Chapter 119 119

Chapter 119 119
~SELENE~

"I know what you did."

Nessa looked up from her coffee. We were in the campus coffee shop and she had the nerve to sit there smiling like she hadn't destroyed two people's lives.

"Excuse me?"

"The spell. The compulsion magic. I know you've been controlling Zayne." I sat down across from her. "And I'm going to prove it."

Her smile didn't waver. "That's quite an accusation."

"It's not an accusation. It's a fact. You showed up out of nowhere, Zayne started acting weird, and now his mate bond is severed while he's literally dying from fighting your magic."

"Sounds like a personal problem."

"You're sick. You know that? Using magic to manipulate someone, to destroy their relationship—"

"I didn't destroy anything. I just helped things along." She took a sip of her coffee. "Zayne was unhappy with Arlina. Anyone could see that. I just gave him permission to act on it."

"That's not what happened and you know it."

"Do I?" She set down her cup. "Tell me, Selene. Do you have any actual proof? Any evidence that I did anything wrong?"

"Patricia identified magical residue on Zayne—"

"Which could have come from anywhere. We're surrounded by wolves, by pack magic. That's not proof of anything."

"The symbols on your wrist—"

"Are tattoos. Personal. None of your business." She leaned forward. "You can accuse me all you want. You can investigate, gather evidence, try to prove I'm using magic. But it won't matter."

"Why not?"

"Because the only person who can break the spell is Arlina. And she won't." Nessa smiled. "She's too hurt, too angry, and too scared. She'll let Zayne die rather than risk her heart again. Which means I win either way."

"You're wrong. She'll save him—"

"Will she? Because last I heard, she refused. Told the healer to find someone else. Walked away while Zayne was seizing on the floor calling her name." Nessa's smile widened. "That doesn't sound like someone who's going to swoop in and play hero."

"She was scared. But she'll come around—"

"Maybe. Maybe not. Either way, I'm not worried." She stood up, gathering her things. "Zayne is dying. The spell is eating him alive from the inside out. And unless Arlina decides to save him in the next—" she checked her watch, "couple of days, if he has that much at all. He will be permanently mine."

"You're insane."

"I'm practical. I wanted Zayne, so I took him. I wanted to destroy Arlina, so I did. And now I get to watch both of them suffer." She shouldered her bag. "The best part? No one can prove I did anything. My identity is clean, my magic is untraceable, and by the time anyone figures out who I really am, I'll be long gone."

"Who are you really?"

"Someone who knows what it's like to lose everything to the people Arlina's parents worked for. Someone who's been planning this revenge for years." She started walking away, then paused. "Tell Arlina I said thank you. For being exactly as broken as I needed her to be."

"She's going to save him. And when she does, when the spell breaks—"

"Then I'll adapt. But I don't think she will. I think she's too scared of being hurt again. Too scared of hoping and having that hope destroyed." Nessa looked back at me. "That's what I was counting on. Her fear. And it's working perfectly."

She left.

I sat there, hands shaking with rage.

She'd admitted everything. Not explicitly enough to prove in court or to the Council, but enough for me to know I was right.

Nessa was using magic. Had been from the beginning. And she was counting on Arlina being too broken to fight back.

I pulled out my phone and called Arlina.

"Selene—"

"I just talked to Nessa. She admitted it. All of it. The spell, the manipulation, everything."

"Did you record it?"

"No, she was too smart for that. But Arlina, she's counting on you not saving Zayne. She thinks you're too scared."

"She's right. I am scared."

"But you're going to do it anyway, right? You're going to save him?"

A pause. Then: "I'm on my way to the facility now. I don't know if I can break the spell. I don't know if the bond is strong enough. But I have to try."

Relief flooded through me. "Thank god. I thought—"

"I know what you thought. That I'd let him die out of spite or fear or hurt. And I almost did." Her voice was quiet. "But my wolf came back. And she reminded me that Zayne didn't choose this. That he's been fighting the spell, calling for me, trying to break free. I can't abandon him when he's been fighting so hard not to abandon me."

"What changed your mind?"

"I had a dream. Saw him chained in the dark, bleeding, begging for help. And I realized—I can be angry at what happened. I can be hurt and scared and furious. But I can't let him die. Not when I have the power to save him."

"Even if it means risking everything?"

"Even then. Because that's what love is. Risking everything for someone even when you're terrified."

I smiled. "He's lucky to have you."

"We'll see if he still has me after this is over. The spell might break but the damage is done. I don't know if we can fix what's been destroyed."

"One problem at a time. First, save him. Then worry about fixing the rest."

"Right. First save him." She paused. "Selene? Thank you. For not giving up. For investigating Nessa, for pushing me to see the truth. I don't know if I'd be doing this without you."

"You would. You're stronger than you think." I stood up. "I'm coming to the facility too. You might need backup."

"Bring Stefan and Tristan. If the spell fights back, if breaking it goes wrong—" She didn't finish the sentence.

"Nothing's going to go wrong. You're going to save him, the spell will break, and Nessa will get exactly what she deserves."

"I hope you're right."

"I am. Now go.”

She hung up.

I grabbed my stuff and headed for the door. Stefan and Tristan needed to know what was happening.

And Nessa needed to understand that she'd underestimated Arlina.

The broken, scared girl she'd been counting on?

She was about to become a problem.