Chapter 33 Chapter 33
Chapter 33 Chapter 33
Chapter 33
Luceila’s POV
My eyes fluttered like a trapped bird trying to break free, my vision blurry at first then it shifted and became clearer.
I gazed at the luxurious ceiling of my room, the rich prison I couldn't break free from. A head suddenly popped up above me.
“Why are you always in a fragile state?" Reis asked, his eyes glaring.
I tried to move, but my body ached. " Argh,” I exclaimed. My bones were sore from the failed shift, thighs still tender from Ruan's touch.
I turned my head and as soon as I saw Ruan standing with his arms crossed on his chest, the air suddenly became heavy.
“You can stop the drama now," he said.
Looking into his eyes sent waves of humiliation burning inside me. I quickly turned to look at Reis again but even his gaze was sharp, pinning me down.
“I supposed you're fully awake, and we have your full attention," Reis said. “Who were you intimate with tonight, Luceila? We all felt it through the bond," he paused, letting the silence stretch a little. " The echoes, the heat. Don’t lie.”
My throat tightened, my lips parted but I didn't know what to say. I looked down at my hands, fingers twisting the edge of my blanket. Shame flooded my cheeks.
The memory of Ruan’s fingers inside me, the pleasure I hadn’t wanted to crave, made me want to disappear. I stayed quiet, lips pressed together now.
Silas shifted on my left, his voice softer. “Take it easy on her, Rein. She just came out of whatever episode that was.”
“Answer the question,” Rein pressed, ignoring him.
Before I could find words, Ruan stepped closer from the foot of the bed, his expression carved from ice.
“She doesn’t need to answer. I caught her in the garden,” he announced. "The little temptress tried to seduce me by rubbing herself all over me like a bitch in heat, moaning my name, begging for more. Pathetic.”
My head snapped up. “That’s not—”
“She’s always seeking attention,” Rein cut in, voice laced with contempt. “Prancing around with that cursed scent, acting all innocent and fragile. Just like her gold-digging mother who married our father with tricks and lies, wormed her way into this family, and now the daughter’s doing the same. Spreading her legs to trap us through the bond.”
The words landed like punches after punches. Anger sparked beneath the shame, small, flickering, but real. I pushed myself up against the headboard, ignoring the dizziness. “I’m not like that. I never asked for this bond, I never wanted any of you to touch me—”
Ruan moved like lightning. His hand shot out, grabbing my jaw hard. Fingers squeezed, harder than necessary, forcing my face up to meet his cold stare. Pain flared through my jaw, I winced, struggling weakly against his grip, my fractured wolf whimpering inside me.
“Ruan, release her,” Rein ordered, though his tone sounded a little soft.
Ruan’s grip loosened a fraction but didn’t drop. I could feel the bruise already forming.
“Why do you hate me so much when I’ve done nothing wrong?” The question slipped out before I could stop it. Raw and trembling, tears stung my eyes.
For a split second, something flickered across Rein’s face, something almost like regret, a crack in his cold demeanor. His jaw tightened, and he looked away, shaking it off. His cold mask snapped back on.
Ruan’s laugh was bitter. “You’ve done everything wrong by simply existing.”
Only Silas showed a sliver of gentleness. He placed a steadying hand on my shoulder, light and brief, before pulling back.
“She’s barely conscious after nearly shifting again. We shouldn't be doing this to her, pushing her like this won’t fix anything. We all feel the pull, doesn’t mean she orchestrated every damn breeze that carries her scent.”
I sobbed, the sound breaking free. “I’m not the Moon Goddess. I can’t control this bond, I can’t make you want me or hate me. I just… I went to the garden for air. That’s all.”
Ruan’s fingers finally dropped from my jaw, but his feel of his grip lingered. I rubbed the sore spot, breathing shakily.
“I’m trying to explain what happened in the garden,” I continued, voice gaining a little strength. “He touched me. He—”
“Enough,” Rein snapped, cutting me off. “We don’t need your version, Ruan already told us how you threw yourself at him.”
Silas sighed quietly beside me. “Maybe we should let her speak, because the bond goes both ways. We’re not exactly innocent in feeling it either.”
They talked over me again, accusations flying. I tried once more to explain—the swing, the sudden approach, how my body betrayed me even as my mind screamed no but their voices drowned mine out. Rein’s cold logic, Ruan’s venomous accusations.
Only Silas occasionally interjected with quiet reason, defending me in small, indirect ways that kept me from shattering completely.
Desperate, I looked straight into Ruan’s eyes. The same eyes that had burned with lust in the garden now held nothing but cold emptiness. No trace of the man who had brought me to the edge of pleasure. Just hatred.
My wolf curled tighter inside me, rattling uselessly. Sitting here while they judged me made my heart ache in so many ways, and I began to regret why I hadn't pushed him away.
“He must think I'm cheap," I thought in my head.
The door creaked open, and my mother walked in.
“What is going on here?”
" You're just like your mother,” Ruan spat before walking towards the door with his brothers following behind him.
They didn't fear her, they just disliked her too much to be in the same space with her.
"I asked a question,” she repeated. " What is going on here?”
She stood defiantly in the doorway, her elegant frame wrapped in a silk robe, her expression a careful mask of concern that didn’t reach her eyes. The room fell into tense silence as all three brothers walked out.