Chapter 171 The Confrontation

Chapter 171 The Confrontation
Luna Maris's POV

The beautiful sound of my laughter echoed strangely inside the cell that morning. Thin walls, damp floors, flickering lights, and that disgusting smell that seemed to have permanently settled into the air.

I laughed again.

Not because there was anything funny about this place.

There wasn't.

I laughed because I knew something none of these pathetic people knew. I wasn't going to die here. I wasn't even going to stay here much longer.

My plans were already in motion, and somewhere outside these walls, Pete was probably tearing his world apart trying to find Diya and Matt.

I could almost picture it.

His anger, his desperation and his precious Alpha pride finally cracking beneath the weight of fear.

The thought sent a delicious thrill through me.

Soon… very soon, I would walk out of this place. And when I did, I would have the last laugh.

I leaned against the cold wall of the cell, tapping my fingers lazily against my thigh as I continued whistling the little tune that had been stuck in my head since morning.

Across from me, Lisa groaned.

“Goddess….will you stop that fucking laughter and whistling?”

I slowly turned my head toward her.
She was glaring at me from the other side of the cell, her face twisted with irritation.

I almost smiled….Almost.
Instead, I continued whistling.

“Can you just stop that nonsense?”

I kept whistling.

“Gosh, you old hag.”

My lips almost twitched.

Old hag?

I continued whistling, but my thoughts turned toward her.

Me? An old hag? She really had no idea who she was speaking to. I might have been older than her, but I could still command men. Men who were willing to risk everything simply because I asked them to. Men who bowed when I entered a room. Men who were waiting for my orders.

And this useless girl? What could she command? She couldn't even keep a man. She had lost him and still had the audacity to sit there complaining about me.

Pathetic.

She couldn't even keep a man.

I almost laughed.

Just wait….Very soon, this place would belong to you.

If she was lucky.

Lisa sighed dramatically.

“I can't wait to get the hell out of here. The moment that gate opens, I'm leaving this place and never looking back.”

She glanced at me with disgust.

“Goddess knows I've spent enough time listening to you.”

I finally stopped whistling, but my eyes remained fixed ahead. A small smile touched my lips.

“You leave here?”

I finally turned toward her.

“Do you seriously think you're leaving before me?”

Lisa turned toward me.

“What?”

I slowly looked at her.

Her eyes narrowed.

“You heard me.”

She scoffed.

“You're delusional.”

“Perhaps.”

I smiled.

“Let's see who wins.”

Before she could respond, a sharp tapping sound came from the other side of the cell.

Tap.

Tap.

We both turned.

A police officer stood outside.

“Maris.”

My heart lifted.

“You have a visitor.”

My heart gave a sudden, excited beat.

Finally.

I had been waiting for that knock.

I pushed away from the wall so quickly that Lisa looked at me.

“Who?”

The officer didn't answer.

My smile disappeared.

“I asked you who it is.”

He opened the cell gate and stepped aside for me to pass.

I stared after him.

What kind of useless officer refused to answer a simple question?

Irritation crawled beneath my skin.

Who the hell did he think he was?

I had spent days being treated like garbage in this place, and now this idiot couldn't even answer a simple question?

Fine. Whoever my visitor was, I would find out soon enough.

My jaw tightened.

And when I walked out of this place, he would be the first person I made sure never forgot my name. He would be the first person I dealt with when I got out. Perhaps I would even have him locked up somewhere equally unpleasant.

A smile slowly returned to my lips.

I followed him.

The corridor seemed longer than usual, but I didn't care. Someone had come to see me…Someone important.

My heartbeat quickened.

Could it be Richard? Had he finally come with news?

The officer stopped and unlocked the visiting-room door.

I stepped inside and my eyes moved across the room.

It was empty.

Then I saw someone standing near the far side of the table. A man. His back was toward me. He was tall, broad and completely still.

My heartbeat stumbled.

I knew that silhouette. I knew those shoulders. I knew….

“Son.”

My voice came out softer than I intended, but he didn't answer. He slowly turned, and there he was.

Pete.

My little boy.

Except he wasn't little anymore.

My eyes traveled over him.

Goddess.

When did my son become this man? He had grown into an Alpha who could make an entire room fall silent simply by standing in it. His shoulders were broad beneath his clothes, his chest powerful, his body carrying the kind of strength that couldn't be hidden. His dark hair was slightly tousled, but somehow that only made him look more dangerous. His jaw was sculpted sharply, almost unnaturally perfect, like some cruel god had taken his time creating him. And his eyes….

I paused.

Those eyes were no longer the eyes of the little boy who used to run into my arms.

They were cold, hard and unreadable.

I had seen those eyes before, but not like this.

I remembered a little boy looking up at me with complete trust. A little boy who had once reached for my hand without hesitation.

But that boy was gone.

And standing in front of me now was an Alpha. A dangerous one.

And for the first time, I wondered if he had come here as my son…or as the man who intended to destroy me.

I felt something uncomfortable twist inside my stomach, but I quickly pushed it away.

He was still my son.

My son.

“Aren't you going to sit down?”

I walked toward the table and lowered myself into the chair, but Pete didn't move.
He looked at the chair and then back at me.

I watched him carefully as he took one slow step forward. One hand remained buried inside his pocket, while the other came down onto the table.

His fingers spread against the surface and he leaned forward slightly.

His eyes never left mine..There was no smile, no greeting and no warmth. Not even a question about how I was doing.

Just silence.

A silence so heavy that for the first time since I'd entered this room, I felt my confidence beginning to slip. The kind of silence that made the room feel smaller.

I shifted slightly in my chair.

Goddess….I hated that I had done it.
I hated even more that he noticed. Pete had always been easy to read when he was younger, but not anymore.

Now I couldn't tell what was happening behind those eyes and that unsettled me.

I swallowed.

“Pete?”

He finally moved. He took one slow step toward the table. His hand remained in his pocket while the other settled against the tabletop. His fingers curled slowly against the wood, as he leaned toward me.

His eyes held mine.

My smile faded.

Then he spoke.

“What is your relationship with Richard?”