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79. Trying
Last Updated:
2025-02-10 07:57:08
Moonlight MuseThank you for reading :)
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Till Death Do Us Lie 80. Figuring It Out
~ QUADE ~“Quade!” She drops to her knees beside me as I struggle with the pain that is consuming my body. She reaches for me, but I’m unable to hold back the growl of agony. It’s low and menacing as it rips from my throat in a blood-curdling snarl.“What have I done?” she asks, panic clear in her eyes.“You didn’t. It’s… something’s…” I give up, the pain excruciating. The only thing that screams at me is the hollowness in me. Something… broken. I can’t explain this, but it’s not right. I feel like the pain has jarred through me, like something cracking.That isn’t how a bond should make someone feel. Why is this even happening? Yet at the same time, I feel the pull, yanking at the threads that connect us, but it also feels like I’m trying to reach for something else inside of myself.Is it Tray’s shard? Is it because him giving us a piece of him was something we never should have done and now my body is rejecting this?I double over and squeeze my veined arm as if that would somehow t
Last Updated : 2025-02-12Till Death Do Us Lie 81. A Lie Told To Protect
~ JULIAN ~Why does it look like that asshole knows what she’s about to ask me?I glance down at her, not missing the mark on her neck. The question that’s burned in my mind since she stepped into this room now reaches my lips.“Did you consent to being marked?”She looks at me sharply before she smiles humourlessly. “Regardless of if it was forced or not, the damage would have been done, would it not?” she asks lightly.A sharp ache rushes through me at the reminder that I let Quade take her yesterday. I failed my duty to fucking protect her.My expression seems to make her face soften. “Don’t worry, it was consensual, and we are fine.”Her cheeks heat and I cock a brow. And here I was, wondering what he’d do to punish her. “Good. And I’m sorry.” Again.“Don’t be, just promise me no more secrets.”I nod slightly, shoving my hands into my pockets. “Alright. So, uh, what is it?”She takes a deep breath. “Is it true that Dad is not my biological father?” she asks. My face pales as shock
Last Updated : 2025-02-14Till Death Do Us Lie 82. A Sacrifice
~ LAYLA ~Jared… He’s Dad’s son. My stepbrother?I close my eyes and turn away as he finishes telling me what had happened and the reason he kept his identity a secret. My mind is spinning, and I don’t know how to feel. It’s too much, too much.“That is why I’ve always kept my distance, because I never wanted to start anything based on a lie.” Julian’s voice is low, but it makes sense. His constant reluctance.My heart thuds as I look up at him, seeing him in a new light. Seeing the sacrifices he’s made while he let me boss him around because I was the alpha’s daughter.Goddess.“Layla.” Julian reaches for me, but I step away.“I’m fine. I just need time,” I say quietly. The secrets are too much. Far too much.“That’s it?” Quade remarks, “No anger?”I look at him and sigh. “I guess my anger is all used up on you.”“And I’m not you. You tend to piss her off way more than I do,” Julian – Jared, or whoever he is, says to Quade.“I just invoke emotions you never could,” Quade counters cold
Last Updated : 2025-02-19Till Death Do Us Lie 83. A Plan
~ LAYLA ~Shock is the first reaction from both of them. Quade’s aura seems to change, his eyes darkening and I can see the anger flash in his eyes as he clenches his fists.Shit.Julian isn’t much different; his jaw clenched as rage ripples in his glimmering eyes.“He was here and you didn’t think to tell us?” Julian is the first to speak.“Because you told me everything?” I counter defensively.“Layla, that’s not the same!” Julian growls.“I couldn’t trust you! When I knew just how many lies you were feeding me! You should be happy I am telling you now,” I snarl, the anger that seemed to be festering inside me only rising.“What did he want?” Quade asks. His voice is deeper and rougher, almost animalistic, but at least he isn’t telling me off.“He said…” This could go very wrong. “I owed him a favour for letting me go back then, and because he told me parts of my past. He came to tell me what he wanted from me in return for that.”Quade scoffs as Julian almost throws the pizza boxes
Last Updated : 2025-02-21Till Death Do Us Lie 84. Waiting
~ QUADE ~She laughs breathlessly, turning her face away at the last moment. “You’re good.” She smiles slightly before pulling free. “We have a long day in front of us tomorrow. Weren’t you undressing to shower?”“Clearly not good enough,” I reply mockingly, but I don’t push it. She simply smiles slightly, and I head to the bathroom. My smirk fading, Reagon asked her to kill me. I may feel a pull towards her, but it’s a reminder that no one can be truly trusted.I know that, yet I still want her in my life. At this rate, she’ll be my ruin, but I’m not about to admit that. I step under the running water, replaying the plan we’ve got in place. It’s not exactly what I would do, with more risks of it failing than I would usually agree to, but maybe that’s what we need. A plan with all of us giving our input, to step out of the way we usually would think so even Reagon can’t figure out what’s coming. I hope it works.When I return to the bedroom, she’s already finished packing and is standi
Last Updated : 2025-02-24Till Death Do Us Lie 85. Not Playing
~ QUADE ~I pace the room as Axel sits unconscious in the chair I’ve bound him to. He’s tied up with his legs bound to the chair legs, and his hands bound by silver chains. We’re in the hotel room we’re staying in. Layla is sitting on the bed, staring at him.“So, you had no idea where he was all these years?”“No, I didn’t even know if he was even alive. I thought the only surviving member of the pack after the massacre was you. Reagon and Axel were a part of that pack, unlike Julian or I. But how did they survive?” I reply, running my hand through my hair.I don’t know what to think. How is Axel part of the Or’ethian? How does he even manifest his Sapphire’s abilities into magic in a mere few years rather than two decades, which is the standard? Were they not around when the massacre took place? Or worse, behind it?I don’t even want to think that, they were just kids back then.“You weren’t expecting this,” Layla states the obvious.“No, I wasn’t.”“The Or’ethian were a part of the
Last Updated : 2025-02-26Till Death Do Us Lie 86. Doubts
~ QUADE ~Fifteen minutes later, he refuses to speak still, simply continuing to laugh between grunts of pain.“Get angry. Show me that face when you killed Tray!” he sneers.“What happened with Tray isn’t what you think! What do you and Reagon expect to achieve out of all of this?” I snarl.He simply spits out some blood and I grab his jaw, squeezing painfully as I slam his head back. Something snaps and although no sound escapes him, his face contorts with pain.I take out my small pocket knife and flip it open.“Layla, go to the bathroom,” I command.“Quade, we-”“Now.” I look towards her, “Please.”She hesitates before she turns and hurries to the bathroom. The moment the door shuts, I clamp my hand over Axel’s mouth and drive the knife into the tendons of his shoulder. His entire body tenses as I muffle his agony, his eyes are full of rage as he looks at me.I move back after a moment, yanking the knife out. “If you aren’t going to talk, I have no use for you. So, start talking. W
Last Updated : 2025-03-05Till Death Do Us Lie 87. His Theory
~ JULIAN ~We’re all in the small lounge of the cabin where we are waiting at for Axel to do as Quade hopes. Layla and Quade have just filled me in on everything.“I don’t think Reagon is the mastermind.”I cock an eyebrow at Quade’s assumption. “Who else can it be? He has Axel on his side. That’s proof enough they’re working together.”He shakes his head. “There’s been moments that felt…” He runs his fingers through his hair, “Just hear me out.”He has always been smart, so I decide to humour him and hear his assumption out.I’m sitting on the loveseat, the only sofa in this tiny place, my arm spread across the backrest and Layla is next to me, her legs tucked up as she sips her coffee, watching Quade pace back and forth.I glance between the both of them.Are they really meant to be? Why him?“Are you listening?” Quade’s cutting tone drags me from my thoughts and I cock a brow.“Always,” I reply, bored, as I smirk and place my arm around Layla’s shoulder. She smiles at me and leans i
Last Updated : 2025-03-07
Latest chapter
Till Death Do Us Lie Epilogue Part 2
~ QUADE ~Her glittering eyes widen, and I can’t help but smile.“I love you, Layla. I fucking love you. You make me feel what I never knew I could.”She closes her eyes, tears trickling down her cheeks and I cup her face, leaning in to kiss her. “Wait!” she whispers, and I cock a brow, removing her glasses.“I did brush my teeth and shower in the hospital wing before I came to see you,” I murmur, making her laugh. “No! Not that, I want to tell you something first.” She pouts, “I love you, too.” I smirk. “I knew that, but I do want to hear that every single day.”This time I don’t wait for a response and press my lips against hers, claiming them in a deep hungry kiss. She whimpers against my lips as she cups my face, pulling herself even closer. I wrap my arms around her and lift her up as I place her on the drawer she was standing beside when I had snuck into our bedroom.I kiss her hungrily, my hands running up her thighs, enjoying the feel of her skin beneath my fingertips. She’
Till Death Do Us Lie Epilogue Part 1
One Month Later…~ LAYLA ~It’s been a month since everything went down and it’s oddly… peaceful. To feel safe and relaxed is something I haven’t experienced for ages. My memories returned, so many where I spent moments with Quade, where I was crushing on him. He was my first crush, and that crush remained until my memories were erased. Through those memories I noticed how he became distant after a while. Cross-checking those memories with Julian, he confirmed that was when Tray told them I was his mate.Sickening.And right now, that’s all I have, these memories of him.The shot Reagon took was aimed to kill, containing the same poison as the blade I was given. But somehow Quade didn’t die. I felt his heart slow in my arms, and then it began pumping again. Julian thinks it was my gift, but if it was, then why is Quade still asleep? He didn’t wake up, and it’s killing me not knowing if he ever will.Nikita is healed; it took her two weeks of complete bed rest before she was able to g
Till Death Do Us Lie 96. Beyond the Illusions
~ LAYLA ~I have to trust Julian not to hurt Quade, or Quade to not kill Julian because I need to find Tray.They’ve been protecting me for so many years. It’s my turn to protect them. They are all that’s left of their brotherhood. Their bond is the only legitimate one.I need to think!It’s hard to, with the growls and snarls of the two men I care for fighting one another. I need to look past the illusion. But how do you do that when they are so powerful?Think! My heart is thudding, my ears ringing as I try to look beyond the storm within my mind.I need to shift! I’ll be able to mind-link Quade too!I shift, bones cracking and reforming before I look around me with keener eyes. The scent of my mate is intense in my nose.‘Quade…’ I trail off when something else fills my nose. The metallic stench of blood.I sniff the air, sensing Tray and Axel’s blood. I might be able to find him to put an end to this. I have to act fast before Tray realises and disguises the scent. He is able to ma
Till Death Do Us Lie 95. His Sins
~ LAYLA ~“Exactly. We all know Quade took good care of his little sister. He had a soft spot for her, so I wanted him to kill her. Sucks though, but he turned out weaker than I hoped. And he held out, even when I made it look like she was the one that killed your little baby brother!” He laughs again and Quade snarls, the sound ringing through the room as his rage surges forward.“You!”“Nikita didn’t kill him,” I whisper, Tray’s words sinking in and my heart leaps. I feel relief that I didn’t let Quade kill her, because he would have only felt worse.“No, she didn’t. Shame, she had it in her. And she decided to become a disobedient little bitch. Even after I made her think Quade had killed her mate, she still wasn’t able to harm Layla. Pathetic whore,” Tray spits at me.“Fuck…” Julian murmurs as he glances at me before he turns and walks over to Nikita and begins cutting her ropes. There’s going to be a lot of guilt there… I just hope both men can forgive themselves for how she was t
Till Death Do Us Lie 94. His Sick Games
~ LAYLA ~“Tray,” Julian breathes.“Why? If you’ve been alive all this time, then why did you pretend to be dead back then?” Quade is the first to ask the question on all our minds. His voice is low but strained with emotions, he’s good at hiding his emotions, but for him to let them slip, shows how much this is affecting him.“Oh, you mean that entire pond fiasco? Well, I had to plant the seed of doubt somewhere in the boys.” Tray smirks and I’m disgusted. This man is meant to be my mate? I feel nothing for him. There’s nothing, not even a pull. All I feel is anger.“But why, for what?” Julian asks. His anger is clear, and unlike Quade, he’s not trying to act in control of it. It makes Tray chuckle.“Look at the three of you, working together yet still. So. Fucking. Dumb! Why do you fucking think!?” he snarls. “You, Steele! You were the mother fucker I wanted to take down.” His eyes are fixed on Quade and I glance at him, feeling a pang of hurt for him. Quade’s eyes flicker. Is that c
Till Death Do Us Lie 93. What I Knew
~ LAYLA ~My heart is still hammering, even though it’s been ten minutes since I used the poisonous gas. But I still can’t wrap my head around it as I look at Nadia, who is tied up in the same place where I found Nikita.Her leg is bleeding profusely where Quade had shot her. Axel is tied to another chair, but he’s badly wounded. If he doesn’t get medical attention, he may die, not that either of the boys would care.“We should go take a look around her quarters and see what we can find. She must have a phone. We might be able to find out who she’s been talking to.” Julian moves forward, checking her pockets before he pulls out a phone.“Password lock,” he says, passing it to Quade.“I’ll have Eddie look into this. You and Layla go see if you can find anything else in her quarters or anything regarding her true identity.” Quade frowns as he looks at the unconscious woman, then back at the device.I cast a final glance at Nadia, feeling sick. This was the woman I trusted…“Come on, Layl
Till Death Do Us Lie 92. Not Taking Chances
~ QUADE ~“Something isn’t right… they are on castle ground,” I mutter, as we park a good 100 yards from the entrance gates. Something isn’t right. Why is Axel here?“We need a plan before we just go in there,” Layla says quietly. I glance at her, trying to squash the jealousy that I feel and still feel knowing she kissed Julian. I’m acting irrationally, but there is nothing I can do to rid myself of this burning rage from inside of me, no matter how pathetic it is.I frown, “I think the only thing we can do right now is to get inside, find Axel and put an end to this.”“We need some kind of plan, Quade. If Axel’s there, then they have friends on the inside, and also it means he’s here to meet someone. I don’t think you should tell Eddie we’re here either,” Julian says.“A reasonable point. Let’s arm up.” I walk to the trunk and take out a few weapons. I’ll shift if I need to, but there is one thing I have to do before we enter.I need to tell Layla about what happened with Tray, even
Till Death Do Us Lie 91. At Odds
~ LAYLA ~“All, ok?” Julian asks as I step out of the bedroom feeling horrible.“Yes,” I say with a small smile, before heading to the kitchen area to start cleaning up.“Lay?”I turn and give him a small smile. “What is it?”“Don’t do that. What happened?”“Nothing. Now please let’s drop it,” I say, sighing softly.He glances at the door, then at me. “You told him that quickly?” he asks quietly, now coming over as he tosses the rubbish into the bin.“No, he knew.”“Because you’re not a good liar.”I sigh and look up at him. “It wasn’t because of you. I did something because I wanted to, because I realised something last night,” I whisper.His green eyes soften. There’s something there, a longing mixed with acceptance. “That you love him.” It’s a statement.I nod. “Yeah, exactly that. And I have no idea how to process that. I don’t even know when my feelings became more.”“Then when he’s cooled down, you should tell him.”I look up at him and nod slowly, when I have the courage becaus
Till Death Do Us Lie 90. A Truth or a Lie
~ QUADE ~Leaving Layla with Julian somehow made me uneasy. The gnawing feeling in my stomach kept growing, and although I told myself it's because of what I’m about to do, I couldn’t shake it off.I ended up parking halfway there and travelled the rest of the way in my lycan form. Keeping to the shadows of the night.The grave wasn’t hard to find, even if I haven’t visited it in ages, the memory of it isn’t one that will ever fade. Entering these forgotten lands where the Sapphire Pack once stood is harder than I thought it would be.I remain in lycan form, holding my bag in my hand as I pay attention to every sound around me.This was once a place I loved to spend my summers.If he’s alive and this is all his game, then those memories were all a lie, and proof that trust is usually misplaced.I look around the fields, it’s overgrown, covered in grass and brambles. No one visited, and neither did I. After the massacre, this was a place I didn’t want to come to, remembering the death o
