Chapter 17 17
Odette's Pov
The second I walked through the entrance, the growing murmurs faded and so did the music. Now, everyone stared.
I swallowed a sharp breath and took a few steps in, my heels echoing against the polished marble floor.
I could feel their judgemental stares, feel their whispers and even the grimace on their faces.
A few of them were even kind enough to let me hear them.
“She's back!”
“There she is, the monster's bride.”
“How can she even stand him?”
“Pretty girl… wasting her beauty on such a vile man.”
I clenched my fists. Aaron is not vile and he's not a monster! But I wasn't here to challenge every retort. I was here for someone else.
A towering figure blocked my path and I lifted my head.
It was the Alpha himself, Ralph.
“Let me guess,” he grinned, sizing me up and down. "He abandoned you.”
I lifted my chin defiantly. “No, he didn't. I came of my own accord.”
“Oh really,” Alpha Ralph crossed an arm over his chest. “And what exactly are you here for? Your… mate has been banished.”
“Is he even a mate? He looked like a wounded animal.” A man behind him said and everyone in the hall laughed.
“If he's an animal, then so are you.” Those words left my lips before I could say them.
The laughter died down immediately.
Perfect brows furrowed. “Excuse me?”
“I said,” I stepped forward. “If he's an animal, then so are you.”
The dark-haired man snarled angrily. “How dare you!”
“Aren't you a wolf? Howl.” I challenged. “Isn't that what an animal does? Make noises with their mouths?”
“I should rip your face off!” the man growled.
“Enough!” Ralph cut in, silencing the man. “Do not speak to the lady like that ever again. She is the Queen and Luna of the BlackMoon Wolves. And while we might not appreciate the BlackMoon Pack, they are one of our realm’s strongest protectors…”
Ralph then turned to me and sighed. “For someone quite small, you've got a mouth on you.”
I didn't take it as a compliment. “Where are Adam and Leila?”
“Ahh… Them,” Ralph gestured to the staircase. “You'll be fine with them there.”
I nodded my thanks and brushed past him.
Before I was out of earshot, I heard Ralph clapping to resume the ceremony.
I made my way up the carpeted stairs, past gold chandeliers and portraits. I searched the corridors for signs of Leila and Adam but couldn't find them. At some point, I was beginning to think Ralph lied to me.
I found what looked like a lounge and sat in one of the chairs. This was the last room I hadn't checked. Maybe, they would come here.
It didn't take a few minutes before I heard a soft, familiar soft voice. It was her. Just then, a cold voice cut through the laughter… Adam. They were both here.
I hid behind the door of the lounge room and waited.
Their silhouettes flickered against the fireplace as they entered.
“... you need to relax, dear Adam. Aaron can't touch you anymore.” Leila murmured.
Adam, on the other hand, exhaled sharply. “He shouldn't have survived tonight in the first place!”
My blood chilled. What?
“Well, he did and everyone saw you bleeding. We've bought you time. That's all that matters.” Leila poured a glass of what looked like wine before she passed it to him.
Adam growled as he received it. “Well, time isn't enough!”
I flinched, almost dropping my hand from the doorknob in fear but Leila sighed like she was already exhausted with him.
“You have time, Adam,” that was when she offered him a smile I'd never seen on her. It was… cruel, almost evil-looking.
“The blades you cut Aaron with were poisoned,” she wrapped her arms around him. “and besides, if Odette gets in our way, you can kill her the same way you killed Nina.”
My shoulder nearly left my body.
Nina? As in Aaron's first wife?
I pressed my right hand to the wall to steady myself. Oh Goddess…
Leila's words seemed to have calmed Adam because he laughed. “You never cease to amaze me, wife.”
Leila grinned. “I know. That's why the Moon Goddess made us mates. We're perfect for each other, stronger together… not like Nina was to Aaron…”
“She was weak. Too nosy. She kept asking why Aaron was losing control, kept asking if she could fix him… that bitch got hold of my plans to get rid of him so I killed her first.” Adam grinned.
My heart hammered so loudly in my chest I feared they would hear it.
Killed. Aaron wasn't the one who hurt his late wife, it was them. They killed her!
Oh no. And all these years, he had been blaming himself. He thought it was an accident.
The floor nearly gave way beneath me.
“And if Odette does the same, we can kill her too.” Leila whispered.
My stomach churned.
She knew. Leila knew. All this time, she sat with me, laughed with me, cried with me, pretended to care but deep down, she's … a monster.
“From what I saw tonight, Odette is following Nina's footsteps.” Leila said after pouring another glass of wine for herself.
“Well, she'll have to die exactly the same way Nina died,” he chuckled. “I'll wait till Aaron goes on a rampage then, I'll drag her body to where he would find her.”
My hand flew to my mouth.
“It'll be a piece of cake.” He grinned.
Leila laughed. “That's brilliant, honey. Everyone didn't bat an eye when they heard Aaron killed Nina. It won't be a shock to them if I tell them he killed his new Luna.”
My legs trembled so hard I slid to a crouch behind the doorframe. I covered my mouth with my free hand again as a sob tried to escape it.
Why would they want to do this? What did Aaron ever do to them? What did I ever do to them to deserve this cruelty?
“But lately Odette's becoming a thorn in my flesh,” Adam whispered.
“What do you plan to do?” Leila asked curiously.
“I'll kill her,” he said flatly.
Leile didn't scream or gasp. She only grinned. “And Arron will be blamed again.”
“Exactly.”
My heart nearly stopped. I had to get out of here.
Tears gathered in my eyes as I pushed myself to my feet silently, holding onto the wall to steady my shaking limbs.
Nina, Aaron's first wife had died not because of him, but because of these two people and I let one of them close.
I took a step back, careful not to make a sound.
If Adam planned to kill me… then I had to reach Aaron first.
I didn't look back to see where I was going until I bumped into a table. Suddenly, the chairs scrambled and Adam roared.
“Who's there?!”
I gasped.
This time, Leila called out. “Odette?”
I didn't answer nor did I wait for them to see if it was me.
I turned in my heels and fled.