Chapter 25 TWENTY FIVE

Chapter 25 TWENTY FIVE
ILYANA’S POV.

Thick, dark red blood gushed out of the wound, the knife in her hand slipping and hitting the floor with a dull thud. The scent of blood filled the air, wafting straight to my nose and disrupting every single thought in my head. My heart pounded heavily in my chest, my gaze flickering between the blood and Lucienne’s wide, wicked smirk.

This… this… this could not be real.

“Wh…what have you done?” I stuttered, my voice unsteady as I tried and failed to comprehend her reasoning.

The smile on her face deepened, curling into something far uglier. “Watch, omega. Watch and get your heart broken.”

She had barely finished speaking when the door opened, revealing the beta first. Carius froze at the entrance, clearly too stunned to move. His eyes dragged from the wound, to Lucienne’s wrist, then slowly to my face. Before he could say anything, Lucienne’s loud voice rang through the room,

“Help me! Help me! She stabbed me! Arghhh!”

“Moon goddess,” he muttered under his breath, looking between us. “What is this?”

“I didn’t…” I started quickly, my words rushing out, but Lucienne beat me to it.

“She did this.” She cut in sharply, her other hand clutching the bloodied one as tears streamed down her face too fast and too perfect. “She did this. I… I only came here to talk, to make peace with her, and all of a sudden, I was being attacked.”

“She’s a demon. She’s evil. Oh, Moon goddess, please, please help me.”

I opened my mouth to defend myself, to tell him those were the words of a liar. I hadn’t even touched her. I didn’t bring the knife. I didn’t do any of this. But before I could say anything, another presence filled the room.

Kael.

The moment he stepped inside, the air shifted completely. His eyes dropped to the blood for a split second before lifting straight to me. Something unreadable flickered across his face before he moved quickly, and purposefully, closing the distance between us.

I didn’t know what I was expecting. A part of me had already prepared for it—for him to go to Lucienne, to hold her, to prove her words right without even questioning them.

But he didn’t.

He came to me.

His hands moved over me, quick but careful, scanning as if searching for something I couldn’t see. “A…are you hurt?” he asked, his voice low, edged with something I hadn’t heard from him before.

My thoughts stumbled over themselves at the genuine concern on his face. This was the first time I had seen him like this, completely stripped of that cold, distant mask. Not even a trace of it remained.

And it was because of me. 

Elara purred softly inside me, basking in the attention.

I watched as he continued to check me, the realization in a loop in my head.

I was chosen first. He didn’t go to Lucienne. He came to me.

“Kael…” Lucienne’s voice broke through, sharp and desperate, her arm lifting for him to see. “Look at—look at what she did!”

Only then did his gaze leave mine, shifting to her.

“Get Atasha here right now,” he ordered Carius without hesitation.

The beta nodded quickly and rushed out, though his eyes lingered on me for a brief second longer.

“What happened?” Kael asked, his voice calm, but hard as steel.

Before I could say anything, Lucienne spoke again, pulling his attention back to her.

“I… I only came to speak to her,” she said weakly, her voice trembling just enough. “I didn’t even do anything. All of a sudden, she was attacking me. I didn’t even have time to react before she grabbed the knife.”

I snapped my head toward her, disbelief flooding through me.

“She tried to mar my face, Kael. My face…” she continued, her voice breaking as fresh tears spilled over. “I didn’t even have a chance to defend myself. I tried, but she immediately brought the knife down on my hand.”

“You know I didn’t—” I tried again, but her voice rose over mine.

“You did! You did!” she cried, her gaze flicking to me dramatically before returning to him.

Then suddenly, she coughed.

I watched as her body swayed, her hand flying to her head like she might collapse at any second. Her steps faltered, just slightly to look convincing, but not enough to fool me.

“Kael…” she breathed, soft and fragile, just before tipping forward.

And just like that, exactly as she intended, he caught her.

“I didn’t want trouble,” she whispered to him. “I only wanted to talk to her.”

“About what?” he asked suddenly.

A laugh almost slipped out of me at how wide her eyes opened. For a split second, she looked completely thrown off, clearly not expecting that question.

Instead of answering, she clung tighter to him, collapsing further into his arms. “I’ve lost so much blood,” she murmured, her voice trembling.

She pressed her head into his chest, her tone soft, almost sweet. “I shouldn’t have come here, I know.”

The more she spoke, the more convincing her act became. Flawless, even. Every detail was perfectly done as if she has done this multiple times and anyone would believe her. 

Anyone but me.

Without another word, Kael bent slightly and lifted her into his arms.

I stilled as he turned toward me, our gazes meeting. My chest tightened, something unfamiliar twisting deep inside it.

“I’ll be back. I’ll send some maids to clean this up,” he said, his voice calm again.

Elara hummed softly within me, and a faint warmth crept up my cheeks despite everything.

Footsteps echoed down the hall as Carius reappeared. “The doctor is here. She’s in her room.”

Kael nodded once, sparing me another brief glance before walking out.

As he did, Lucienne shifted slightly in his arms. I caught her face as she looked up from his chest, a smirk—sharp, satisfied, and hidden from everyone else—spreading across her lips before she mouthed,

Pathetic omega.

I almost choked on my spit as I tried to laugh. Me? Pathetic? How stupid is she? No. This was far beyond that. This wasn’t just stupidity—this was delusion. Obsession. And it needed to be stopped.

A knock cut through my thoughts, and I looked up to see the maids standing at the door.

“Can we come in?”

I nodded, and they entered, immediately beginning to clean the mess.

As they moved around the room, my eyes fell on the box Kael had given me earlier. I walked over slowly, picking it up, my fingers curling around it as I moved to a quiet corner.

My heart began to beat faster again—but this time, for a completely different reason.

I opened the box carefully and the entire room came to a standstill. In my entire years of living, I’ve not seen something this beautiful so close, and not to talk of, gotten something so sparkling.

The necklace rested inside the box, and the heart pendant gleamed softly in the light. If the drawing was beautiful, this was just pure sparkling diamond. 

My fingers brushed against the inside of the box, and that was when I noticed it. There was something more, like an inscription. My breath caught in my throat as warmth spread through me slowly, wrapping around my chest so soft and unfamiliar.

Carved neatly into the inner lid, right above where the necklace lay, were three simple words.

For you, Ilyana.