Chapter 77 Chapter 77
Tiana
I kept my head down as I walked through the corridors, focusing on the floor beneath my feet instead of the glaring eyes that followed me.
The whispers were painstakingly irritating.
“Did you hear what happened at the gathering?”
“Kaius declared his feelings for her in front of everyone.”
“The Alpha’s nephew and the Luna. Can you imagine?”
I could imagine. I was living it.
Two nights since that disaster of an evening. Two nights of sideways glances and hushed conversations that stopped the moment I entered a room and in those nights, I wondered what discussion Zane had with Kaius behind that closed door.
My hands clenched into fists as I turned down another corridor.
I was angry. Furious, actually. At everyone and everything.
At Margaret, obviously. For orchestrating the whole thing. For pushing and prodding until she got exactly what she wanted.
At Kaius, for saying those things. For not thinking about the consequences and putting me in a position where everyone now assumed I’d been encouraging him and betraying my mate.
But mostly, I was angry at Zane.
For approving Kaius’s arrangement in the first place. He was responsible for bringing Margaret to the pack house. And he stayed silent during that entire confrontation while Margaret tore me apart.
Another reason I was angry was because he always made decisions about my life without asking what I wanted.
I was so lost in my spiraling thoughts that I didn’t look ahead of me until I nearly walked into someone.
“Oh!” Margaret stepped back with exaggerated surprise. “Luna Tiana. I didn’t see you there.”
I moved to walk around her without responding. I had nothing to say to her, anyway.
“Not even a greeting?” Margaret fell into step beside me, her voice saccharine sweet. “That’s rather rude, don’t you think?”
I kept walking, my jaw clenched.
“Though I suppose you have a lot on your mind,” she continued. “What with the scandal and all. Everyone’s talking about it, you know. About you and Kaius.”
My hands tightened, nails digging into my palms.
“It must be so difficult,” Margaret continued. “Being the center of gossip. Having people question your integrity and your loyalty to your mate.”
“I have nothing to feel guilty about,” I said through gritted teeth.
“Don’t you?” She laughed lightly. “Come now, Tiana. We both know you enjoyed Kaius’ attention. The way he defended you and made you feel special.”
I stopped walking and turned to face her. “What do you want, Margaret?”
“Want?” She blinked innocently. “I don’t want anything. I’m just concerned about you. This whole situation must be so overwhelming for someone with your limited experience in pack politics.”
“I’m fine.”
“Are you? It does seem like you are hiding your face in shame.” Her smile sharpened. “But that’s what happens when people try to be something they’re not, reaching above their station and forgetting their place.”
Heat flooded through me—anger and humiliation mixing into something that made my vision blur at the edges.
“My place,” I repeated slowly.
“Yes. Your place.” Margaret’s mask slipped slightly, revealing the cruelty underneath. “You can dress it up all you want. Call yourself Luna. Wear the title. But everyone knows what you really are.”
I had heard variations of this before and should be numb to it by now.
But after everything that happened in the previous days, I snapped.
“Why are you even still here?” The words came out cold. “Kaius is no longer here and you are only here because of him. So why haven’t you left? What exactly are you staying for?”
Margaret’s eyes widened slightly. “I—”
“You came here to marry him. That’s over. The arrangement is broken. So what’s keeping you in this pack house? Your pack cannot afford to feed you anymore?”
“How dare you?”
“How dare I what? Point out that you have no reason to be here anymore?” I stepped closer, my voice dropping. “You wanted to make a fool of yourself. Congratulations. You succeeded. So take your victory and leave.”
Margaret’s face had gone red. “You think you’re so clever, don’t you? But everyone sees the truth. You and Kaius—”
“There is no me and Kaius!” The words exploded out of me. “There never was. He was my friend. That’s all. But you couldn’t stand that, could you? To you, it sucks knowing that someone actually wanted to spend time with me instead of you.”
“That’s not—”
“You orchestrated that entire confrontation. Set me up. Made sure everyone would think the worst. And now you’re standing here gloating about it. Don’t embarrass yourself anymore, pack your loss and move on.”
“Is there a problem here?” Zane appeared from nowhere.
I turned to find him standing a few feet away, his expression unreadable but his eyes sharp with assessment.
Margaret’s entire demeanor shifted instantly. The anger smoothed away, replaced by wide-eyed innocence and concern.
“Alpha.” She moved toward him slightly. “I was just checking on Luna Tiana. She seemed upset, and I wanted to make sure she was alright.”
The lie was so blatant and perfectly delivered, yet somehow it only humored me.
I wanted to speak, but Margaret went before me.
“She’s been under so much stress lately. With everything that happened. I’m worried about her.”
Zane’s gaze shifted to me. “Is it true, Tiana?”
I did not want to reply to him.
He had barely ever defended me. Why would he start acting concerned now?
“I’m fine,” I said flatly. “Margaret was just leaving.”
“Actually,” Margaret chirped in, her voice brightening, “I was coming to find you, Alpha. I received a letter from my mother. I wanted to bring it to your attention immediately.”
She pulled a sealed envelope from her pocket, holding it out to him.
Zane took it, his expression skeptical as he broke the seal and unfolded the letter.
I watched his face as he read, trying to interpret the content of the letter. But he gave nothing away.
He just read in silence while Margaret stood there with a small smirk plastered on her face.
Finally, he looked up.
“Your mother wants me to mate with you,” he said flatly.
My stomach dropped. The fact that I ever tried to separate the person of Margaret from her mother, Luna Margot was silly.
“She believes that since Kaius is no longer here, and the alliance still needs to be maintained…” Margaret trailed off delicately. “Taking me as a second Luna would satisfy both our packs. Prevent the embarrassment of a broken arrangement and strengthen the bonds between—”
“No, I won’t do that.”
Margaret blinked. “But the alliance.”
“I will not be doing that.” Zane’s voice didn’t rise, but something in it made Margaret take a step back.
“I have a mate.“ He continued. “I don’t need another one.”
I was not sure how to feel but a bob went down my throat.
“My pack won’t be pleased.”
“Then they’ll be displeased.” He folded the letter and handed it back to her. “Tell your mother I appreciate her concern for the alliance. But my answer is no. It will always be no.”
The finality in his voice left no room for argument.
Margaret’s face had gone pale, her carefully constructed mask cracking at the edges. “You’re making a mistake.”
“That’s my choice to make. Get your bags packed, so we can send you back to your pack.”