Chapter 6
"Thelma," he said, his voice lower now, more dangerous. "You're embarrassing yourself. And you're embarrassing me in front of the entire pack."
"Good," I said simply, meeting his glare with one of my own.
That's when his mask finally shattered completely. His eyes flashed with pure, undisguised rage, and for a moment, I thought he might actually try to grab me right there in front of everyone.
"You ungrateful little.." he started to snarl, but caught himself when he realized hundreds of eyes were watching his every move.
But several pack members had heard enough to understand that the loving, devoted fiancé act was exactly that, an act.
"What did he almost call her?" someone whispered.
"Did you see the way he looked at her? Like he wanted to hurt her."
"That's not how a mate should speak to his future Luna."
My adoptive father was clearly starting to panic now. I could see sweat beading on his forehead as he realized that his perfect plan was disintegrating in front of hundreds of witnesses. All those months of careful manipulation, of setting up this elaborate scheme, and I was destroying it all with a few simple words.
"That's quite enough!" he barked, using his Alpha voice to command attention and silence. "Everyone, please return to your seats. The ceremony is postponed until further notice."
But I wasn't finished. Not even close.
"Why don't you tell them the truth, Father?" I said, making sure my voice carried clearly across the suddenly quiet hall. "Tell them why you really want me to marry Neon. Tell them what happened to my real parents."
The color drained from his face so quickly I thought he might faint. In the crowd, I saw Yvonne's mouth drop open in shock as she realized I knew far more than she had suspected.
"Thelma, you don't know what you're talking about," he said, but his voice was shaking now, lacking its usual confidence.
"Don't I?" I challenged, taking a step toward him. "Should I tell them about what my blood can really do? About why you kept me alive all these years?"
The crowd was completely silent now, hanging on every word of this unexpected drama. This was definitely not the kind of entertainment they had expected at what was supposed to be a joyous Luna ceremony.
For the first time in my life, I saw genuine fear in my adoptive father's eyes. Real, bone-deep terror at the possibility that his darkest secrets might be exposed.
"Guards," he said quietly, but his voice still carried across the silent hall. "Please escort my daughter to her room. She's clearly unwell and needs to rest."
Two large men started moving toward the platform, but I held up my hand to stop them.
"Stay back," I warned. "I'm not finished yet."
But as I opened my mouth to continue my revelations, something strange happened. The room started spinning around me, slowly at first, then faster. My vision blurred at the edges, and I felt a familiar, terrifying burning sensation spreading through my chest.
No. Not now. Not when I was so close to exposing them.
My legs suddenly felt like they were made of lead, heavy and unsteady. The burning in my chest was intensifying, spreading outward like fire through my veins. It was exactly like before, exactly like in my previous life when...
The poison.
I looked down at my hands and saw them beginning to tremble uncontrollably. The room was spinning faster now, and the voices calling my name seemed to be coming from very far away, like I was hearing them through water.
"Thelma! Thelma, what's wrong?"
"Someone call the healers!"
"She's collapsing!"
I tried to speak, tried to warn them, but my tongue felt thick and heavy in my mouth. My vision was going dark around the edges, and I could feel my knees starting to buckle.
How was this possible? Had the poison somehow survived when I was sent back in time? Or had they...
Through my fading vision, I saw Yvonne's face in the crowd. And for just a moment, her mask of concern slipped, revealing something that made my blood run cold.
Satisfaction. She looked satisfied.
That's when the horrible truth hit me like a physical blow. The urgent mission. The attack by rogues. The poisoning. It had all happened exactly the same way in this timeline too.
They had poisoned me again. As darkness closed in around me and I felt my body hitting the floor, my last coherent thought was a mixture of rage and despair. Even with all my knowledge, even with my second chance, I had still walked right into their trap..
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