Chapter 87 What's your proof

Chapter 87 What's your proof
"You sent for me," Bree said, fixing her eyes on Shonda as soon as she stepped into the receiving chamber of the temple.

The summon had reached her barely an hour ago, and she had immediately embarked on the journey from the palace to the temple without wasting any time. Whatever Shonda wanted with her, it was clearly important enough to demand her immediate presence in the temple of all places.

"I did," Shonda, who was seated on a fur covered sofa, affirmed.

She pushed herself to her feet and walked toward Bree, already prepared to dive straight into the business of the day. But before she could say anything else, something about Bree's face caught her attention.

Her eyes were red.

"You've been crying. Why?"

Bree's expression turned sad instantly as her eyes dropped to the floor. She tried to hold herself together, but the moment Shonda asked the question, the emotions she had been keeping bottled up threatened to spill over again.

"Is my situation not enough to make me cry?" she asked, her voice carrying the frustration and pain she had been unable to hide any longer. "I am moon blessed. I have a mate, but I still feel as worthless as a moonless, all because of one person."

She finally looked up, her eyes revealing just how deeply the situation had affected her.

Instead of pity, Shonda responded with a knowing smile. "I understand your situation perfectly, Bree. But you should be grateful."

Bree's brows pulled together.

"Grateful for what exactly?" she shot back with a frown. Was the woman going crazy? Why should she be grateful for a miserable life where she had everything she was supposed to have and yet still felt like she had nothing?

"For the fact that I have worked together with the moon god to abolish mate rejection," Shonda responded with all the confidence in the world.

She turned around and began walking toward the inner chamber, clearly expecting Bree to follow.

Bree remained where she was for a moment, trying to understand what Shonda meant. The words had caught her off guard, but when Shonda glanced back and gestured for her to follow, she quickly fell into step behind her.

"As it stands now, Evander cannot reject you," Shonda said.

Bree let out a low scoff.

"You say so, but he is openly craving another. He may not have rejected me the official way, but he is doing it unofficially every day he shows how much he wants her."

"He can crave her, but she will never replace you as Luna," Shonda said, turning to face her once they reached the inner chamber.

Her confidence seemed to reassure Bree for a moment, but Shonda was not finished.

"Now that the seductress is no longer with us, this is your chance to win back the heart of your mate and bear an alpha heir to secure your place."

Bree's frown deepened. "How do I do that?"

Her eyes wandered around the small chamber as she asked the question. She took in the strange items arranged around the room, the paintings covering portions of the walls, and the unusual wall hangings that gave the place an eerie appearance.

Shonda watched her for a moment before answering.

"The only way to beat a seductress at her game is to become an even better seductress."

Her response came smoothly, without even the slightest hesitation.

She turned toward a small table positioned at one corner of the room and reached for something resting on its surface. After picking it up, she turned back toward Bree.

"This is the last fedojon seed you are supposed to take to complete the upgrade of your bond energy." She placed the seed into Bree's palm. Bree stared down at it, her fingers slowly closing around the seed. "After you eat it, you'll drink this, then I'll perform some heavenly enchantments on you tonight to completely suppress your scent."

That caught Bree off guard.

"Suppress my scent? Does that mean I won't have a scent anymore?" she probed, looking at Shonda with a mixture of confusion and concern.

"The upgrade already altered your scent, and that is the reason Alpha Evander cannot tolerate your presence. Suppressing it gives you an advantage."

The answer didn't seem to convince Bree or completely rid her of the worry that had already begun eating at her. She looked down at the thing in her hand, uncertainty lingering in her eyes.

"Will I remain scentless forever?"

"Don't worry. All he needs to do first is mark you. After he marks you, your scent will return and normalize. He will no longer be repulsed by you," Shonda assured her. "Also, I'll teach you everything you need to know about winning his heart back."

That seemed to do the trick.

The tension gradually left Bree's face, replaced by a small measure of relief. If being marked by Evander would restore everything, then perhaps there was nothing for her to fear after all.

She ate the seed and afterwards drank the content of the oblong jar Shonda offered her.

The bitter taste hit her instantly.

Her entire face tightened as she fought against the urge to spit it out. She forced herself to swallow every drop, grimacing throughout the process before finally lowering the empty jar.

"I feel sleepy," she confessed moments later when the effects of the drink began to settle over her.

"Of course you do," Shonda acknowledged, already expecting that result. She gestured toward the stone table. "Go lie down on that stone table."

Bree did as instructed.

She climbed onto the cold stone surface and settled down, her eyelids becoming heavier with every passing second. Before long, she slipped into a deep sleep, completely unaware of her surroundings.

Shonda stood beside her and began the incantations over her sleeping form.

Her voice filled the chamber as she repeated the strange words, her staff moving in measured patterns while the objects surrounding the room seemed to take on a faint glow.

She was so focused on what she was doing that she failed to notice the presence approaching from behind.

"Messing with bond energy again, Shonda?"

The unexpected voice echoed through the chamber.

Shonda startled visibly, the incantation dying on her lips. She turned around, her eyes widening for a brief moment before her expression hardened.

The voice belonged to Havilah.

He stood just outside the entrance of the inner chamber, his posture relaxed and his eyes fixed directly on her.

But that was not the worst of her concern.

"How did you get in here without my notice?" Shonda demanded, her voice tight as her face twisted into a scowl.

Havilah didn't bother answering the question.

"One would think that after messing with Evander's bond energy, you would learn never to do something like that again. But I guess some lessons never stick, right?"

He finally crossed the threshold into the inner chamber, his eyes moving from one strange item to another before eventually settling on Bree's sleeping body.

Shonda immediately stepped slightly toward the stone table, almost instinctively placing herself between Havilah and Bree.

"You should know better than to throw false accusations around, Havilah," Shonda reminded him.

"Exactly. Unlike you, I know when to and when not to speak. Don't even bother denying it. I'm not one to accuse without hard proof," Havilah shot back.

Shonda's eyes narrowed.

"What's your proof that I messed with his bond energy?" she probed, keeping her bold exterior intact and refusing to reveal the slightest trace of fear.

Havilah's lips curved into a small smirk.

"I will give it to you only if you agree that it be made open to everyone, including Alpha Evander, who, by the way, already suspects what you did to him."

For the first time since Havilah entered the chamber, Shonda's expression cracked.

Her confidence faltered for the briefest moment before she quickly tried to regain control.

Havilah noticed it.

"What do you say? Deal or no deal?" he added.

"What do you want?" Shonda asked, an ugly frown settling over her face.

Havilah smirked. "What do I want? Let me see."

He glanced around the room again, his gaze briefly resting on Bree before returning to Shonda.

"Why don't we start with you telling me why you are trying to put us into another trouble when we are yet to resolve the one you've already created?"

"This is me trying to solve it," Shonda defended her actions.

"By messing up another bond energy?" Havilah asked, raising his brows.

"By making her bond energy match his so that we can have another Alpha soon should Evander decide to keep misbehaving."

Shonda's reason came out with barely concealed anger, her frustration spilling into every word.

Havilah stared at her for a moment, his expression slowly becoming more serious.

"So that's your solution?"

Shonda lifted her chin. "It is a solution."

Her eyes moved briefly toward Bree's sleeping form before returning to Havilah.

"If Evander refuses to cooperate, then we need another option. I'm making sure that option is available before it becomes necessary."