Chapter 47

[ 1,027 words ]

Vanessa Toussaint pov: (Arabella’s half-sister)

“What did you say?” I asked my mate Dante, trying to control the rage brewing inside me, “Arabella was your fated mate?”

After the nightmare I had last night, Dante was now telling me this .

Dante shrugged carelessly, “Yeah. But don’t overreact, Vanessa,” he leaned in his chair, “I rejected her for you. And you’re the one who got the prize,” He said with a smirk.

Prize?

What prize?

I almost laughed.

I was his chosen mate. After taking me as his Luna, he didn’t have enough time for me. The only time he really saw me was when he needed me to satiate his desire. Once his desire faded, so did his compliments… so did I.

Love had flown out of the window after I walked into this packhouse.

I had dreamed of becoming a Luna for years. Not because I loved Dante but because I wanted Arabella to see me sitting beside an Alpha, ruling this pack while she continued living like the forgotten daughter of our family.

I loved how everyone praised me for my beauty. When Dante chose me, I thought I had finally won. I even secretly dreamed of making Arabella my personal Omega.

Instead, she ended up in the royal palace. The Lycan King was supposed to take a slave; he marked her instead.

And now…

Now Dante was telling me that Arabella had been his fated mate too.

“Why didn’t you tell me, Dante? You should’ve told me.”

“Now don’t act like a petty, miserable girlfriend,” He scoffed, “Look around you, Vanessa. You’re living in an Alpha’s packhouse as his Luna. You wear expensive clothes. Every female would kill to have your life,” His smug smile made my blood boil.

Last night’s nightmare was still fresh in my mind. The way Arabella had treated me in that dream was enough to leave me shaken.

I needed to see Mom. She was the only one who could understand my pain. Ever since Victor came back, she had been over the moon. It felt like she barely had time left for me.

***

“What is that face for now?” My mother glanced at me and frowned.

I was sitting beside her on the couch, twisting my fingers while she looked relaxed, sipping her tea.

“Mom…” I looked at her helplessly, “I told you. Arabella was in my dream. She grabbed my tongue…” I swallowed hard, “She wanted to cut it off. She kept threatening me.”

My mother started shaking her head and clicked her tongue in annoyance, “For Goddess’ sake, Vanessa,” She set her cup down with a sharp clink, “You’re now the Luna of the Blackthorn pack. Start acting like one.”

“Mom…”

“No,” She cut me off, “If anyone has the right to worry. It’s me,” The softness on her face had disappeared, “I’m the one whose son might be dragged back to the Lycan Kingdom.”

The mention of Victor made my eyes snap to her face. She rubbed her forehead, trying to smooth out the worry lines.

“Mom. Arabella is…”

“What about her?” she snapped, “She’s nothing but a slave. Or have you already forgotten?”

“The King marked her, Mom.”

My mother let out a mocking laugh, “So what?” She leaned closer, her eyes gleaming with satisfaction, “No one will dare lay a finger on us. Not even the king.”

“How can you be so sure?”

A wicked smile slowly spread across her face, “Because we bound her under the Alpha command.”

Her words took a moment to sink in, “Wh…what? What do you mean?”

My mother chuckled, “She is offered to the King as our family’s sacrifice. The decision was from the council elders. Arabella will never utter a single word against us even if she wants to. The Alpha command will never let her speak.”

I wanted to feel happiness, but I couldn’t. Everyone knew that putting someone under Alpha command was a crime.

“Mom. Do you think this is safe? What if…”

Mother didn’t let me finish and got to her feet with a chuckle. She picked up her empty cup and walked toward the cabinet, placing it down before dusting off her hands.

She then turned to face me, “Who do you think we are, Vanessa? Do you know the King’s men come here every other day?”

I seemed to lose my voice when I heard that, “King’s men?” I whispered.

“Yes. They were royal investigators, in common people’s clothing. They were questioning our pack members.”

A chill crept down my spine, “What did they find?”

Mom smiled as she folded her arms, “Exactly what we wanted them to find. We were ready for them, Vanessa,” she started pacing across the room, “When a lie is repeated often enough, people stop questioning it,” then her eyes met mine, “and they start believing it. Every Omega in this pack told them the same story… that Arabella lived here like a princess,” her smile widened, “They never saw the truth. They only saw what we allowed them to see.”

She stopped beside me and rested a hand on my shoulder, “Your father and the pack Alpha spent weeks preparing everyone. The servants, the guards, the Omegas. If anyone was questioned, they all gave the same answer,” her smile turned colder, “Arabella was loved. She was respected. Just like you, she was our spoiled daughter.”

I never realized how far my parents had gone. Sending Arabella away hadn’t been the end of their plan. It had only been the beginning.

While I was busy enjoying the honeymoon phase with Dante, my parents were preparing for the royal people who would come asking questions.

They made sure every single person in the pack repeated the same story until it sounded like the truth.

“Our only real problem was Maya,” Mom walked to the window, “She knew too much. Thank Goddess she ran away. So, tell me, Vanessa,” She spread her hands, “Who is left to tell the truth now?”

I slowly looked away and swallowed hard. For the first time in my life, I wasn’t sure whether I should admire my parents or be terrified of them.

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