Chapter 94 I go lower
Celeste:
The slap came fast and sharp.
For a second, I tasted nothing but heat.
My head snapped to the side, my cheek burning where his hand had struck me. The sting spread slowly, like fire crawling under my skin. I lifted my face, slow and steady, and looked at Cassian.
He was relaxed on the couch like nothing had happened. One leg crossed over the other. Smoke curled from the cigarette between his fingers. He kept talking about his plans against Vuk, complaining about how nothing was working, how his advisors were useless.
Every plan he made kept failing.
And still, he blamed me.
“One week,” he had said. “One week and you bring me nothing.”
As if he could ever get close to Vuk the way I had. As if he could charm secrets out of anyone. He was angry because he was small. Because he was losing.
And I was the easiest thing to hit.
He flicked ash into a tray and looked at me like I was dirt.
“Teach her what happens when she wastes my time.”
His men moved before I could even blink.
The first punch stole the air from my lungs. The second cracked against my ribs. A boot slammed into my stomach and I folded, but I didn’t cry out. I wouldn’t give him that.
Pain exploded everywhere at once—my jaw, my side, my back. Blood filled my mouth, warm and thick. I could hear my own breathing, rough and broken, but I stayed silent.
If he wanted me weak, I would show him weak.
If he wanted me broken, I would become shattered glass.
They hit until their arms were tired. Until I could barely feel where my body ended and the pain began. When they dragged me away, I let my head hang. Let my arms go limp.
Let them think they had won.
They threw me into a small locked room. The door slammed shut. The bolt slid into place with a heavy sound.
Dark.
Quiet.
I lay there for a moment, breathing slowly through the pain. Every breath hurt. My ribs screamed. My cheek throbbed.
Then I started to laugh.
Soft at first.
Then deeper.
He thought he was punishing me.
He had no idea.
I pushed myself up against the wall. My fingers trembled, but not from fear. I whispered the old words under my breath, casting dark spell around the house and freeing myself from the chains.
The lock snapped.
The sound echoed in the silence.
The door opened.
I stepped out slowly, holding my side. Each step hurt, but pain was nothing new to me. Pain was a tool. And tonight, I would use it.
I went straight to his private room. No guards. He never thought I would dare.
Papers were stacked neatly on his desk. Notes. Plans. Names. Everything he had been writing about Vuk.
I gathered them carefully and pressed them to my chest.
Now he would panic.
Now he would scramble.
And I would watch.
But that was not enough.
Not yet.
I needed something bigger.
I found a heavy glass on a table and threw it hard against the wall. It shattered loudly, pieces scattering across the floor. I knelt down and picked up the largest shard.
I looked at my reflection in it.
Bruised cheek. Split lip. Blood already drying on my skin.
Good.
But not enough.
I dragged the glass across my arm.
The cut opened instantly. Blood flowed down, warm and bright.
I did it again.
And again.
Across my thigh. My shoulder. Just deep enough to bleed badly. Not deep enough to kill me.
I pressed the shard just above my heart and pushed until I gasped. Tears filled my eyes from the pain. Real tears this time.
Perfect.
When I stood, I swayed slightly. I let the blood drip onto the floor behind me as I walked out into the night.
The air was cold. The compound quiet.
I began to run.
Not too fast. Just enough to look desperate. I let myself stumble. Let my breathing turn wild and uneven.
When I reached the pack house, I fell to my knees.
Then I screamed.
“Luna! Please! Help me! Someone help me!”
My voice cracked. I forced myself to shake. Tears mixed with blood on my face.
“Help! Please!”
Lights came on. Doors opened. Servants rushed out first. Then Lady Livia. Then Maureen.
“What is going on?” Maureen demanded.
The guards lifted me carefully. I let my body sag against them.
I looked up at Maureen with wide, broken eyes.
“Lord Cassian…” I sobbed. “He… he raped me.”
The words hung heavy in the air.
“He forced me to spy on you. When I told him I couldn’t… when I said you and the Alpha were good people… he tried to kill me.”
Gasps spread around us.
There was blood everywhere. On my dress. On the ground.
Who would doubt it?
“What? Cassian did this?” Maureen’s voice shook.
“Yes,” I whispered. “I ran… I took his papers… proof of his plans… I didn’t want him to hurt you…”
I clutched the stolen files weakly before let ting them slip from my fingers.
Maureen’s face hardened. “Take her inside. Now.”
They carried me in.
The moment I felt safe arms around me and warm light above my head—
I let my eyes roll back.
And I fainted.
—
The next morning, I woke slowly.
I made sure to look small.
Fragile.
I stared at the ceiling and let tears slip quietly down my temples.
“Moon Goddess… please forgive me… please protect them…” I whispered softly.
The door opened.
Maureen hurried in and rushed to my side. She sat on the bed and pulled me gently into her arms.
“It’s okay,” she murmured. “You’re safe now.”
Safe.
I trembled against her.
She pulled back slightly and looked at me. “Tell me what happened.”
I swallowed hard, like it hurt to speak.
“I’m not related to him,” I said quickly when she asked. “He bought me from a friend months ago. I had no choice. He made me spy on you every day. I tried… I was scared… but I couldn’t keep lying to you.”
My voice broke.
“So I refused. And he…” I squeezed my eyes shut and let my shoulders shake. “He forced himself on me. Then he beat me. He said if I ever spoke, he would kill me.”
Maureen’s hands tightened.
Anger flashed across her face.
Good.
“I tried to protect you,” I whispered. “I didn’t want him to destroy everything.”
I lowered my eyes, letting my lashes hide my expression.
On the outside, I looked ashamed. Small. Hurt.
Inside, beneath the shaking breaths and quiet tears—
I was smiling.
“It’s okay,” Maureen said softly. “Just rest. Eat something.”
She turned toward the door. “Livia!”
Livia hurried in at once, worry written all over her face.
“Call the pack doctor,” Maureen ordered. Her voice was calm, but there was steel underneath it. “And don’t worry about Cassian. I will handle him.”
Handle him.
I had to fight the urge to laugh.
“Yes, my lady,” Livia said quickly before leaving.
As soon as Maureen stepped out as well, I let fresh tears fall. Livia returned with water and food, hovering near me like I might break if she touched me too hard.
“I feel so dirty,” I whispered weakly. “I feel so ashamed… I should have told you sooner…”
Livia’s eyes softened. “You’re safe now. Don’t blame yourself.”
I nodded, sniffling, clutching the blanket like it was the only thing holding me together.
But the moment she finally left to fetch the doctor—
My tears stopped.
Silence filled the room.
And then I smiled.
Just like that.
Cassian had been breathing down my neck for weeks, watching me, threatening me, doubting me.
Now?
Now he would be too busy defending himself.
Too busy trying to prove nothing.
All without me lifting a finger.
What a waste of all that anger he carried. All that resentment. In the end, he couldn’t do anything.
I leaned back into the pillows carefully, wincing just enough to remind myself of the cuts. They hurt. My ribs ached. My skin burned.
But it was worth it.
I picked at the food slowly, playing the part even though no one was watching. Then I lay down and let my body rest. I needed strength.
By evening, I told Livia in a soft voice that I wanted some air.
“Just a small walk,” I said. “I don’t want to feel trapped.”
She hesitated, then nodded and helped me out of bed. I leaned heavily on her as we stepped outside.
The air was cool. The sky was turning orange and purple. People moved quietly around the grounds, whispering.
News travels fast.
I walked slowly, pretending my legs were weak. Truthfully, they were. I had lost more blood than I planned. My head felt light. My body dragged.
I tried to gather more energy, to focus but it slipped through my fingers. .
My body was weak to get an unusual energy that maybe belongs to the babies.
Anger stirred in my chest.
Not wild anger.
Cold anger.
How could something that big be hidden? Babies doesn’t just disappear.
Who benefits from that secret? And where the hell are the children?
My steps slowed. Livia tightened her
hold on me.
“Are you tired?” she asked gently.
“Yes,” I whispered. Then I turned to face her fully, letting the question sit heavy between us. “Does Luna Maureen and the Alpha have kids?”
The question hit its mark.
Livia swallowed. Her eyes darted around before she leaned closer.