother sighed, shaking her head. “Clara, do you hear yourself? Do you know what kind of accusations you are making?”

“I swear it’s the truth!” I stepped forward., I was desperate. “He doesn’t love me; he’s using me. He—”

“Enough,” Seraphine snapped, her eyes were sharp. “Adrian Veyron is our Alpha. He is respected. Do you think he would waste his time plotting with hunters? And against us, no less?”

“I know what I heard!” My voice cracked. “He—”

Father’s face hardened. “You are imagining things, Clara. Adrian is a leader and a man of honor. You should be proud he chose you, and also, an omega has no right to question him.”

“I am not imagining it!” I shouted, my tears were finally breaking free. “He doesn’t love me. He doesn’t even want me—”

Mother stood up, her tone was cold. “Clara, enough, you are his wife now. You must learn loyalty; do not bring shame to this family with your wild ideas. Adrian has given you a place far above what you deserve, so be grateful and stay by his side.”

Seraphine smirked. “You should be thanking the moon every day that he married you, Clara. Do not ruin it. You’ll only make yourself look foolish.”

I looked at them all, my heart was breaking. My own family. The ones who had taken me in when I was nothing. They didn’t believe me.

I walked out with tears burning my face. My chest ached so much I could barely breathe. I had no one.

No one… except Julia, my best friend.

The memory of her laughter, her warmth, and her friendship pushed me forward. My feet carried me to her small house at the edge of the village.

When she opened the door and saw my face, her eyes widened. “Clara! What happened?”

I couldn’t speak, I just threw myself into her arms. She hugged me tightly. “Tell me.”

So I did. Every word and every sound I had overheard in Adrian’s chamber. How he planned to use me, how my family dismissed me, and how no one believed me.

When I finished, Julia’s jaw was tight, her eyes were fierce. “I believe you,” she said.

Those three words made me relax. I sobbed into her shoulder. “Thank you.”

She pulled me back, holding my face. “Listen to me, Clara. You can’t stay with him. If what you heard is true, then you are in danger and you need to leave.”

“I can’t,” I whispered. “Where would I go? How would I even escape?”

“Then we’ll plan it,” she said firmly. “We’ll stage it, make him think you’re gone, but first, you need proof, something to hold over him if he comes after you. You can’t just run with nothing.”

Her words stuck in my chest. Proof. I needed proof.

That night, when I returned to Adrian’s house, my head was spinning with everything Julia had said. My heart beat faster when I saw Adrian waiting for me in the hall.

He stepped close, his eyes were softer than usual. Before I could speak, he bent and pressed his lips to mine. The kiss was warm, careful, and almost gentle.

I froze, confused. After everything, after the coldness, and after the truth I had heard, he kissed me.

“You were gone a while,” he said softly, brushing a strand of hair from my face. “I missed you.”

I swallowed hard. “I was with Julia.”

He nodded, as if that didn’t bother him. “Tomorrow night, I’ll take you out. Just the two of us, it is going to be a night under the stars, and you’ll see that you don’t need to worry. We’re fine, Clara.”

I almost laughed at the cruelty of it. We’re fine. He said it like nothing had happened, like he hadn’t called me weak, like he hadn’t plotted behind my back.

But I forced a small smile. “That would be nice.”

His lips brushed my forehead. “Get some rest. I have to make a call.”

He left me standing there, my skin still tingling from his kiss, and my heart was screaming in two directions. Part of me wanted to believe him. The other part remembered every ugly word I had heard.

When I heard the door close behind him, I knew this was my chance.

I crept through the halls, my steps were soft against the floor. My heart raced so hard that I could hear it in my ears. I reached his private chamber and praised God that the door was unlocked.

Inside, the air was heavy with the scent of leather and ink. The desk was covered in papers, but my eyes caught on the scroll in the center. Sealed with the Blackthorn mark. The sacred scroll.

My hands trembled as I picked it up. The parchment was cool under my fingers, and the seal was unbroken. I didn’t know exactly what it held, but I knew it mattered. I knew this was something Adrian valued, something that could give me the leverage I needed.

I clutched it to my chest, my breath was shallow, and my body was trembling.

Every step back toward my room felt like walking on fire. If he caught me, it would be over.

But he didn’t.

I slipped into my chamber and hid the scroll beneath my cloak. My knees gave way, and I sat on the edge of the bed, shaking.

I looked out at the moon, silver and cold against the night sky. My chest was tight, my throat raw, but my mind was clear.

I couldn’t stay. Not another day or another night.

I whispered it into the darkness, a vow to myself.

“I’m leaving tonight.”