Chapter 101
Chapter 101
LUNA AQUAMARINE’S POV
I gasped, heart racing and eyes wide.
The words stuck to my skin like dirt I couldn’t scrape off.
They were twisting it. Twisting everything.
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The Riogara matter was different and now it seemed like it’s going to be a trigger for Fiona’s drama.
I clenched my jaw so hard it hurt. If I spoke, they’d only twist it more. If I stayed, I’d drown in their stares.
I forced myself to look away from the door and back at Clifford. He was leaning against the table, arms folded and staring at me as if wondering why I dragged him in the first place.
“You heard them,” I muttered, my voice low, almost ashamed.
Clifford didn’t blink. His voice was flat, steady. “Every word.”
“One performance and now I’m the heartless one who almost killed her,” I scoffed, though it burned in my chest to say it.
His brow furrowed slightly. “What’s Riogara? And why did he mention it?” His tone was probing, cautious. “Was that the thing Fiona held?”
I sighed loudly and moistened my lips, hating how dry my throat had become. “It’s like wolfsbane, but worse. I used it while…” my voice dropped to a whisper, heavy with guilt, “…handling the shapeshifter.” My gaze flicked up to meet his, searching. “Do you also think I did it?”
Silence.
His eyes sharpened as he spoke. “I know what type of person she is. And I also know you’re no longer that little girl who allows herself to be dragged in the mud.”
I just stared at him, throat tight, unable to form a reply.
19:48 Mon, Sep 8
Chapter 101
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But she hadn’t just dragged me through the mud. She had opened my mouth wide and fed me the mud.
Clifford shifted slightly, his arms unfolding, his tone low but edged with certainty. “That’s why you have to do what she does.”
My brows creased in disbelief. “You want me to stoop to her level?” My voice was sharp, almost offended.
“Exactly.” He nodded once, deliberate.
My face twisted in disgust. “But that would make me… shallow.”
Just saying the word alone made my stomach turn.
He nodded again, this time as if the word itself was a weapon. “And that would shock her because
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“She wouldn’t see it coming,” I whispered, completing his thought.
It would make sense that way. She wouldn’t expect it–me to act like her. Sneaky and cunning.
But how do I pull it off? How would I expose her? How would I prove my innocence without seeming desperate? Especially now that she went this far.
What’s the first thing to do? What would she have done if we switched places?
Clifford finally moved away from the table. “Now, here’s what we’ll do-”
My body tensed. I stepped closer, heart kicking against my ribs as if the answer to everything might finally be handed to me.
But before he could say another word, the creak of the door cut through the air.
I turned my head, groaning in annoyance at the intrusion.
Alexander.
He was standing at the doorway, broad frame filling it entirely as he pushed the door shut with a quiet thud. His eyes locked on me with an intensity that burned
hotter than fire.
19:48 Mon, Sep 8
Chapter 101
My pulse spiked. I whipped my head back toward Clifford-
He was gone.
The space where he stood was empty, like he’d never even been there.
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My stomach dropped. Had I imagined it? Was I talking to myself all along? Or was Clifford really fast enough to disappear without a sound or scent.
“You,” Alexander growled.
I slowly turned to face him. “Shouldn’t you be taking care of your latest interest?”
Alexander’s golden eyes narrowed, and his nose flared. “You’ll go to Fiona and apologise.”
My head snapped up. “What?”
“You heard me. She’s lying in the infirmary, poisoned, and the entire pack is talking about it.”
The heat in my chest flared. “Why should I apologise when I did nothing wrong?”
“Doesn’t look like that to me.”
I barked a laugh, bitter. “Are you being serious right now?”
“You know damn right I don’t joke, woman.” He sneered. “You caused this so you need to do what’s right.”
I stepped closer, my voice shaking with rage and my fists curled into my palms. “And you think bowing my head to her fixes that? You think I sent her to……. whatever forest she came from with that thing in her hands?”
“I know how much you want to get rid of her, Aquamarine. Beside, she said she apologised for the things she did to you in the Moonstone pack. She admitted her mistakes and yet you tried to punish her like that?” His face brows furrowed and his nose scrunched, “I thought you were bigger than this.”
I felt a vein pop in my neck.
Admitted to her mistakes?
19:48 Mon, Sep 8
Chapter 101
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“I told you about Fiona. I told you she was trouble, but you didn’t listen. Just like Gaia. You kept her here. You made excuses even when you knew she was trouble, you turned a blind eye.”
His jaw clenched, “You know damn well why Gaia had to stay.”
“But I have no idea why Fiona is here,” I shot back. “In fact, you’re the reason why I’m in this mess. Your ‘good judgement‘ keeps creating these problems for me that I’ll end up facing on my own.”
“Apologize to her.” He took a step closer.
“Over. My. Dead. Body.” I shoved forward, glare locked on his.
His lips curled. “You’ll regret it if you don’t, woman.” His eyes burned darker.
My throat tightened but I held steady. “Thanks to you, I’ve been regretting a lot of things lately.”
His jaw twitched. “Say that again.”
I leaned in till our bodies were touching, voice low. “You heard me the first time, Alexander.”
His stare cut through me, but he said nothing. Instead, he turned, grabbed the handle, and yanked the door open.
“I don’t want to see-” I started, but he stepped out and slammed it shut behind him. The heavy click of the lock followed.
My chest lurched.
“No-“I rushed forward, palms hitting the wood. I twisted the handle hard. It didn’t budge.
“Alexander!” I banged my fists against the door, the sound cracking through the room. “Open it!”
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