She can't lie

Arielle’s POV

After Ashley left the pack infirmary, Nicholas's golden eyes flicked to the door, ensuring the door was securely shut before speaking.

“What’s going on Renna?” His tone was low, yet commanding, the weight of his authority palpable.

I crossed my arms, unwilling to let him diminish my anger. 

“What do you mean?” I bit back, my wolf snarling in my mind.

“This…this accusation about me neglecting you for Sofia. What’s really bothering you? I thought we sorted this out. I thought we resolved this Renna.” His brows furrowed, confusion shadowing his usually sharp features.

I glared at him, my wolf stirring angrily beneath my skin. “You should know exactly what I mean, Nicholas. I had a fatal fall, all thanks to Sofia, and instead of helping me, your mate,  you ran to her. After that, you left me with Ashley to go to her. What am I to you, Nicholas? A joke? Your Luna in name only or totally nothing?”, I spoke without stopping, my anger evident in my voice.

His wolf rumbled faintly through the bond, unsettled by my accusation.Nicholas's jaw clenched. "Renna, listen,” he began, his words measured as if he were treading carefully. “Sofia is pregnant with the pup. I couldn’t risk anything happening to her—or the baby.”

A sharp pang of betrayal twisted in my chest. My wolf howled in protest, the mate bond quivering with hurt.

“You couldn't risk anything happen to her?” My voice was a whisper, disbelief clear in my tone.

“Yes,” Jared confirmed. “That’s why I went to her first. But I made sure you were safe and I brought you here in the pack infirmary. I had Ashley stay with you while I handled Sofia because I couldn't be in two places at once. It made sense to leave someone familiar with you while I stayed with Sofia. She had no one else. She was alone, Renna. No one else in the pack stood by her.”

I scoffed, my wolf baring her metaphorical teeth. “Why is she in the infirmary? I’m the one who was injured, not her.”

“She’s here because she got hurt trying to save you,” He said, as if that explanation would soothe my outrage.

Save me? I froze, his words twisting reality into something unbelievable.

My wolf bristled at the blatant lie. Sofia didn’t save me, she shoved me instead and I fell down. 

“Are you kidding me? Did you just say Sofia tried to save me?”, I asked. 

He sighed heavily, as though the weight of the entire pack bore down on him.

“You were unconscious, Renna. You don’t remember what happened, but for what it’s worth, you owe her your life. Sofia told me everything.  She tried to pull you back when you slipped on the staircase. She risked herself to save you.”

I felt my control snapping. “What are you talking about, Nicholas?”

He exhaled deeply, rubbing the back of his neck. “Fine, I’ll explain. Last night, you were upset about something and tried to leave the packhouse with your bag. You slipped on the stairs. Sofia ran to catch you but fell herself in the process.”

Anger flared in me, sharp and unrelenting. “Sofia lied,” I snarled. “She pushed me, Nicholas. I didn’t slip. She pushed me because she can’t stand me. Because she hates me as your Luna.”

My chest burned more with fury. Lies. All lies. My wolf howled with rage. “And you just believed her after her telling you that?” I asked bitterly, my voice trembling. “Without question?”

The silence stretched between us, oppressive and suffocating. Nicholas stared at me, his golden eyes clouded with doubt.

“Renna…” he finally said, his voice tinged with something that felt like pity. “I think you’re confused. You must have hit your head harder than we thought.”

I growled low in my throat, rage consuming me. “What? You’re taking her word over mine? Your mate?”

“I wasn’t there but I’m not taking sides, Renna,” he admitted, his tone defensive.

 “Because Sofia has never given me a reason to doubt her. She’s been loyal to this pack since the beginning. Why would she lie?”

My heart cracked at his words. Loyal? Sofia had spent years manipulating her way into Nicholas's trust. And now, she’d twisted the truth so convincingly that even my mate believed her.

“Loyal?” I spat the word like venom. “She’s lying, Nicholas. I didn’t slip. She. Pushed. Me.” I spat, enunciating each word.

“She’s always wanted you, Nicholas. She’s using her pregnancy to stake her claim, and you’re letting her.”

Jared stepped back as though I’d physically struck him. The silence between us felt suffocated for a moment, our bond heavy with tension.

Finally, he spoke, his voice barely above a whisper. “Renna … I think the fall might have affected your memory. I’ll get the pack doctor to examine you again.”

“What?” I growled, my voice rising. “ Nicholas, don’t you dare....”

I started but he was already out the door.

The moment he was gone, I collapsed onto the infirmary bed, tears spilling over. My wolf whimpered in my mind, mourning the bond that felt like it was shattering under the weight of Nicholas's blind loyalty to Sofia.

Sofia hadn’t just tried to kill me, she’d twisted the story to make herself the hero. And now Nicholas elieved her over me, his own Luna.

Moments later, Nicholas returned with Doctor Wade and a nurse in tow.

“She’s been saying things that don’t make sense,”Nicholas explained, as though I wasn’t sitting right there. “I want her reexamined.”

“Can you stop being so dramatic, Nicholas?” I snapped.

“Luna, please,” Doctor Wade said, her tone placating. “Let us do our job. This is just a precaution.”

I rolled my eyes but nodded reluctantly. The sooner this farce was over, the sooner I could confront Nicholas again.

Minutes later, Doctor Wade completed her examination. “The Luna is perfectly fine,” she said. “There’s no sign of a concussion or memory loss. Alpha Nicholas, you should take her words seriously and avoid overwhelming her.

Nicholas's jaw tightened. “Thank you, Doctor.”

As she left, Nicholas turned back to me, his eyes filled with regret.

“What was that about? Amnesia? Seriously, Nicholas?”

He sighed, sitting down on the edge of the bed. “Renna… it’s just hard to believe Sofia would do something like that.”

“And yet it’s so easy to believe I’m lying?” My voice broke, and my wolf whimpered in my mind.

“It’s not that,” Nicholas insisted. “Sofia’s always been protective. She’s my best friend, Renna. Why would she push you?”

The word friend was a slap in the face. Three years of marriage, and he’d never once mentioned this so-called “best friend” until now.

“Best friend?” I scoffed. “She’s more like your high school sweetheart. You’ve never even mentioned her name to me before. And now I’m supposed to believe she’s some loyal saint?”

“Renna, we don’t have to argue about this—”

“She. Pushed. Me. Down. The. Stairs,” I growled, my wolf’s energy surging through me. “She hates me, Nicholas. She’s possessive of you, and the moment she felt threatened, she acted out.”

“For the last time,” Nicholas said, his voice cold, “I know you don’t like Sofia, but accusing her of harming you, especially when she’s risking her life and her pup’s to help you, is low.”

His words struck deep, but I swallowed the pain. He’d chosen her over me.

“Leave,” I said, my voice icy.

Nicholas blinked, caught off guard. “What?”

“I said, leave. I’m tired, and I don’t want to see you right now.”

After a tense pause, he rose. “Fine. I’ll bring you clothes and toiletries later.”

I turned my face to the wall, refusing to watch him leave. The door closed softly behind him, and the dam broke.

Tears streamed down my face again as my wolf whimpered in the back of my mind. But beneath the pain, determination burned. Sofia might have fooled Nicholas, but she wouldn’t fool me.

The truth would come out. And when it did, I’d make sure the entire pack knew what kind of wolf Sofia truly was.