63

Julianne's POV

I sat across from Loretta, my hands trembling as I explained to her what just transpired a few hours ago. She should have an idea of what is going on since this whole situation revolves around us. And besides the whole situation is starting to feel like a tangled mess I couldn’t untangle, no matter how hard I tried. I spilled everything to Loretta, not leaving a single part of the story, how Nyx appeared out of the blues and threatened Arthur with his life for me to bend to her stupid desires, to how a blindfolding light escaped out of me when I tried protecting Arthur and how Nyx disappeared severely hurt. I brushed through the part where I had to reveal all the secrets to Arthur except the part where Loretta was a witch and she was the true moon goddess.

As I talked, I watched Loretta. I sensed she was concealing something. Her demeanor screamed secrecy.

She fidgeted with her hands, twisting her fingers into knots. Her eyes darted around the room, avoiding mine.

Loretta's surprise seemed forced, a weak attempt to disguise her unease

"There's something you're not telling me, Loretta," I said, my voice sharp. "You’ve been hiding something. What is it?"

Loretta's body language betrayed her. She crossed her arms, shielding herself from scrutiny. Her shoulders hunched, as if bearing an invisible weight. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat, her eyes flickering as if she were deciding whether to confess or keep quiet.

"If you don’t tell me now If you don't tell me what you are hiding now, I’ll tell Nyx everything. I will tell Nyx that I am not the real moon goddess and that I have been keeping it secret for a while now."

That seemed to do the trick. Loretta let out a long sigh, her shoulders sagging in defeat. She glanced around as if making sure no one else was listening before she spoke, her voice barely a whisper.

She hesitated again before answering my questions, pausing as if choosing her words carefully. Her responses were vague, lacking the usual conviction.

"Your eyes, Julianne… they changed," she began, her gaze dropping to the floor. "When you got angry at Jasmine the other day for spiking Arthur's drink with a love potion, and she does not feel remorse...it was as if something terrible was trying to break free."

I froze. Her words hit me like a punch to the gut. "What are you talking about? My eyes glowed that day. You should have told me this sooner, Loretta!"

She winced as if my anger had struck her harder than I meant it to. "I didn’t know how to explain it. I'd you do remember I took you to the mirror to check what was wrong with you but before we got there, it kind of died down and I could not find it, there was no way I would have told you without proof, so I left it waiting for another occurrence which of course happened today."

"But you should have! Even if it died down that day, you should have told me what happened, and I won't argue with you because right now, I don't know what is even wrong with me." I almost shouted, feeling frustrated and anxious about everything unfolding recently. "This could be dangerous, Loretta. You need to tell me everything you know about this, don't keep anything from me."

She nodded slowly, her eyes filled with regret. "I know. I’m sorry. But there’s something else I need to tell you. Something good."

I blinked, my anger still simmering beneath the surface. "Good news? After everything that’s happened? What good news?"

Loretta gave me a small, tentative smile. "Yes. I have something that might help us figure out all of this. It’s about Jasmine."

I felt a knot form in my stomach at the mention of her name. "What about Jasmine?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.

Loretta leaned closer, her voice dropping even lower. "She’s faking it. Her pregnancy. The one she informed Arthur about and is driving him crazy. It’s all a lie."

I stared at her, my mind struggling to process what she was saying. "What? No. That can’t be true. I’ve seen her belly growing. How could she be faking it?"

Loretta hesitated for a moment as if she wasn’t sure how much she should reveal. "It’s true. I don’t know how she’s doing it, but… she’s not pregnant. Her belly’s growing, but it’s not because of a baby."

I felt a wave of disbelief crash over me. This was too much to take in all at once. "But how? How is she doing it?"

Loretta’s face was serious now, her eyes focused. "I think she might be taking pills. Some kind of drug. We just need to figure out what it is."

The words hung in the air, thick with tension. My heart was racing, and for a moment, I could barely breathe. Jasmine had been lying to all of us, trying to wreck my family, and I had no idea. I shook my head, trying to make sense of everything.

"Are you sure? You think she’s faking it?"

Loretta nodded. "I’m sure. I’ve seen the signs. Her belly’s too perfect. There’s no way it’s real."

I ran my fingers through my hair, trying to calm myself down. "So what do we do now? How do we find out the truth?"

Loretta’s eyes sparkled with a sense of determination. "We need to go back to the witch’s store. Since she does visit there now and then, she should have some answer to our questions."

I frowned. "The witch? Why? What does she have to do with this?"

Loretta took a deep breath like she was steeling herself for something difficult. "Do you hear what j said last? I said I think the witch might know more than she’s letting on since Jasmine is her regular customer. We need to ask her about the pills. Maybe she’s the one supplying them."

I didn’t like the sound of knowing fully well what we went through the last time before she agreed to let us in on Jasmine's secret, but Loretta seemed so sure. "All right," I said, though my voice was tinged with doubt. "Let’s go. But if she’s lying to us again, I swear I’ll—"

"I know," Loretta interrupted. "But this is our only chance. We need to figure out the truth before it gets any worse. Look out because of this fake pregnancy of hers, Arthur wants to cut off the mating bond and make her his Luna. You are about to lose your title as Luna."

I could not argue anymore about seeing everything she said was true and that I would not be in this mess, if not for her false pregnancy. The two of us stood up and made our way out of the room, the weight of what we were about to do hanging heavily over us. My mind was racing with questions I couldn’t answer, and my heart was pounding in my chest.

When we arrived at the witch’s store, I felt a chill run down my spine. The air seemed thicker here, like the last time. The old woman was behind the counter again, her face ghostlike; she rang the bell, and the beautiful young woman came out of the store to meet us.

"Back again, I see, you guys never get tired of searching for answers to questions you don't need answers to," she said, her voice soft but knowing.

I didn’t waste any time. "We need to know what Jasmine is taking," I demanded. "Is she getting something from you? Something to make her belly grow? To make her look as if she is pregnant when, in fact, she is not?"

The witch’s expression didn’t change. "I already told you countless times that we don't divulge our customers' secrets," she said, her tone cool. "But I don't know anything about the drugs you are talking about this time around. I am not supplying her with any drugs to make her belly grow fat and make her look pregnant."

I wasn’t buying it. "You’re lying, you are telling a fucking lie this time around, and I don't believe you at all," I spat, stepping closer. "You know exactly what she’s taking, you are supplying it to her. Tell us the truth now. What are you giving her to make her belly grow so huge as if she is pregnant?" I demanded furiously.

The witch’s eyes narrowed, but she didn’t flinch. "I’m not the one supplying Jasmine with whatever she’s using. I am lying now but telling the truth, and the higher time you start to believe me, the better for you. Although she might be using the drugs to grow her belly, I am not the one supplying those drugs.."

"So tell me, what about the other drugs you supply to Jasmine, which, of course, you refused to tell us about?" Loretta questioned her gaze hard as a rock.

"Vitamins, it is vitamins that make her Stronger." The witch revealed.