Chapter 3: Lies

All my life, I had loved Bella as if she were my own sister, never once believing that she would betray me like this. 

But she has. And it hurts like hell.

“Aden is my mate,” Bella says. Her confession stuns everyone. 

“I found out the truth a few months ago but I felt unworthy of Aden. I’m not like you, Liliana. I’m an orphan, not the heiress of Azure.” Tears stream down her face and she gently dabs them away with a tissue. “I didn’t want to hurt anyone, especially not you, Liliana. I….I was willing to bear the pain all alone, all by myself.”

Heat swells behind my eyes and when I blink, a tear slips down. Why didn’t Bella tell me this before? She knows how much I love her; she knows I would give Aden up in a heartbeat for her. 

“You didn’t have to drug me, I would have stepped back and let you have Aden,” I say, my voice breaking, but no one listens to me. Everyone gathers around Bella, showering her with words of praise for her sacrifice.

“Oh Bella, my poor child,” dad says, giving her a hug, “I see now how selfless, loyal and righteous you are! You are more deserving of Aden than Liliana ever will be.”

I am turned to stone. Tears cannot help me. They will not come. Not before a pain beyond all measure comes. My father, who is supposed to love and protect me, has abandoned me for Bella. 

“Father, mother, if it would please you,” Aden takes Bella’s hand in his and turns to his parents. “As Bella is my one true mate, I would like to ask for her hand in marriage. I would like for Bella to be my Luna.”

Pain stabs my heart like a poisoned arrow and my eyes flick desperately between dad and Aden - one is the man I had sworn my allegiance to with my life, and the other is the man who had vowed to protect me forever. Now, they both look at me with deep hatred and disdain in their eyes, unwilling to hear a single word of my explanation.  

Bella bursts into a sob at the proposal and Aden leans in to kiss her on the forehead. And just as he kisses her, Bella’s eyes shift towards me and she smiles. 

A smile that no one else sees but me. Her smile is wicked, like it was cut into her face with a knife. 

Dad claps his hands merrily “Aden, that is a wonderful suggestion! Bella definitely deserves the title of Luna!” he says, pride beaming in his eyes. 

Those who remain in the hall now are the members of the two packs.  They all nod their heads in agreement and even start to celebrate.

I lower my head, unwilling to look at them anymore, but one of them points at me. “What about her?” 

It’s Thomas! My heart pounds with hope. Thomas is an old friend from high school. I saved him from drowning once during a thunderstorm.  Surely he will speak up for me? 

“What about the whore?” Thomas says, scowling at me and my heart plummets. “She committed wrongdoing and put the blame on Bella, who made a huge sacrifice for her. She does not deserve her position. She should be punished for her sins!”  

Aden looks at me, his dark straight eyebrows drawn together so much so that a crease appears between them. “What do you think we should do with her?” he asks Bella.

She shakes her head meekly. “What Liliana did was shameful and unforgivable, but she is still my cousin…” 

Her attempts to side with me are half-hearted and almost immediately, everyone jumps to her side. 

“Bella, you are too kind. She does not deserve forgiveness at all!”

“She brought shame upon Azure, she should be exiled!”

“Yes!! Kick her out of the pack!”

The members move towards where I stand and corner me like wolves closing in on their prey. A chorus of yells calls for me to leave the pack, to be exiled and angry hands begin to shove and push me towards the ground. 

I stared at the members, I was taught to dedicate myself to the pack since I was young, and everything I’ve done since I was born has been for them.

“Exile! Exile! Exile!” They yell at me. 

No, please don’t.

The room starts to spin, I call out for help but no one helps. I lose my fitting, my head hits the ground and everything goes black. 

*****

“Liliana, wake up,” someone calls my name and my eyelids flutter open.

“Mom?” Mom peers down at me, her face filled with worry. My head is resting on her lap and as my eyes roam the room, I realize we are in the pack’s storeroom. The walls are dilapidated with peeling paint and water is seeping in from the mouldy ceiling.

“Mom, why are we here?” I ask,  confused.

“Rest, Liliana,” mom avoids my question, but gives my hand a gentle squeeze that is meant to be reassuring but I am far from feeling assured. 

I push myself up and look at mom. For the first time in my 21 years of life, I realize that mom has aged so much. 

Lines etch deep into her forehead, her eyes are sunken and her shoulders are hunched as if she has lost all of her strength. When did mom grow so old? Was it … because of me? 

“Liliana,” mom begins, gently holding onto my hand. “I want you to go to the Lockwood Pack. Stay there with your grandfather for a while, at least until this whole thing blows over….think of it as a mini vacation.”

I shake my head. “No, mom. I can’t go like this. I need to prove my innocence.”

Mum sighs, and I can see the struggle in her eyes. After a brief moment of silence, she averts her gaze from mine and whispers. “While you were still unconscious, the elders of our pack had a meeting.”

Dread creeps into my heart. I have a feeling I know why. “What did they say?”

Mom swallows hard.  “You will no longer hold the title of heiress of Azure and have been demoted to a slave.”

I look at her in disbelief. “Surely they can’t do that! I’m the only daughter of Alpha Antonio Ross! The only heir to our pack’s alpha lineage!”

Mom’s lips quiver as she gently strokes my hair, “My darling child, don’t you worry. Your father said that this is only a temporary measure to placate the pack members. He told me this himself.”

I sink back to the cold damp floor and bury my head between my knees. Raw emotions claw at my throat and I make a sound somewhere between a choke and a sob. 

“What really happened last night, Liliana?” mom asks. 

The knot in my chest tightens. “I met my mate.”

Mom grabs me by my shoulders, shaking them. “Who is he? Where is he now? We need to find him! Then you won’t have to be humiliated like this, Liliana!”

There is so much hope in her voice and right now, I know mom is the only one rooting for me,  the only one who truly loves and cares for me. 

I shake my head and stare at the rat-infested floor. “I abandoned him in his sleep. You know what that means mom, it was almost like a rejection. No wolf would ever take back their mate after being rejected like that.” 

A deep sigh escapes me. “Plus I don’t think he’s just some ordinary wolf. He was powerful beyond reason, probably stronger than grandpa even.”

Mom raises an eyebrow. “What was his name?”

I shrug, trying to act like I don’t care. But the truth is, I do. Cathy misses him already. “I don’t remember…it was Jayden Frost, or something like that.”

“Frost…? What did he look like?” 

“He had silver hair, like a thunderstorm in the dark grey skies.”

Mom’s grip on my shoulders tightens. “Did you hear his name wrongly?”

It is hard to remember. “I’m not sure, it could have been a fake name. I mean, I gave him a fake name too,” I say, biting the bottom of my lip as memories of last night begin to seep back into my mind.

He had called me ‘Rose’ all night long. I dared not tell him my real name, not even when his lips pressed against mine demandingly, not even when sensual heat rushed through me, threatening to burn me. I remember how he kissed the back of my neck over and over, possessive and protective both at once. But never once did he mark me.

“Liliana,” mom’s voice pulls me back from memories of last night. “Did he tell you what pack he is from?”

I shake my head. 

Mom is silent for a moment as if she is thinking hard. 

“Liliana, listen to me. Go to grandpa’s pack. His pack is more powerful than Azure’s. No one will mistreat you there. Grandpa can give you refuge and you can come back when it’s all over,” mom says, putting a hand on my shoulder. 

I can’t believe mom went as far as reaching out to grandpa after all these years. Grandpa never did forgive mom for marrying dad. Mom must have lowered her pride to seek grandpa's help because of me. I have failed her. I cannot disappoint her any more. 

I must stay and find out the truth to clear my name.  I force a smile and I lift my head up. “Mom, I’m staying whether you like it or not.”

Her eyes water at my words but she does not cry. Neither will I. She does not try to change my mind anymore. She knows how stubborn I can be. 

Mom leaves soon after to interrogate the rogue and I am left alone in the cold, dingy room. I look at the sole window near the leaking ceiling, the setting sunlight streams in through it and I realize I had been unconscious for a long time. 

I sigh and decide to go to the bar owner and ask for the CCTV footage from that day, but…my stomach growls. 

I realize that I have not eaten a single bite since last night.  

Getting up on my feet, I head out of the room and find my way to the cafeteria where shouts of laughter emit. But the moment I step into the cafeteria hall, the boisterous voices drop to a hush. 

“It’s Liliana,” someone whispers.

“Such a disgrace,” another chimes in.

I keep my eyes trained on the tiled floor and walk past every accusatory eye. Strange how these are the very people who used to welcome me with open arms. 

It feels like forever, but I finally make it to the buffet table. There, an endless array of dishes fills the long table. My stomach growls some more and I grab an empty plate, ready to fill it to the brim with food.  

“What are you doing?” a thick, deep voice calls out. It is Chef Matthias. Matthais has been our pack chef for as long as I can remember and I loved eating his dishes. He would sneak candies and biscuits for me when I was a child. 

But today, he is like a totally different person. He snaps the plate from my hand.  

“You are no longer Alpha Antonio’s daughter. You will eat with the servants only after you finish the chores,” he points to a ceiling-high stack of plates, bowls and cutleries in the corner of the room. 

A few mocking laughs emanated from the crowd, and I could feel malevolent glances, subtle yet unmistakable, landing on my face. I clenched my jaws and walked towards that corner.

“Wait,” a pale freckled-faced girl stands up from her seat. I recognize her, Ava, that’s her name. I saved her from some rogues in the woods once. 

She smiles shyly at me and sounds nervous as she speaks,” If you don't mind, you eat my dishes. I haven't touched them yet. I'll help you with the chores.”

“No,” Chef Matthais says. He places the empty plate back on the buffet table. “She will wash the dishes by herself. And your meals will be forfeited today for siding with the pack whore.”

“But it’s not Ava’s fault,” I step forward only to have Chef Matthais shove a stack of dirty plates into my arms. 

“Shut up, slave! You speak only when you are spoken to!”

I am forced to carry the tray of plates to the back of the kitchen. They are much heavier than I thought. I almost drop a plate or two too and this earns me mockery from Chef Matthias. 

It is much later when I am almost done with the dishes that someone comes up to me. 

“Hello, cousin.” 

Bella. 

I close my eyes and try to concentrate on washing the last few dishes. My fingers are numb from the cold soapy water and I am starving. I am in no mood to talk to her. 

“Bella! Our new princess and the future Luna of Emerald Pack!” Chef Matthais’ strict voice melts into sweet caramel and he practically bounces around her.

“What brings you here? Are you hungry? Would you like some dessert?“ He is very attentive to her, just like he used to be with me.

Bella waves him away. “Chef Matthais, leave us. I would like to have a word with Lillianna alone.”

“Ah…yes, Bella. As you wish but I’ll always be at your service.” Quickly, he ushers the rest of the kitchen staff out of the room. The kitchen door closes with a click. Bella and I are left alone. 

She whistles as she paces behind me and dumps another plate into the sink. Soapy cold water sprays on my face. 

“Would you like to see something?” Bella whispers into my ear. 

My stomach wrenches. I smell it before I even see it. Aden’s scent on her.

Then, she grabs my chin, yanks down her blouse with her free hand and forces me to look at the nape of her neck. 

“Aden marked me,” she says, smirking before letting go of my chin roughly. “He has wanted to do this for a long time; every time we had sex. And we’ve been fucking each other for years.” 

I cannot breathe. Years?

Bella throws her head back and laughs as she pulls her blouse back up. 

“And we were having sex last night while you were with the rogue.”

I turn back towards the sink and bite my lips. I will not cry. Picking up the sponge, I begin to scrape the charred bottom of the pots and pans. 

She waits for me to cry, to scream, to beg even. But I give her none of that. I rinse off a pot and grab another one, ready to scrape off the grime. 

Seconds tick by, and Bella starts getting annoyed. She is not smirking anymore. 

“Fine, keep washing the dishes for the rest of your life!” she snaps and turns on her heels. Her heels echo on the tiled floors and I swallow, my throat feels dry. 

“Why?” I ask and my single question stops her in her tracks. 

“Why did you drug me?”

Bella turns around and crosses her arms over her newly bought satin black dress. “You're cleverer than I thought. But it doesn’t matter, no one will believe you because you’re a lying, cheating whore in everyone’s eyes now.”

“Why?” I ask again through gritted teeth. 

Bella chuckles and flicks her newly permed hair behind her shoulders. “For years, I played second fiddle to you. You were the one who had everything, clothes, shoes, money, love…and I had nothing.”

I stared at her in disbelief, ”I’ve always shared everything with you as long as I have!”

“I don’t want the  scraps you left behind!” she screamed, then she smiled, “But now, it is my turn to shine.”

She points a painted fingernail at me. It is long and red. “This is only the beginning, Liliana. I’m going to take back every single thing that belongs to me. And by the time I am done, you’d wish you were never born.”