CHAPTER NINETY ONE


    +25 Bonus


    CHAPTER NINETY ONE


    Talia’s POV


    “Viki? Why are you doing this?” I asked.


    “You have no idea, do you?” she said. “We’ve been watching you all along. My people knew the moment your wolf went silent. And now with the Hunting Rite, everyone is too busy to worry about you. It was the perfect opportunity for me.”


    “Your people?” My voice was hoarse. “Who are they?”


    Viki smirked. “It doesn’t matter. You won’t live long enough to need to know. Tonight, you die, and with you, every mistake of mine gets buried. I’ll have a clean te.”


    I pressed my back against the wall, trying to make myself asfortable as possible despite the silver chains cutting into my wrists. “So, this is about revenge…”


    Her eyes gleamed. “Of course. Do you know what you cost me?”


    “Viki, you did this to yourself,” I retorted.


    “Shut your fucking mouth.” Her voice cracked into a snarl. “If you had not run your mouth, Jason wouldn’t have despised me. Michael wouldn’t have tried to hang me!”


    “You want to me me for your mistakes?” I asked, though my voice trembled with exhaustion. “I didn’t tell you to lie, nor did I tell you to poison yourself with the Redbone Flower.”


    Her chest heaved. Her lips twisted between augh and a sob. “Do you have any idea what you ruined for me? My wedding was perfect. I was meant to be Luna. It was mine, Talia! Mine. And you just couldn’t keep your fucking mouth shut.”


    “Viki, what are you talking about?” I responded.


    “You really are going to keep lying to me?” she asked in disbelief. “My father DIED because of you! If you had kept your promise, he wouldn’t have died. After everything, he loved me. He didn’t see me as just a tool. Do you understand now? I have to do this for my father.”


    “I didn’t tell anyone anything!” I retorted but Viki didn’t hear me.


    “NO!!! Everything fell apart because of you. And now I finally have my chance to take it back.”


    I frowned. I hadn’t told anyone that Viki was taking the Redbone Flower. Solon found out through Marco. So, it’s Nn? “I didn’t tell anyone. Solon found out through…”


    “You expect me to believe that you didn’t tell? Do you think I’m a fool?” Viki snapped, cutting me off.


    Her fingers dented the bars as she trembled with rage. Her voice cracked as she spoke. “Don’t you dare sit there acting innocent over and over again. You’ve always been a cunning little snake.”


    “You’re projecting. You’d do something like that,” I countered. “Not me. Even with you insulting me day in and day out as Luna, I did nothing to you when I could have gotten you disciplined. So why would I hurt you now when I could’ve easily done it as Luna?”


    Her eyes darted. For a moment she looked uncertain, but the rity quickly vanished. She returned to looking unstable.


    Viki began muttering maniacally, “Just shut up! If you disappear, I can fix everything. I’ll tell Jason I was wrong.


    CHAPTER NINETY ONE


    +25 Bonus


    I’ll apologize and cry and beg. He’ll take me back as his Luna. He always should have. Not you. Never you.”


    The venom in her words made me cringe. She was unraveling. Her rage, her grief, and the toll of her body breaking was finally getting to her. Viki was having some type of psychotic break.


    I forced myself to meet her eyes. “Jason turned from you because you lied to him. He would’ve chosen you in the end anyway because he’s vain and power hungry. You faked a pregnancy. This isn’t on me. This is on you.”


    The arrogance drained from her face. She looked as if she wanted to cry before her face contorted into a vicious snarl. “You told Solon about the Redbone Flower, didn’t you? You poisoned me against Jason before I had the chance to exin. Didn’t you?!”


    “Again, I never told him anything,” I said, but my voice was low, tired.


    Her hands trembled as they clutched the bars tighter. “Liar.”


    I bit back the urge to argue again. Nothing I said would cut through the frenzy in her eyes. Exining would not matter. She had already written me as the viin in her mind. I let the silence hang, though inside, I prayed that Father or Solon would find me.


    My eyes flicked to the cell door, desperate, searching for movement beyond the hall. Viki’s gaze caught mine.


    A cruel smile spread across her face. “I know what you’re thinking. Oh, Prince Solon wille save me.”


    I didn’t respond. I just red at her while mentally preparing for what she had nned next.


    “You really think he’lle for you? You’re just an omega, Talia. No one is going toe for you.” (1)


    She unlocked the cell door and swung it open with a scrape that echoed down the corridor. “Look around. This is all you deserve.”


    I forced myself not to shrink back. Panic had slowly turned to fear as I realized how unstable Viki was. My instincts screamed for me to fight and do whatever I could to get free.


    “Still being stoic? Let’s fix that,” Viki smirked and pped her hands.


    Two rogues slunk forward from behind her. They entered the cell, shoulders rolling, and their eyes gleaming yellow. Their clothes were tattered, bloodstained, and caked with mud. The stench of sweat, blood, and bile hit my nose and made me gag. One grinned. His teeth were yellow and broken with bits of rancid meat in between. The other’s mouth was smeared with blood as if he had just finished mauling someone.


    “Evening, Lady Viki,” the one with the yellow teeth said, bowing his head to her before looking at me. “You brought us a gift.”


    Their gazes swept hungrily over me. My throat tightened as bile began rising. I never felt so weak until today. I called out to my wolf again, but still no response. Only silence,


    Despair surged in me, but I held her stare. If this was the end, I would not beg.