Chapter 56 Chapter fifty-six
The atmosphere became tense.
What is Roger attempting to achieve?
A translator?
He wants to get a translator. This is awful. All my hard work is going to waste. If a translator is brought in, they'll uncover the truth—that the letter is written in Hebrew, not Luvendaic.
And they will discover that I’m lying about everything, the language, and what the letter contains. The pack will learn the dreadful truth I’m trying to conceal.
And Claus won’t handle the shock. I know it’s all a lie, everything the letter states, but Claus will no longer trust me.
All my past mistakes are catching up to me. Roger is trying to turn the tables on me. He knows exactly what he’s doing.
“A translator? For what purpose?” Claus questioned.
Roger glanced at me briefly before responding, “To interpret the message. We can’t verify if what the Luna claims is true.”
“What? Are you implying I’m lying? That I translated a different language?” I shouted.
Great, he’s the only one digging his own grave. I’ll reverse the situation.
“No, no, that’s not…” Roger attempted to clarify.
“You despise me, and that’s all there is to it,” I screamed, shedding false tears. “You’ve always treated me poorly, like I’m the problem.” I collapsed to my knees and continued my feigned sobbing.
Murmurs spread throughout the hall. I peeked and noticed Claus and Sylvia exchanging bewildered glances, frozen in shock. When I looked back at Roger, he was paralyzed, everyone was giving him a look of contempt.
A smirk crept onto my lips. My plan was falling into place, and now everyone was turning against him.
“Roger, is that true?” Sylvia shouted at him. “Have you been belittling Ellie? Have you forgotten she’s your Luna and holds authority over you? And you dare question her?” Sylvia approached Roger.
Sylvia towered over Roger. He stumbled back in fear, trembling with anxiety. He opened his mouth to respond, but no words came out.
“Roger, did you show disrespect to my wife?” Claus spat furiously. He stepped toward Roger, grabbing him by the collar.
“I can’t understand why he continuously disrespects me. I’ve only shown him kindness, yet he chooses to hate me,” I lamented loudly, looking to escalate the situation.
“What a jerk; how dare he disrespect the Luna?” one of the elders fumed.
“He should be punished immediately. Disrespecting the Luna is equivalent to disrespecting the Alphas,” another added.
The room burst into an uproar. The elders were demanding that Roger face consequences. I scanned the faces around me and noticed that everyone appeared to support my stance.
However, when my gaze landed on Juliana, I spotted a look of amusement on her face. She must be surprised at how theatrical I can be—a mere glimpse of what’s to come.
Before I could process the situation, Roger dramatically dropped to his knees. I was baffled, unsure of what he was attempting now.
“I’m sorry, Luna! I meant no harm. I only wanted to be certain! Please forgive me! I never sought to disrespect you or question you!” he exclaimed, with each word accompanied by his forehead banging against the marble floor.
We were just a short distance apart on the floor, and when I glanced over at where he was bowing, I noticed a smirk forming at the corners of his lips. I gripped the hem of my gown and bit my lip; it wasn’t until I tasted the metallic flavor of blood that I stopped. I recognized that his apology was insincere; he didn't truly mean any of the words he uttered.
I refused to back down in this conflict; one of us had to yield, and it would be Roger.
“Alpha, please show mercy to your loyal Beta,” Roger implored. I could detect the dishonesty in his tone.
“Loyal Beta, my foot,” I muttered under my breath.