Violet's POV
The laughter reverberated through the walls of the house, booming and careless, as if everything was perfectly fine. My heart clenched. It had been a long night, a restless one. I had woken up feeling disoriented, the remnants of a strange fog clouding my thoughts. But the thing that gnawed at me, that pushed me into a spiral of confusion and dread, was the unmistakable sensation that something was off. Someone had injected me. I could feel it in my veins, like something foreign coursing through me.
I wasn’t stupid. I knew something had happened, something I wasn’t supposed to remember. I could sense it in the air, thick with secrets that only a few knew, and I wasn’t about to let it slip by unnoticed.
I gripped the railing tightly, my knuckles turning white as I took a deep breath. The laughter downstairs didn’t help—no, it only made it worse. It was as if they thought everything was fine, that I wouldn’t catch on. I wasn’t going to let them get away with it.
I stormed down the stairs, each step heavy, my pulse quickening. The noise grew louder as I neared the living room. Alpha Xaden’s voice carried over the laughter, deep and commanding, like he thought he ruled this place.
I pushed the door open, my gaze locking on Isabella, lounging casually on the couch beside Alpha Xaden. She looked… too calm, too at ease. And that was when I saw it: the flicker of recognition in her eyes as she met mine.
Isabella froze for the briefest moment, but it was enough. That split second of hesitation, of guilt, was all I needed. I didn’t care how calm she looked or how she tried to play innocent; I knew.
I didn’t give her a chance to say anything. My feet were moving before I could even think. In an instant, I was there, grabbing her by the arm and dragging her roughly off the couch.
“Why did you inject me last night?” My voice was a sharp whip, cutting through the tension in the room. I didn’t even look at Alpha Xaden—my entire focus was on Isabella, who was now standing in front of me, her eyes wide with confusion and something else. Panic, maybe.
She took a step back, shaking her head in disbelief. “What are you talking about? I didn’t—”
I didn’t wait for her to finish her sentence. I yanked her harder, pulling her closer until her face was mere inches from mine. “Don’t lie to me, Isabella,” I hissed. “I know what you did. Don’t think I’ll let you get away with it.”
Alpha Xaden was silent at first, watching, his gaze intense but unreadable. I could feel his eyes on me, but right now, he was the least of my concerns. I couldn’t keep track of what everyone thought. I needed answers.
“Violet, calm down,” Alpha Xaden finally spoke, his tone low but with an underlying command that could have stopped anyone in their tracks. But not me. Not now.
I whipped my head around to face him, my fury an uncontrollable fire in my chest. “Calm down?” I spat. “I’m not going to calm down until I know the truth. Until I know who decided that it was okay to drug me, to mess with my head!”
Isabella’s eyes narrowed slightly, the guilt now fully clear. She opened her mouth to speak, but the words didn’t come out. Instead, she just stared at me, her lips trembling with a mix of fear and anger.
“I didn’t inject you,” she said finally, though the conviction was weak. “I didn’t do anything to you, Violet.”
I didn’t believe her. Not for a second. Every fiber of my being was screaming at me that she was lying. I didn’t care what she said. I couldn’t let this go.
I let go of her arm, and before she could react, I swung my hand across her face. The slap echoed through the room, sharp and unforgiving. The impact left a stinging burn on my palm, but it was nothing compared to the fire raging inside me.
For a moment, everything was still. And then, as if the world had turned upside down, Isabella’s hand shot out, her nails digging into my skin as she retaliated. Her slap wasn’t gentle, wasn’t restrained. It landed with a sickening force that left my head ringing.
I staggered back, but only for a second. The sting was nothing compared to what I felt when I looked at her. How dare she? How dare she do this to me, to all of us?
“You think this is a game?” I demanded, my voice shaking with rage. “You think you can just drug me and act like nothing happened? Do you know how it feels to wake up and not even know what’s real anymore?” My chest heaved, the words pouring out of me like a dam had broken.
Isabella, her face red from the slap, glared at me, fury boiling in her eyes. “You don’t know what you’re talking about, Violet! I didn’t inject you. I would never—”
“Then why did I wake up feeling like someone had stolen a piece of me?” I hissed, stepping closer, closing the space between us. “Why does everything feel wrong, like I’m missing something? You’re lying, Isabella. And I’m done listening to your lies.”
She swallowed hard, her breath hitching as if she was struggling to hold onto something. But she didn’t speak, and for that, I knew I was right. The silence stretched on, thick and suffocating, until Alpha Xaden finally stepped in.
“This needs to stop,” he said, his voice cutting through the tension like a blade. He stepped toward us, his eyes flicking between me and Isabella, his expression still unreadable. “Violet, enough. Let her go.”
But I wasn’t done. I wasn’t ready to let this go. Not yet.
“You’re going to let her lie?” I shot back, my eyes never leaving Isabella. “You’re going to let her get away with it? After what she did?”
Alpha Xaden didn’t respond right away. He just looked at me with that unreadable expression, his lips pressed into a thin line. I didn’t care. I couldn’t care right now. All that mattered was that I was getting the truth. I was getting my answers.
I turned back to Isabella, my hands trembling but my resolve steady. “I won’t let this go. You think I’m some weak, naive little girl, but I’m not. I know what you did. And I will make sure everyone knows the truth.”
The silence in the room was thick, suffocating, but I didn’t care. I wasn’t going to back down now. Not when I was this close to uncovering what had really happened.
Finally, Isabella spoke again, her voice low and unsteady. “Violet… you don’t understand. There’s more at play here than you know.”
“Then tell me!” I yelled, my frustration bubbling over. “Tell me what’s going on, Isabella. I don’t care how deep this goes. I need to know what you’re hiding. What you’re all hiding.”