Liana and Gareth exchanged a dark look as they strolled out of the Alpha’s chamber, tension crackling between them. They’d been dismissed by Kaelan, but Liana was far from giving up. Her heart pounded as she glanced over at Gareth, her desperation hardening into determination.
“We have to act now,” she whispered fiercely, her eyes glittering with malice. “If we don’t do something, Mira will become Luna—and we’ll be left with nothing.”
Gareth’s jaw tightened, but he nodded, steeling himself. They strode down the hall toward Mira’s room, intent on carrying out their plan. As they approached, the faint sound of sobbing reached their ears. Liana’s lips curled in satisfaction.
Liana knocked on the door softly. “Mira?” she called, her voice a practiced mixture of sympathy and concern. “I just wanted to… talk. I know things have been difficult, and maybe we’ve misunderstood each other.”
There was a long silence from the other side of the door before Mira’s broken voice finally replied. “What… what do you want, Liana?”
“I just want to make things right,” Liana continued, pressing her hand against the door as if the sincerity of her words could pass through it. “Please, Mira. I hate seeing you like this.”
Inside, Mira’s sobs quieted, and she wiped her tears away, trying to steady herself. She wanted to believe her sister could show kindness. Maybe, just maybe, Liana was ready to accept her.
With a shaky breath, Mira unlocked the door and slowly pulled it open. But her eyes widened when she saw Gareth standing just behind Liana, his expression cold and unreadable. A flicker of dread rose in her chest.
Before Mira could react, Gareth and Liana pushed their way into her room, forcing her to step back. She looked between the two of them, her heart pounding as she searched their faces for any trace of kindness.
Liana’s expression was stony, but her voice was calm. “Listen, Mira,” she began, her tone laced with false sympathy. “We understand that you and Kaelan… have a connection. But we need to talk.”
“Talk about what?” Mira asked, the dread tightening in her chest as she looked at them warily.
Gareth stepped closer, his eyes dark and menacing. “We could let you have Kaelan if that’s what you want, Mira. But there’s one condition.”
Mira’s face contorted in confusion. “What… what are you talking about?”
Gareth’s mouth twisted into a smirk. “I’m saying,” he murmured, his voice lowering, “if you want to keep Kaelan, then you’ll give me what I want. Just once.”
Mira recoiled, disgust flooding her veins as she grasped the implication. “You’re vile, Gareth,” she spat, her voice shaking with anger. “Get out of my room. Both of you.”
Liana’s eyes glinted with satisfaction, and she stepped back, her smirk never faltering. “Oh, I don’t think you’re in a position to make demands, Mira.”
Gareth’s face twisted with anger at Mira’s rejection, and he stepped forward, his hand flying out in a brutal slap across her face. She stumbled back, the impact ringing in her ears as she tried to regain her balance. Before she could react, Gareth grabbed her by the shoulders and flung her onto the bed.
Terror surged through her as she struggled against him, but Gareth’s grip was ironclad. He held her down, his hands tearing at the fabric of her clothes as Mira fought with every ounce of her strength, panic clawing at her.
“Let me go!” she screamed, her voice breaking, but her pleas only seemed to fuel his determination.
Liana stepped back toward the door, casting a final mocking smile at Mira. “I think the Alpha would be very interested to see this,” she murmured, her tone dripping with satisfaction. “Let’s see what he thinks of his ‘precious’ mate now.”
As Liana moved to exit, her smirk suddenly faltered. Standing just outside the door, towering and rigid with fury, was Alpha Kaelan, flanked by two guards. His gaze was fixed on her with a deadly calm that sent a chill through her veins.
Kaelan’s voice was dangerously low. “What exactly am I supposed to see, Liana?”
Liana froze, her face paling as she struggled to maintain her composure. “Alpha… I… I didn’t realize…”
But Kaelan’s attention had already shifted past her, his gaze narrowing as he took in the sight of Gareth, who was still pinning Mira to the bed. With a sharp nod to his guards, Kaelan’s voice cut through the room like a blade.
“Seize him. Now.”
The guards rushed forward, seizing Gareth by the arms and dragging him off Mira. Gareth struggled, his face contorted with rage, but he was no match for the guards’ strength. They wrestled him out of the room, his shouts echoing down the hallway as he was hauled away.