Chapter 116
LUNA AQUAMARINE’S POV
The fire was spreading fast. Scrolls curled and shrivelled into black flakes.
Then she lifted her hand and flung my scroll inside.
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Alexander stormed in with guards, his face carved in fury. His eyes landed on me first, then Clifford, then Fiona and her minions.
Elder Zedd clutched Sarah and Fiona, pointing at me. “This mad woman lost control. She barged in and burned it all.”
“Lies!” Clifford barked, stepping forward. His body was tense, ready to tear them apart. “They-”
“Enough.” Alexander’s voice shook the walls. His eyes didn’t leave me. Not once.
I swallowed hard. “Alexander, listen-”
“Are you mad!” His tone cut me raw. “Do you even realise what you’ve done?”
“I didn’t-”
“You almost destroyed everything sacred! The records, the history of this pack! My life!”
My throat burned. “I swear it wasn’t me. They did it. They are working together—”
“Stop it, Aqua.” Fiona’s voice sliced through me, cold and smooth. She stepped forward, her new Elder robe brushing the ash. “I know why you did this. It’s because you hate me. Because you found out the truth–the reason I’m an Elder, the reason I’ve been with the Primus.”
“What are you even talking about?” My voice cracked.
“You wanted him to get rid of me because you couldn’t do it yourself. You wanted him to get angry and kill me, like you made him do with those maids a few days back.”
My breath hitched. “This has nothing-”
“Yes,” she went on sweetly, poison dripping from every word, “he’s hiding your shame. Hiding the fact that you can’t read.”
I froze.
She knew? That I can’t read?
Yet, she acted scared when I asked for the paper.
So what did she write in that paper that made Alexander believe I sent her to that place?
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Chapter 116
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“So he appointed me to read scrolls from our old pack.” Her lips curled downwards. “You’re ungrateful. Here I am, trying my best to change and help you–but you’ve chosen to remain nothing but bitter.”
Her eyes glittered as she pointed at the flames. “Primus Alexander, she saw me with her scroll and snapped. Said she’d rather burn it than let another read it. She even tried to push me when I tried to save it, if not for Elder Zedd who tried to save us-
“That’s not what happened, Alexander. I saw them coming out of-”
“How is that possible,” he cut me off, voice rising, “when only the two of us have the key?”
I froze. My eyes widened, my heart slamming against my ribs. “I–I… I don’t kn-”
Clifford growled low beside me, fists clenched. “Alexander, listen to her. This is-”
“Not another word,” Alexander snapped, silencing him. His glare burned hotter than the flames. “You’ve gone too far.”
My chest twisted painfully.
With one swift motion, he reached for my neck. The chain snapped, and the pendant he’d given me was in his hand.
“No!” My cry broke as he flung it into the fire.
Before I could breathe, he bent down, pulled the daggers from my boot, and tossed them after it.
The flames hissed, swallowing everything. Clifford roared, straining against the guards who held him back.
I stood frozen, tears sliding hot down my cheeks, watching the fire devour the only things I had left of him.
“Everything I gave you,” Alexander’s voice was cold, sharp, “is wasted in your hands. Maybe Fiona was right about you.”
My chest squeezed so tight I couldn’t breathe. “Fiona?” I echoed, disbelief cracking through my voice.
He didn’t flinch. “She sees things clearer than you ever will. She has never been wrong, just like the Elders praised. Maybe I should have listened.”
Clifford’s voice broke through the roaring in my ears. “Alexander, stop this madness!”
But Alexander’s fury was fixed only on me.
My breath caught, my vision blurring. “You think I did this?” My voice trembled, breaking between fury and despair. “That I’d burn what you treasure most? Why would you give her the scroll The Keeper gave me in the first place?”
“Is that why you burnt down my study? Because Fiona was busy helping?”
“You’re defending the people who did it!” I retorted. “Or are you just looking for more excuses to be with Fiona?”
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Chapter 116
His jaw tightened, eyes hardening. And then–he said it. “Maybe.”
My lips parted, my heart sinking into the pit of my stomach.
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“Maybe, she has something I crave that you don’t have. Maybe she was right all along. Maybe she would make a perfect mat-”
Before he could finish, my hands had moved across his face.
Silence. Guards stiffened. Fiona’s lips curved. Clifford froze, his breath ragged.
Alexander’s jaw tightened, the red mark rising on his skin.
“I hate you,” my voice shook. “If you want her so much then you can have her. Or better still, I’ll leave you be.”
I turned, my body trembling. And for the first time, I broke. My legs gave way, and Clifford caught me before I hit the ground.
“Aquamarine.” Alexander’s voice followed, low and lethal.
I pressed my face into his chest, sobs ripping free as the room spun. His arm held me firm, steady against the
storm.
Alexander’s eyes followed, dark and unreadable, as I leaned on the only person left who hadn’t let me fall.
I tried to lift my head, but Clifford only pulled me closer, shielding me like he knew I couldn’t face Alexander again. Not now. Not with the way his gaze sliced through me like I was already gone.
“Come,” Clifford murmured against my hair. “You’ve had enough.”
But my body wouldn’t hold. A wave of heat crashed over me, then cold, then heat again. My knees trembled. Clifford caught it, cursing under his breath.
“She’s burning up,” he snapped. “Get her out of here.”
I barely registered Zara’s hands as she rushed to my side, the two of them half–dragging me through the corridor. My vision blurred, every sound muffled by the rush in my ears. By the time they got me to my chambers, I collapsed against the bed, shivering.
Zara pressed a cool cloth to my forehead, whispering my name. Clifford stood in the corner, his jaw tight, his glare flicking back toward the hall as if he wished Alexander had followed.
When my breath steadied, Zara pulled the blanket over me. “I’ll get you tea,” she said softly, then slipped out, leaving us alone.
The silence was sharp. Clifford moved closer, his voice low and harsh. “So? Are you finally happy?”
My lips parted, weak. “What…?”
He crouched near the bed, his eyes dark. “Or will you take my offer now? Let me end this before he destroys you completely.”
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My throat tightened. “Why would you…?”
“Because I’m done watching you suffer,” he cut in, voice like steel. “First Clinton. Now him. I should have stopped it long ago.” His hand gripped the bedframe. “But I’m here now. And I’ll fix it.”
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Chapter 118
