The Rise Of The Omega Luna

CHAPTER 88

The c***k of Elise’s slap still echoed through the hall, but Kai’s words carried sharper than the sound.

“She’s the only one who’s been honest with me,” he repeated, each syllable hitting Elise harder than a blow. His hand stayed firmly on Becky’s shoulder as if shielding her. Becky lowered her eyes, but Elise caught it— that small twitch at the corner of Becky’s lips, a flicker of satisfaction she tried to hide. Luka’s smirk at the doorway matched it perfectly.

Elise’s chest tightened. “Kai, please,” she said, voice cracking. “You’re blind. You can’t see it, but they planned this. Both of them. That video wasn’t an accident—it was staged!”

Kai’s eyes snapped back to her, red-rimmed from unshed tears. His jaw clenched so tightly it looked painful. “Stop lying!” he barked. His voice shook, raw, uneven. “Every time you open your mouth, it gets worse. I’ve defended you, Elise. I’ve fought for you. And what did I get in return?” His voice dropped lower, but it cut even sharper. “You made me look like a fool in front of everyone.”

Gasps rippled through the hall. Whispers surged like a wave.

“She betrayed him.”

“Always knew she was trouble.”

“How shameful…”

Elise turned, eyes wide as the pack openly threw words at her face. Their judgment weighed heavier than chains.

Lucien finally pushed away from the wall, but only enough to take a step forward. His expression was unreadable, his eyes fixed on Elise. He didn’t speak. His silence spoke louder than the whispers.

“Kai, listen to me!” Elise cried, desperation breaking her voice. She moved toward him, but Kai held up a hand, stopping her dead in her tracks.

“Don’t come closer.” His voice cracked again, raw. His eyes glistened as he fought back tears, but they slipped anyway, streaking down his face. He swiped at them angrily, as if ashamed of them. “I can’t even look at you without seeing him.”

Her knees weakened, but she forced herself to stand. “He tricked me, Kai. It wasn’t me wanting it—he cornered me! Becky knew. She set it up—”

Becky gasped dramatically, stepping slightly behind Kai as if Elise were a threat. “I can’t believe you’d say that about me,” she whispered, her voice trembling with perfect fake pain. “After everything, after all the times I’ve stood by you—this is how you repay me? By accusing me?”

Luka chuckled low from the door. “Looks like she’s running out of excuses.”

The crowd murmured louder. Someone sneered, “How low can she sink?” Another muttered, “Blaming others now. Typical.”

Elise spun, tears streaming. “Shut up!” she shouted, her voice cracking. “All of you! You don’t know the truth!”

But the words only made the whispers louder, harsher.

Kai shook his head slowly, each motion filled with grief. “Look at you,” he muttered. “Screaming. Accusing everyone but yourself. Do you even hear yourself?” He let out a broken laugh, one that sounded more like a sob. “This isn’t the woman I thought I loved.”

Elise’s hands shook violently. She reached for him again, voice breaking. “Kai, don’t say that. Don’t. You know me. You know I would never—”

He pulled back sharply, his voice suddenly booming again. “Then why does it look like you did?” His arm pointed toward Becky’s device still playing the damning clip. “Why did you stand there and let him touch you? Why didn’t you push him away? Tell me, Elise! Tell me why!”

“I froze!” she screamed, her throat raw. “I froze, Kai! I didn’t know how to move, I didn’t know what to do! I thought—” She broke off, sobbing. “I thought it was you at first. I swear, I thought—”

Kai’s fist slammed the table again, making her flinch. “Don’t!” His voice cracked, his tears finally spilling freely. “Don’t say you thought it was me. That makes it worse.”

Becky slid closer to him, her voice soft but perfectly loud enough for everyone to hear. “She’s lying, Kai. You saw it. I saw it. Everyone here knows what they saw. Don’t let her drag you down with her lies.”

Kai’s chest heaved, torn between anger and pain. He pressed his palms to his eyes, dragging them down his face, leaving streaks of tears and sweat. When he looked at Elise again, his expression was shattered—hurt, betrayed, furious.

“Do you know what it feels like?” His voice dropped low, trembling. “To fight a war with you by my side, thinking we were one… only to come back and see this?” His hand gestured wildly at the hall, the people, the video. His breath caught. “It feels like I went to war for nothing.”

Elise’s heart splintered. She fell to her knees, sobbing openly. “No, Kai. No. Don’t say that. I fought with you because I believe in you. Because I love you. Please, don’t throw me away over their lies.”

Kai’s tears fell faster. He crouched slightly, gripping the edge of the table as if it were the only thing keeping him standing. “Then why, Elise?” His voice cracked, guttural. “Why do I feel like I’m losing everything to you?”

The crowd’s whispers grew louder, harsher. Some laughed under their breath. Some shook their heads.

Elise lifted her face, eyes blazing through her tears. She pointed straight at Becky. “Because she wants this! She’s smiling right now! Look at her, Kai! Look!”

All eyes turned. For a split second, Becky’s mask faltered—a flicker of a smirk, satisfaction in her eyes. Luka’s grin was wider, careless.

But before anyone could call it out, Becky gasped and pressed her hand to her mouth, feigning shock. “She hit me. She accused me. And now she’s calling me a liar? Kai, I can’t take this anymore.” Her voice shook as she leaned into him. “She’s dangerous.”

Kai snapped his head back toward Elise. His face twisted in anguish, his tears streaming unchecked now. “Enough!” His roar silenced the room. His arm wrapped protectively around Becky. “You will not touch her again. Do you hear me? You will not hurt her.”

The room erupted. Gasps, whispers, murmurs.

Elise stared at him, wide-eyed, trembling. “You’re defending her? After everything?”

“She’s the only one who hasn’t lied to me,” Kai shot back, his voice broken, his eyes red.

Becky’s lips twitched again, that hidden smile Elise saw clearly this time. Luka didn’t bother hiding his smirk anymore, leaning against the door with arms crossed, satisfied.

Elise shook her head violently, her sobs mixing with anger. “You’re blind. You’re so blind, Kai.”

Kai’s chest rose and fell hard. He dragged a trembling hand through his hair, tears dripping from his chin. His voice cracked once more, raw and guttural. “Then I’d rather be blind than betrayed.”

The silence that followed was suffocating. Elise’s sobs filled it, broken and raw. Lucien’s eyes stayed on her, unreadable, his hands clenched but unmoving. He didn’t defend her. He didn’t move at all.

The pack watched, whispers like knives. Becky pressed against Kai’s side, Luka grinning from the door. And Elise… Elise knelt in the center of it all, humiliated, destroyed, her world collapsing as Kai—her Kai—chose Becky over her.