Chapter 15 Chapter 15

Chapter 15 Chapter 15
Amira’s POV

The sun was blazing hot, and I could practically feel my skin melting. I grabbed the second bottle of water from Lily’s hand and poured it over my face without hesitation. The cool sensation made me sigh in relief.

“She should rest for a while. I need to go meet Santiago,” Lily said suddenly. She didn’t mention what it was about, and honestly, I didn’t care to ask.

I simply nodded. “Go do your work.”

Even though Lily hadn’t spoken much during the introductions, her presence alone was enough to make me uneasy. She carried this commanding aura around her, strong, heavy, and impossible to ignore, even when she smiled.

Once she left, I let out a small breath of relief and sat on a nearby bench. I began humming softly to myself, letting the quiet rhythm fill the empty space around me.

After a few minutes, my attention drifted toward the far corner, where a few people were working. They were pushing some kind of machinery across the grass. I didn’t know who they were, but boredom had me watching anyway.

Then, out of nowhere, my eyes caught a familiar figure among them.

At first, I brushed it off. That was impossible. How could I possibly recognize anyone here? This wasn’t Silverpine Pack, this was Beadblood Pack. I’d never even been here before. No one I knew should be here.

But just as I was about to look away, the person turned around.

“Ah,” I gasped quietly.

It really was someone I knew. There was no mistaking it.

Without thinking, I quickly slipped my shoes back on and ran toward the workers, my heart pounding. There were several people working there, but I only saw him.

“Jacob!” I called out, my voice trembling slightly.

Yes, Jacob. My old neighbor. Back when my life was peaceful, simple, and full of laughter. Before I met Aphia. Before I ever got tangled up with the Silverpine Pack. Back when I could sleep at night without fear or guilt.

A tear rolled down my cheek as all those buried memories rushed back at once. Seeing someone from my childhood felt like a crack of sunlight breaking through a storm I’d been trapped in for years.

Jacob turned slowly, his expression blank at first. My heart dropped, did he not recognize me? I remembered him so clearly, yet he looked almost confused.

Then his lips moved, and I heard my name.

“Amira.”

“Mm.”

“It’s really you!” His eyes widened, and his face lit up with genuine surprise.

He took a few steps toward me, smiling warmly, and that familiar look was all it took to break my composure. My eyes blurred with tears as I ran into his arms and hugged him tightly.

I didn’t even realize that the other workers had stopped to stare at us. I couldn’t see them anyway, everything was a watery blur.

I cried harder, and strangely, it felt good. Like all the pain I’d been holding onto was finally melting away. The longer I hugged Jacob, the lighter I felt.

“It’s been so long. I missed you,” he said softly, pulling back just enough to look at me. I nodded, trying to wipe my tears, but then—

My whole body froze.

My eyes locked on Santiago.

For a moment, I thought I was seeing things. But no, he was really there, standing just a few steps away, his expression darker than I’d ever seen. Behind him were Maximus, Alex, and Lily.

My stomach dropped.

The air around us grew heavy. Santiago looked furious, and even from a distance, I could feel the intensity of his glare. Just standing there made me want to shrink into the ground.

Maximus and Alex’s eyes were equally cold, sharp enough to cut through steel. My palms grew sweaty, and I could barely breathe.

“What’s going on, Luna?” Lily’s angry voice echoed suddenly.

Oh no. Could this get any worse? Before we left for the introductions, she’d called me future Luna, and now she was calling me Luna, right in front of everyone.

I felt my frustration boil up. “I’m not any Luna yet,” I reminded her quickly.

Truth be told, I didn’t even want to be anyone’s Luna, but still, I had to correct her.

Suddenly, a chilling aura surrounded me. Santiago stepped closer, his eyes filled with an icy rage that made my knees tremble.

Usually, Alex or Maximus would intervene when things got tense, but this time, they didn’t move an inch. They just stood there, radiating the same intimidating energy.

“What… what are you doing?” I stammered, trying to hold my ground even though my legs were shaking.

The air felt suffocating.

“You denied being Luna. Was it because of him?” Santiago asked coldly, his eyes darting toward Jacob.

My heart pounded. Without thinking, I pulled Jacob slightly behind me, as if to protect him, but that only made things worse. Santiago’s expression darkened further, and the others’ faces turned grim.

My head started to spin. I couldn’t understand what they were thinking.

Are they really trying to scare me in front of my old neighbor? This was beyond humiliating. How was I supposed to face Jacob after this?

“Why would I deny it because of him?” I said, confused and frustrated. “I only stated the truth.”

“Hugging another man is disappointing of you,” Lily said sternly, her tone dripping with disapproval.

“Come on, you’re all mistaken!” I ran a hand through my hair, exasperated.

If all this chaos was because of a simple hug, then they were completely losing their minds.

They couldn’t possibly be acting this way over something as harmless as a simple hug, but I still found myself trying to explain.

“You know, Jacob is my—” I stopped midway, my words choking in my throat as fear crept in. I didn’t want to be accused of something absurd, nor did I want to drag innocent Jacob into this mess.

But Santiago didn’t care to hear a single word. He turned to Lily, a dry, bitter chuckle escaping his lips before he spoke.

“What do you expect from someone who committed adultery at her ex’s house?” His tone was icy, every word sharp enough to cut through the air. Then he walked away, leaving behind that cold, commanding aura that made it hard to even breathe.

I stood frozen, my mind blank, his cruel words echoing endlessly in my head. The humiliation hit me so hard I wished I could just vanish from the earth.

I didn’t dare look up at Alex or Maximus, but from the corner of my eyes, I saw them walk away too, faces tight with fury and disappointment. Even Lily followed after them, though before leaving, she turned to Jacob and told him to come along.

I wanted to protest, to stop her somehow, but Jacob only gave me a faint, reassuring smile, one that silently told me not to worry. I could only stand there helplessly as he left with her.

Around me, the workers who had stopped to witness the scene stared without shame, their burning eyes filled with judgment.

My legs felt weak and heavy as I dragged myself away. When I finally found an empty corner, I collapsed to the ground, my body trembling from exhaustion and pain.

Hot tears rolled down my cheeks, my face flushed with anger and humiliation as Santiago’s words replayed again and again in my head.

“Why was he so cruel?” I cried out into the silence.

What was so wrong about a hug?

All I did was embrace an old friend, yet it felt as though I had committed some unforgivable crime.

And adultery? What on earth did he mean by that? It had to be Aphia’s doing, she must have been the one feeding them lies.

“I hate you, Aphia!” I screamed, my voice breaking with rage. My teeth clenched so hard my jaw ached.

Now everything was clear, Santiago wasn’t just trying to get rid of me; he wanted to ruin me completely. What other reason could there be for spreading such disgusting rumors?

I wiped the dirt from my clothes and forced myself to stand, trying to calm my shaking body. I had cried enough for one afternoon. No matter how much I wished to take back what happened, I couldn’t undo the words he had thrown at me in public.

Taking a deep breath, I walked back into the house, only to be met with sharp, judgmental eyes.

The maids.

I wasn’t sure if Santiago’s words had already reached them, but their stares said it all, they knew.

Before today, even though most of them disliked me, they had at least tried to hide it. But now, there was no pretense left.

One of them brushed past me deliberately, her elbow slamming into my arm.

“Ouch!” I flinched as the pain stung. “What’s wrong with you?” I demanded, glaring at her.

That wasn’t an accident, I knew it.

“I’m sorry,” she said flatly, her voice laced with mockery instead of remorse.

“Are you insane?” I snapped. “You hit me on purpose and think saying sorry makes it okay?”

Maybe it was everything I’d bottled up, the pain, the anger, the humiliation, but it all came crashing out at that moment.

The maid scoffed, glaring at me with boldness that made my blood boil. “Ha! Who do you think you are to raise your voice at me? Everyone knows who you are, an outsider! A useless one at that!”

Her words struck like venom, and that single word, useless, pierced straight through my chest. Before I could stop myself, my hand moved on its own, and I slapped her hard across the face.

Who was she calling useless?

Tears blurred my vision, but I refused to let them fall. How had my life fallen this low, reduced to being insulted and mocked by maids?

From the corners, I could see the others pretending to work while whispering and laughing. I knew what they were doing, mocking me, taking pleasure in my humiliation, enjoying every bit of my downfall.