Chapter 117 117

Chapter 117 117
DERRICK

My thoughts spiraled immediately as questions bombarded my mind one after another. That night had been buried carefully. Hidden. No one was supposed to know what truly happened.
So how had she found out?
“Did you think you could scare me with empty threats?” I asked finally, forcing confidence into my voice even though tension had already settled heavily in my chest.
Zuri scoffed loudly.
“You know they aren’t empty threats,” she replied. “I’m telling the truth. So maybe you should think very carefully before dismissing me.”
I brushed her words off outwardly, though uneasiness clawed deeper into me.
“Stop bluffing,” I taunted. “You don’t know anything.”
I turned again, intending to walk away.
But the moment I did ...
I froze.
Lyka was standing a few feet behind me.
My blood ran cold instantly.
Her eyes moved between the two of us cautiously, confusion written clearly across her face.
Moon Goddess…
My chest tightened painfully.
How long had she been standing there?
Had she heard everything?
Panic surged through me so fast it nearly knocked the breath from my lungs.
“What’s going on with you two?” Lyka asked slowly.
My heartbeat slammed violently against my ribcage.
“Lyka, it’s not what you think,” I said quickly, immediately moving toward her. “Listen to me ... ”
“I came to get you because I was worried you were still angry at me,” she interrupted calmly.
Her voice wasn’t loud, but somehow that made it worse.
“But it seems like there’s something I need to know instead.”
Her gaze shifted toward Zuri.
“And what exactly would that be?”
I stared at Lyka in disbelief.
She… didn’t hear it?
That didn’t make sense.
A wolf’s hearing was incredibly sharp. There was no way she should have missed what Zuri said earlier. Unless ...
My thoughts stopped abruptly.
Something about this situation felt wrong.
“Oh?” Zuri mused mockingly. “You’re curious? That makes me a little sad.”
I braced myself immediately, expecting Lyka’s temper to flare.
But surprisingly, she remained calm.
Too calm.
“Looks like you’re suddenly not eager to speak anymore,” Lyka said coolly, her eyes narrowing slightly at Zuri. “Even though you looked very ready to tell me something earlier.”
The tension between them thickened instantly.
I shifted uncomfortably, silently praying Zuri wouldn’t lose control and expose everything recklessly.
“I don’t think I can tell you that…” Zuri said sweetly before glancing at me. “Or maybe we should ask Alpha for permission first. What do you think?”
The sugary tone barely concealed the venom underneath.
I couldn’t believe she was doing this.
Maybe I had tolerated her behavior for too long. Maybe it was finally time to put her in her place.
“What are you talking about?” I asked sharply. “I don’t even know what you’re trying to tell her, so why are you making this about me?”
I noticed the slight twitch in her eyes after hearing my response.
Good.
“What are you saying?” she snapped. “Are you trying to tell me you don’t mind me exposing everything I know about that night?”
I stared at her for a moment.
Then I made a decision.
A gamble.
“Go ahead,” I said coldly. “Tell her.”
Both of them looked at me in surprise.
“I’m curious to hear what exactly you think you know.”
For the first time since this conversation began, confusion flashed across Zuri’s face.
Clearly, she hadn’t expected me to call her bluff.
“Don’t blame me for being cruel then,” she muttered before turning toward Lyka again. “You know how I always teased Alpha about the former Luna, right?”
The moment those words left her mouth, my chest tightened again.
So that was really where she was going with this.
I glanced at Lyka carefully, expecting anger, jealousy, or at least confusion.
But instead ...
Her expression remained blank.
Empty.
And somehow that frightened me more.
I had planned to come clean eventually. Maybe this was the moment. Maybe if Zuri said it first, it would hurt less than hearing the confession directly from me.
But before either of us could continue ...
“Don’t tell me.”
Lyka’s sudden words stunned both of us.
“I don’t want to know.”
I blinked at her in confusion.
What?
“What are you doing?” Zuri asked incredulously. “Are you crazy?”
Lyka slowly lifted her gaze, meeting Zuri’s eyes with a fierceness that instantly silenced the air around us.
And for the first time since she arrived ...
I realized she wasn’t avoiding the truth because she was weak.
She was avoiding it because she was afraid of what learning it would do to us.