Athena’s POV
“You knew,” I said, my voice shaking, “You set him up.”
Emily turned slowly from the vanity where she’d been brushing her perfect golden curls. She met my eyes through the mirror and smiled like I’d walked in on something trivial.
She didn’t flinch. Didn’t pretend to be caught.
She just laughed.
“Well,” she said sweetly, placing the brush down with the same grace she used for everything, “you’re a little slower than I thought, but at least you finally caught up.”
I stepped into the room, fists clenched at my sides. “You drugged him. You planned for him to end up in your room that night.” My voice rose. “But he didn’t.”
Emily stood, smoothing the front of her crimson dress. “Oh, but he did. Just not when it counted.”
My brows pulled together. “What are you talking about?”
She tilted her head, eyes gleaming. “You really think that night meant something? That just because he stumbled into your room first, you created some magical connection?”
My throat went dry. “He—he was with me.”
She stepped closer. “Sure." She smiled, cold and victorious. “For a while. Until you left. Then I found him… still half-drunk, confused, disoriented. So I did what I had to do.”
My heart dropped.
“You snuck into my room… after I left.”
Emily’s grin widened. “And let him believe it was me he spent the night with.”
I staggered back a step, the weight of her words hitting like a brick wall.
“You let him think he slept with you?”
She smirked. “And when he woke up, I told him I’d be carrying his heir. It was almost too easy.”
The room tilted. My chest burned.
“You lied to him,” I whispered.
Emily rolled her eyes, stepping closer. “Oh please. Do you really think he would’ve claimed you if he knew the truth? You, with your no-wolf, no-rank, no-power self?”
Her voice was thick with cruelty.
“You really think an ugly thing like you could be his Queen?”
I froze. But it wasn’t the insult that shook me. Not this time. It was what I saw in her eyes.
Desperation .
And then it hit me.
Varianth didn’t choose Emily because of love. He didn’t even choose her because of a bond. He chose her… because he thought she was pregnant.
My mouth fell open, realization striking like lightning.
“You’re not pregnant,” I said slowly.
Emily blinked, just once.
And then she sneered.
“Oh, darling… you catch on quick.”
I took another step back, my breath coming faster. “You tricked him. The whole kingdom.”
She crossed her arms. “And yet, I’m the one being dressed for the Luna ceremony. I’m the one they’re fitting for a crown. While you’re just a mistake that should’ve been cleaned up the next morning.”
Tears burned behind my eyes, but I wouldn’t give her the satisfaction.
She had lied. To everyone.