Chapter 5 The Trap Under Her Smile
1657 Words
Aria’s POV
Lord Cassian Reed arrived just after sunrise.
The entire pack gathered in the front courtyard to greet him, because my father loved pretending Silvercrest was more important than it was.
The envoy rode in on a black horse, dressed in a dark coat trimmed with silver. Three royal guards followed him. Each wore the crescent mark of the Alpha King on his shoulder.
In my last life, I had been too nervous to look at him properly.
This time, I noticed everything.
The small scar across his chin.
The black case strapped to his saddle.
The moonstone ring on his right hand.
The same ring Celeste would try to hide in my jewelry box tonight.
Lord Cassian dismounted and bowed slightly to my father.
“Alpha Vale.”
“Lord Reed.” Father smiled in the way he only smiled at wolves with more power than him. “Silvercrest welcomes you.”
Cassian’s gaze moved across the courtyard.
It stopped on me.
For a moment, his expression did not change.
Then his brows lifted.
“You must be Lady Aria.”
The title rolled through the courtyard like a spark through dry grass.
Celeste stiffened beside me.
I gave a polite nod. “Welcome to Silvercrest, Lord Reed.”
“I heard there was an awakening last night.”
“News travels quickly.”
“Royal news does.”
My father’s smile tightened.
Good.
Let him remember I was no longer only his inconvenient daughter.
Cassian looked at my bandaged palm, then at Rowan, who stood near the steps with Darius and two Blackthorn warriors.
Of course Rowan had stayed.
A rejected Alpha heir did not leave before convincing himself the rejection was temporary.
His eyes had followed me all morning.
I pretended not to notice.
Celeste noticed enough for both of us.
She stepped forward with a soft smile. “Lord Reed, we are honored by your visit. I hope your journey was pleasant.”
Cassian looked at her.
Not rudely.
Worse.
Briefly.
“As pleasant as border roads allow.”
Celeste’s smile flickered.
I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing.
In my last life, Cassian had not liked Celeste either. I remembered that now. He had watched her cry during dinner with the same expression one might give a leaking roof.
Maybe that was why she killed him.
Some women could not bear a man who saw them clearly.
Father gestured toward the house. “Breakfast is ready. We can discuss the eastern border afterward.”
Cassian nodded.
As everyone moved inside, Rowan fell into step beside me.
I kept walking.
“Aria.”
“No.”
“You don’t know what I was going to say.”
“I know I didn’t want to hear it.”
His jaw tightened. “You cannot keep avoiding me.”
I stopped and turned.
The courtyard quieted around us.
“I rejected you less than twelve hours ago, Alpha Rowan. If this is your idea of being avoided, you have lived a very comfortable life.”
Darius coughed into his fist.
Rowan shot him a glare.
I continued walking.
Unfortunately, Rowan followed.
“You embarrassed me.”
That stopped me.
Slowly, I faced him again.
“I embarrassed you?”
His eyes flashed. “You rejected me publicly without giving me a chance to speak.”
I stared at him.
For a moment, all I could see was the Rowan from my last life standing in front of the execution stone.
You had no chance to speak either, my wolf whispered.
No.
I had screamed until my throat bled.
He simply had not listened.
I stepped closer.
“Tell me something, Rowan. If Celeste had cried last night before Elder Maren tested the wine, would you have believed me?”
He opened his mouth.
Nothing came out.
I smiled.
“There’s your chance to speak.”
I left him standing there.
Inside, breakfast was a performance.
Father sat at the head of the long table. Cassian sat to his right. Rowan sat across from me, because the Goddess apparently still had jokes. Celeste sat beside Father, looking pale but determined.
Mother sat beside me.
Her hand brushed mine under the table.
A reminder.
Beside. Not in front.
I squeezed once.
Servants poured tea and placed plates of fruit, bread, smoked meat, and honey cakes in front of us. Celeste barely touched her food. Her eyes kept moving to Cassian’s ring.
There you are.
I had wondered when she would start.
Cassian noticed too.
He turned his cup slowly in his hand. “Miss Celeste, is something wrong?”
She startled. “No, my lord. Forgive me. I was only admiring your ring. It is beautiful.”
“It was a gift from the Alpha King.”
“How precious.” Her smile softened. “You must be very trusted.”
“I am alive,” Cassian said. “That usually means I have been careful.”
I almost choked on my tea.
Mother pressed her lips together.
Celeste did not understand she had been insulted.
Rowan did.
His eyes flickered to me, and for one dangerous second, I thought he might smile.
He did not.
Good.
I was not ready for him to become human.
Father cleared his throat. “Lord Reed, perhaps after breakfast we can discuss the rogue attacks.”
Cassian nodded. “Of course. Though I would first like to speak with Lady Aria.”
The table went still.
Father’s smile froze. “Aria?”
Cassian looked at him calmly. “A Moon-blessed heir awakening days before a royal inspection is not something I can ignore.”
Celeste’s spoon clattered against her plate.
Rowan leaned back slightly.
I felt his attention sharpen.
Father said, “My daughter is still young.”
“My father thought the same thing about me,” Cassian said. “Then I survived my first assassination attempt at nineteen.”
Silence.
I liked him.
That was inconvenient.
I could not let him die.
“Of course,” I said. “I would be honored to speak with you.”
Celeste’s eyes flashed.
There it was.
Jealousy.
Fear.
Calculation.
After breakfast, Cassian was shown to the eastern guest suite. In my last life, that room became his grave.
This time, I made sure to walk with Mother past the servant corridor before anyone else moved upstairs.
Tessa was there.
She froze when she saw me.
I smiled.
She looked like she might faint.
“Good morning, Tessa.”
“My lady.”
Lady.
That word was spreading quickly.
I held out the blue bottle from last night. “You forgot something.”
Her eyes widened. “I don’t want it.”
“I know.” I stepped closer. “That’s why you’re going to help me.”
Her lips trembled. “Miss Celeste will kill me.”
“No,” I said. “She will use you, then let you hang for whatever goes wrong.”
Tessa started crying.
I did not soften.
I had no room left for softness that protected the wrong people.
“Tonight, Celeste will send you to the guest wing. She will tell you to put something in Lord Cassian’s drink, or hide something in my room, or both. When she does, you will come to me first.”
“I can’t.”
“You can.” I lowered my voice. “Because if you do, I will protect you. If you don’t, I will expose you with her.”
Tessa stared at me.
Behind the fear, I saw the moment she understood.
Celeste had power only as long as people believed she would win.
Last night, she had lost.
Today, they were starting to count their chances.
Tessa nodded once.
Footsteps sounded at the end of the hall.
Tessa vanished into the linen room.
I turned.
Celeste stood there.
Her smile was sweet.
Too sweet.
“Talking to servants now, sister?”
I smiled back. “Someone has to. You usually just threaten them.”
Her eyes hardened.
Then, just like that, the mask returned.
“I’m worried about you, Aria. You’ve been acting so strange since yesterday. Rejecting your mate. Accusing me. Threatening people. What if the blood awakening damaged your mind?”
I almost laughed.
She was already building the next lie.
Mad Aria.
Dangerous Aria.
Unstable Aria.
I stepped closer. “Try that story.”
She blinked.
“Go ahead,” I whispered. “Tell everyone I’m unstable. Tell them the Moon Goddess blessed a madwoman. Tell them the royal envoy wants to interview a lunatic.”
Her smile faded.
“Every lie you tell now has to climb over what happened last night,” I said. “That must be exhausting.”
For one second, I saw the real Celeste.
Ugly. Furious. Terrified.
Then she leaned close.
“You think one glowing rock makes you untouchable?”
“No.”
I smiled.
“I think you do.”
Her hand twitched.
She wanted to slap me.
She did not dare.
That was new.
That was delicious.
A door opened upstairs.
Lord Cassian stepped out onto the landing, his black case in hand.
His gaze moved between us.
“Am I interrupting?”
Celeste instantly lowered her eyes. “No, my lord.”
I did not look away from her.
“Yes,” I said. “But I was finished anyway.”
Cassian’s mouth curved slightly.
Celeste’s face flushed.
Another small slap.
Not with my hand this time.
With witnesses.
I walked upstairs toward Cassian, leaving Celeste below.
Halfway up, I heard her whisper.
“You will regret this.”
I paused and looked back.
In my last life, those words would have chilled me.
Now they warmed something dark inside my chest.
“No, Celeste,” I said. “I already did.”
Her brows drew together.
I smiled.
“Now it’s your turn.”
- Writer
