Chapter 77 - Betrayal in the Shadows

Violet.

As Celine led me around the side of the school towards the football field, a growing sense of unease settled over me. Something about this felt off - the way Celine was rushing me forward and the unnatural silence that hung over the campus. If David and Javid were surrounded by enemies, shouldn't we have heard a rustling, a whisper, hell even a cough by now?

My heart raced as I strained to hear anything of the sort. There was nothing. The night was eerily quiet.

"Celine, wait," I said, planting my feet. "I don't think we should be out here. Something feels wrong."

Celine turned to me. "Come on, dear. They mind-linked me saying they were surrounded. We really have to hurry."

I hesitated, every instinct telling me to turn back. But the thought of the twins in danger spurred me forward. I had to at least try to help them.

As we neared the football field, two figures stepped out from the shadows beneath the bleachers. My magic instantly flared to life, crackling at my fingertips, but before I could react, they were on me. Strong hands grabbed my arms, restraining me.

"Well, well, look what we have here," a gruff voice growled. "Didn't think we'd be seeing you again so soon, sweetheart."

My eyes widened as I recognized the two bikers from Pebble Quarry - the ones who we saw when Tabor… Bart emerged. The ones Javid had said attacked him. They sneered at me, their grip tightening painfully.

"Let me go!" I cried, struggling against their hold. But it was no use - their strength far surpassed my own.

Celine watched, a twisted smile on her lips. "Good work, boys," she purred. "The master will be pleased."

I stared at her, betrayal and confusion warring within me. "Celine? What are you doing?"

Celine let out a cruel laugh, a sound that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. "You are so stupid... so gullible." She sauntered over to the larger of the two bikers, the one whose grip had left bruises on my arm. He sneered, pulling her close, and they kissed passionately, a sight that made my stomach churn. Bile rose in my throat as I watched them, a sickening feeling of betrayal washing over me.

The biker broke the kiss, his voice a low growl as he called her "Kitten." The name echoed in my mind, and suddenly, it all clicked into place. The name Javid had overheard in the bar—it wasn't some random woman, it was Celine. The realization hit me like a punch to the gut, and I felt a wave of nausea. How could she do this? How could she betray us like this? The thought of it made me feel physically ill, the world spinning around me as I tried to wrap my mind around the depth of her deceit.

I stared at her, seeing her in a new light. Celine, forever dismissed as the slush who consumed more alcohol than she had brain cells, had been more calculating than anyone had given her credit for. She had been playing a long game, one that none of us had seen coming.

"But why?" I asked, voice shaking. I couldn't reconcile the Celine I thought I knew with the person standing before me, her eyes gleaming with malice.

She sneered, her lips curling in a way that made her look almost unrecognizable. "You think Paul ever listened to me? You think he ever valued my ideas? No, he always saw me as just a pretty face, something to be shown off and then ignored." Her voice was laced with bitterness, a deep-seated resentment that had clearly been festering for years.

"Tabor was different," she continued, her eyes taking on a distant look, as if she were remembering something pleasant. "He listened to me. He respected my ideas. He made me feel like I was worth something, like I had a purpose."

I could see the appeal, the allure of being seen and heard after years of being dismissed. But it didn't justify her actions, the betrayal that cut deeper than any physical wound could.

"So you sold us out?" I said, my voice steadier now, anger replacing the initial shock. "You sold out your own family, your own pack, just because Paul didn't pay enough attention to you?"

Celine's expression hardened, her eyes flashing with anger. "You don't understand, Violet. You're just a child. You don't know what it's like to be overlooked, to be underestimated. Tabor gave me power, he gave me a voice. And now, I'm going to use that voice to take what's rightfully mine."

I shook my head, sadness washing over me. Celine had been hurt, that much was clear. But she had let that hurt twist her, turn her into something dark and cruel. She had chosen revenge over forgiveness, power over love. And in doing so, she had lost herself.

"You're wrong, Celine," I said softly. "This isn't the way. This isn't who you are."

But she just laughed, a cold, hollow sound that echoed in the night air. "You're too late, Violet. The wheels are already in motion. And there's nothing you can do to stop it."

I looked at her, at the woman who had lived with David… Paul for years, and I felt a profound sense of loss for them. Celine was gone, replaced by this hard, bitter stranger.

And she had led me right into a trap.

"No..." I breathed, the fight draining from me. How could I have been so blind?

"Oh, yes, my dear," a new voice said, smooth and chilling. A tall, pale figure emerged from the shadows, his dark red lips curled in a sinister smile. "Hello, sister."

Bart Rivers - or Tabor Viers, as he was truly known - stepped forward, his eyes glinting with malice. I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out. I was completely at their mercy, my magic useless against their combined power.

"It's time we got to know each other," Bart purred, reaching out to caress my cheek. I flinched away, bile rising in my throat. "After all, we're family."

As his touch sent a shiver of revulsion through me, I knew in that moment that I was in grave danger. There was no reasoning with this man. My half-brother. The craze in his eyes told me that he was beyond redemption. Bart and his followers had me exactly where they wanted me - trapped and powerless. And there was no telling what they had planned for me.

I had to find a way to escape, to warn the others. But with Celine's betrayal and Bart's twisted revelation, I had never felt more alone.