Chapter 22 Quiet
Chapter 22: Mina’s POV
The Quiet Poison
The moment the door closed behind us, the smile fell from my face.
I stood there, my fingers still wrapped tightly around the edge of my dress, my chest rising and falling too fast. The house felt smaller. Quieter. Like it was watching me.
Aria.
Her name burned in my mind.
She stood there in Aiden's house, calm, strong, fearless—while my mother begged and begged. And she still said no. She chose Aiden. She chose him without shame.
I clenched my teeth.
How dare she?
How dare she walk into my life and take everything like it was always hers?
My mother dropped her bag on the table and sank into a chair. She looked tired. Worried. Afraid.
“This is bad,” she muttered. “Very bad.”
I turned to her slowly.
“No,” I said. My voice was calm. Too calm. “It’s not bad.”
She looked up at me. “Mina—”
“It’s just… unfinished.”
My mother frowned. “What do you mean?”
I walked to the window and stared outside. The night was quiet. Peaceful. Too peaceful for what was happening inside me.
“She thinks she has won,” I said softly. “That’s the mistake.”
My mother sighed. “Mina, we tried. She refused. Aiden chose her. What more can we do?”
I turned back to her, my eyes sharp.
“We don’t fight her directly,” I said. “That’s what she expects.”
My mother hesitated. “Then… what do we do?”
I smiled.
A slow, careful smile.
“We let others fight her for us.”
The next morning, I dressed carefully.
Not too beautiful.
Not too simple.
Just enough to look hurt.
Just enough to look worried.
Just enough to look concerned.
I held my mother’s arm as we walked through the pack, my head slightly lowered, my eyes red like I had cried all night—which was not a lie.
People noticed.
They always do.
Pack women whispered as we passed. Some looked at me with pity. Some with curiosity.
Good.
Let them look.
Let them wonder.
The first elder’s wife was sitting outside, shelling nuts. I stopped when I saw her.
“Oh,” I said softly. “Good morning.”
She looked up and smiled. “Mina, dear. You look tired.”
I swallowed hard. “I didn’t sleep well.”
My mother squeezed my hand gently. “She’s been worried.”
The woman frowned. “Worried about what?”
I hesitated.
Just a second.
Then I said quietly, “I shouldn’t talk about it.”
That was all it took.
Her eyes sharpened. “Talk about what?”
I shook my head slowly. “It’s nothing. Really.”
Silence stretched.
Curiosity bloomed.
Finally, my mother sighed. “It’s about Aria.”
The woman froze. “The incoming Luna?”
I nodded slowly. “Yes.”
The woman leaned closer. “What about her?”
I lowered my voice, as if afraid the wind itself might hear me.
“I don’t know if it’s true,” I said carefully. “But… people are talking.”
“What people?” she asked.
I shrugged. “I don’t know. I just… I heard she’s pregnant.”
The woman’s eyes widened. “Pregnant?”
“Yes,” I whispered. “With another man’s child.”
I quickly raised my hands. “I’m not saying it’s true. I would never accuse her. I just… I worry.”
“Worry about what?” the woman pressed.
I looked down.
“Is she really fit to be Luna?” I asked quietly. “That’s all.”
I didn’t insult.
I didn’t shout.
I didn’t accuse.
I asked.
And that was worse.
By afternoon, the whispers had grown.
I didn’t need to follow them.
They followed me.
Everywhere I went, I could feel it—the change. The glances. The lowered voices. The sudden pauses when I walked past.
At the well, two women stopped talking when they saw me.
At the market, a man frowned and shook his head when Aria’s name was mentioned.
I sat with a group of pack women later, holding a cup of tea with shaking hands.
“I really hope it’s not true,” I said softly. “The pack deserves a strong Luna.”
One woman nodded slowly. “Yes. A Luna should be… pure.”
Another added, “And honest.”
I sighed. “I just want what’s best for the pack.”
They all nodded.
None of them asked for proof.
They didn’t need it.
By evening, we went to see the elders.
Not all of them.
Just two.
Enough to start the fire.
I sat quietly beside my mother while she spoke.
“We are worried,” my mother said gently. “That’s all.”
One elder leaned back in his chair. “Worried about what?”
My mother glanced at me.
I hesitated.
Then spoke.
“I don’t want to cause trouble,” I said. “I really don’t.”
The elder studied my face. “Speak.”
I swallowed. “There are rumors.”
“What kind of rumors?”
I lowered my eyes. “About Aria’s pregnancy.”
The room went quiet.
“With whose child?” the elder asked.
“I don’t know,” I said honestly. “That’s the problem.”
The elder frowned.
“No proof,” I added quickly. “Just… questions.”
Questions.
Always questions.
The elder leaned forward. “And you think this affects her fitness as Luna?”
I didn’t answer.
I didn’t need to.
My silence did it for me.
That night, as I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, a slow satisfaction settled in my chest.
I hadn’t screamed.
I hadn’t begged.
I hadn’t fought.
I had only whispered.
And whispers spread faster than fire.
Aria might have Aiden.
She might have the house.
She might even have the title soon.
But now…
Now she had eyes on her.
Judging her.
Questioning her.
Waiting for her to fall.
I smiled in the dark.
Let her enjoy her happiness, I thought.
It won’t last.
And deep down, I knew—
This was only the beginning.