Chapter 9: Silencing the truth
775 Words
(Selena’s POV )
Mara’s breathing was wrong.
Too steady.
Too stubborn.
It had been hours since the venom entered her system. The rogues’ poison was supposed to eat through an omega’s strength quietly, efficiently, without spectacle. That was why I had chosen it.
But healers had interfered.
Hope always interfered.
I stood at the entrance of the healer’s hut long after the pack had surrendered to sleep, listening to the muffled sounds of night crickets, distant patrol steps, the low crackle of a dying fire.
No witnesses.
Good.
I slipped inside.
The air smelled of herbs and metal and barely-contained death. Lantern light flickered gently, illuminating the narrow room where Mara lay. Her skin was pale, waxy, but still warm enough to mock me.
Alive.
I approached the bed slowly, my steps silent despite the faint betrayal of my heartbeat.
How sentimental the pack had become, fussing over a single omega as though she were irreplaceable. As though her life could outweigh the stability of the entire hierarchy.
I placed two fingers against her neck.
Strong pulse.
I clenched my jaw.
“You should have died quietly,” I murmured. “You were never meant to matter this much.”
Her lashes trembled. Not consciousness but resistance.
Annoying.
From within my sleeve, I withdrew the vial. Small. Clear. Perfectly prepared. Elder poison didn’t rush. It convinced the body to let go, gently, obediently.
Undetectable.
Unless one knew exactly where to look.
I leaned closer. “You don’t even understand the danger you’ve become.”
She stirred faintly, breath hitching.
The pack would mourn.
Briefly.
Then move on.
I tipped the vial and let one single drop slide onto her tongue.
Her body reacted immediately.
A sharp intake of breath. Fingers twitching weakly against the sheets.
I watched, expression calm, heart cold.
Yes.
That was better.
Her breathing faltered.
Slow.
Uneven.
Relief spread through me..
Then footsteps echoed in the corridor.
Fast.
Heavy.
Controlled.
My spine stiffened.
No.
The door opened.
Alpha Liam filled the doorway, his presence instantly commanding as his gaze swept the room then locked onto me.
Onto my hand hovering far too close to Mara’s mouth.
“What,” he said slowly, dangerously, “are you doing?”
I straightened at once, letting urgency shape my expression. “She nearly stopped breathing. I was trying to help.”
It was almost believable.
I let the vial slip from my palm, allowing it to shatter softly beneath the bed.
Accidental.
Untraceable.
Liam’s eyes flicked down briefly, calculating then back to Mara as her chest rose shallowly.
Not dead.
Yet.
He crossed the room in two strides, pushing me aside without ceremony.
“You should have sent for the healer,” he growled.
“I am the future Luna,” I replied evenly. “I’ve been trained for emergencies.”
He didn’t respond.
That silence was worse than anger.
It meant suspicion.
He studied Mara’s pallor, her shallow pulse, the sheen of sweat at her brow. His jaw tightened.
“Step back,” he ordered.
I did. Slowly.
Carefully.
Mara coughed.
A weak, painful sound that scraped across the room like claws on stone.
My pulse spiked.
Impossible.
Liam bent closer instantly. “Mara? Can you hear me?”
Her eyes fluttered beneath heavy lids.
She shouldn’t be waking.
Her lips trembled.
I leaned forward quickly. “She’s hallucinating. Venom causes confusion.”
Mara’s eyes opened.
Just a sliver.
They rolled weakly, unfocused then settled on mine.
Recognition sparked.
I felt it like ice sliding down my spine.
She sucked in a breath. “…voice…”
My nails bit into my palm.
“No,” I whispered internally. Not now.
Liam straightened slowly, gaze cutting back to me. “What did she say?”
I shook my head gently. “Nothing coherent.”
But Mara’s mouth moved again.
“—Selena.”
The name fell into the room like a blade.
Silence followed.
Liam froze.
The bond between him and his mate-that-wasn’t snapped tight, tense as a drawn wire.
Mara swallowed painfully, fighting through venom and fear. “…sent me,” she rasped.
I stepped back, heart pounding but my face remained composed.
“She’s delirious,” I said quickly. “You’re letting emotion cloud judgment.”
Liam didn’t answer.
Didn’t look at me.
His entire focus was on Mara now on the truth clawing its way out through blood and poison.
I retreated another step.
Not in panic.
In preparation.
If she lived…
I would adjust.
If she died…
I would finish what I started.
Either way—
This pack was already changing.
And I would not be the one crushed beneath it.
- Writer
