Chapter 05: Revelations.
2025 Words
Mia spun around in a rush, scanning the surroundings as her pulse quickened. Ten years of hiding everything, ten years clutching that bracelet on her wrist—and it could all unravel now because of Tomas’s family’s reckless, absurd plan. They had laced the drinks. For the love of God, what was wrong with them?
But she knew exactly what was wrong. They wanted Tomas to find his mate—before it turned into a scandal. Because an Akello alpha never ruled without a strong Luna at his side.
A bitter smile pulled at Mia’s lips as she imagined what Tomas’s parents would do if they found out she was his mate. How regretful they’d be if that ridiculous potion revealed the truth in front of all these people.
As tempting as it was to see them frustrated, regretful, and resentful, she had no intention of being the star of that spectacle. Not tonight. Not any night.
She just needed to leave. She just needed—
“Mia! I found you!” Amelia’s voice reached her a second before her hands clasped eagerly around Mia’s arm. “I swear, I thought you weren’t coming.” Her tone was higher than usual, sugar-sweet, with a lilting edge that made it instantly clear what had happened.
Amelia had drunk.
“Of course I came. I told you I would. But now we’re leaving.” Mia wrapped an arm around her waist. If staying wasn’t safe for her, it was just as dangerous for Amelia. After all, she still had unfinished business with Mia’s brother—her mate. And as much as Mia wanted them together, there was too much between them that needed fixing. That reunion couldn’t happen if Amelia found him under the influence of those enchanted drinks.
“I mean…” Amelia kept going, as if Mia hadn’t said a word, a loose smile on her lips—one that only deepened Mia’s unease about how quickly this could spiral out of control.
Her voice faded into the background as Mia’s attention snapped back to the party, nerves coiling tighter in her stomach.
“I need to leave before Tomas sees me,” she muttered, mostly to herself.
But Amelia’s gaze sharpened. For a moment—almost sober—she studied Mia with the protective instinct that rarely failed her, as if it alone was strong enough to momentarily push through the potion’s effects.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, eyes narrowing as she scanned the crowd too.
Mia shook her head. She wanted to come up with some excuse to reassure her friend, but with every passing second, the urgency to leave screamed louder inside her, making her palms sweat, her thoughts scramble, her legs tingle with the overwhelming need to run.
“Do you know where Tomas is? I really need to get out of here before he…” Mia trailed off when Amelia lifted the glass she was holding to her lips.
“Don’t drink that.”
“What?” Amelia stared at the liquid in her glass, probably because Mia had said that like it was some kind of lethal poison.
Mia shook her head, trying to stay calm before she sent Amelia into a full-blown panic. “It’s nothing too serious, it’s just that… Tomas’s insane family spiked the drinks and—”
Amelia’s eyes widened. “They drugged me?” She flung the glass to the ground with a movement far more dramatic than necessary.
Mia mentally kicked herself for scaring her like that. Why hadn’t she chosen her words more carefully? Amelia had been drugged before—months ago. An ordeal that had led her to the rebel pack after being assaulted by a human and cast out by her own parents from the pack she’d once called home. And then Amelia had embarked on the greatest adventure of her life—filled with terrible things, but also unforgettable ones.
Whenever Mia thought about everything her friend had been through, it felt unbelievable—the daughter of the Marlon army commander, who’d found refuge among the rebel pack, the Marlon’ greatest enemy, and ended up falling for the rebel alpha himself.
A spiked drink had led Amelia to all of that, and of course Mia understood why she was now staring at the shattered glass with pure horror.
“No, they didn’t drug you—not like you’re thinking.” Mia rushed to clarify, gripping Amelia’s hand firmly to pull her focus back. “They put a potion in the drinks. It’s like… an aphrodisiac formula, but it specifically enhances the connection between mates. Tomas’s family wants to make sure he finds his mate if she happens to be here.”
Mia swallowed hard, pushing her own fear down. She forced herself to stay composed as she continued, “You don’t need to worry, Amy. As far as I know, this potion is only meant for people who haven’t yet been found and marked by their mates. Since that’s not your case, it shouldn’t have much of an effect on you.”
Not that Mia was entirely sure about that. She’d heard rumors about this potion in the rebel pack, but up until now, she’d chalked them up to myths and legends.
“Well, I think it’s affecting me,” Amelia muttered, the panic visibly fading. “I’m pretty sure this is what being super high feels like.” She furrowed her brows, inspecting herself as if she might find some physical evidence of the potion working through her body.
“Why don’t you come home with me?” Mia pulled her attention back. “I can take care of you while the effects wear off…”
“Wait a minute,” Amelia interrupted, her voice rising. She furrowed her brows, studying Mia more closely, and Mia could almost see her potion-clouded brain putting things together.
“You said you need to get out of here before Tomas sees you.” She pointed a finger at Mia, as if accusing her of some crime. “You were all nervous, then you told me everyone drank that potion…” Her eyes widened slightly—the last remaining functional neurons in her brain connecting the dots.
Mia wished she could stop her thoughts, derail the conclusion Amelia was obviously about to reach.
“You’re afraid Tomas drank the potion and sees you…”
“Amelia, please, let’s go. We can talk about this later.”
“…Because you are his mate.” Amelia finished the sentence, her mouth falling open in shock. “Oh my God, you’re his mate!”
And there it was.
No matter how much Mia had known Amelia would figure it out, her heart still raced so fast it made her dizzy.
If Amelia had figured it out despite being in this state, how much longer until someone else did?
God, Mia had known coming to the Akello pack was a bad idea, but now she just wanted to bolt from this place—while also kicking herself for allowing things to get this far.
She looked around, at all the people surrounding her, and that all-too-familiar panic crashed over her, making her instinctively want to retreat. But she stopped herself before fear could take over completely. Not just because she hated giving in to emotions that tried to shame her—but because, well… there was nowhere to retreat to.
She had to leave the party, and she would. She’d go back to the apartment, and then what?
In an ideal world, she’d go anywhere far away from Tomas.
But this wasn’t an ideal world.
The only place besides the Akello pack where she could realistically go without the risk of being hunted by the traditionalists was the rebel pack—but that wasn’t exactly an option. Not while Caio’s name was still being whispered in the streets. Not while she still refused to fully process everything that had happened, even if she wouldn’t admit to herself the obvious state of denial she was trapped in.
The truth was, no matter how much she had never been in love with Caio, she couldn’t pretend she’d never been drawn to him. Or that she hadn’t seen the good traits she thought he had.
It was still hard to replace all those traits with the truth about him. It was still hard to believe he was dead, and that the last thing he’d ever said to her—before supposedly leaving for a rebel mission—was that she was incredible, and that he couldn’t wait to see her again.
But it was all a lie, wasn’t it?
All part of his plan.
And, God, it was so much harder to deal with when he no longer existed—when she couldn’t look him in the eyes and ask how he’d managed to be such a bastard. When she couldn’t confront him to be sure that it had all been pretend—that not one single moment of what he swore he felt for her had ever been real.
Mia closed her eyes briefly, once again forcing her thoughts away from that path.
She knew she couldn’t keep blocking out everything she felt forever. But she was determined to do it for as long as she possibly could.
At that exact moment, Mia had a much bigger problem to deal with—something far more important than Caio’s deception.
In front of her, Amelia still had her mouth hanging open in exaggerated shock, a reaction so intense it perfectly reflected how much the potion had already spread through her system.
Her expression was so grand it could’ve belonged to someone who’d just discovered the cure for cancer.
“You’re his mate? I can’t believe it!”
“For the love of God, keep your voice down!” Mia yanked her closer, scanning the area anxiously.
As if running from Tomas wasn’t bad enough, now she had to worry about someone overhearing this conversation too.
“So I was right?” Amelia wobbled slightly as she pulled away. “But he doesn’t know, does he? How is that even possible? How could he be so close to you all these years and not feel it?”
“Amy, please—let’s just get out of here, and I swear I’ll explain everything once we get home.” Her voice was nearly desperate now.
She could hear the desperation in her own words—just as she felt it in every part of her.
If someone else overheard this conversation, if this somehow made its way back to Tomas, then all those years Mia had spent trying to protect them both from the truth would be completely wasted.
“Fine, we’ll go home, and you’re gonna tell me everythinggg…” A distracted smile spread across Amelia’s lips again.
Mia nodded quickly, grabbing her hand before she had the chance to change her mind. “Great. Let’s go. And you have to promise me you won’t tell anyone, okay?”
“Okay!” Amelia nodded eagerly.
Mia started leading her through the crowd without wasting a single second.
The looming possibility of running into Tomas at any moment made her legs feel too slow, her heart too fast, exactly like it had in the beginning—when she first realized she would have to hide their mate bond.
Mia only allowed herself to breathe normally again once they were finally outside the estate, under the dark, silent sky.
Amelia protested through disconnected giggles beside her, but at least she allowed herself to be guided down the road.
The way back was mostly quiet, save for a few scattered words Amelia mumbled—sweet confessions and memories of Mia’s brother, the kind that still brought visible pain.
It’s fine, Mia repeated to herself the entire way. Everything would be fine.
She’d get Amelia home, explain everything to her, make her swear to secrecy, and then they’d both sleep and this hellish day would be over.
That was it.
Or at least, that was what Mia believed would happen.
- Writer
