Fated To Three, Betrayed By All… Until She Rose.-Chapter 275: Take the hint.

Chalice.

"We could start a fire." The girl next-cell said to me for the nth time since we’ve met, successfully integrating the thought into my soul until I could no longer decipher if it was her idea or mine anymore.

I looked down at my hands filled with dirt and grime and whatever else you could think of. But at that moment, thoughts about myself were the last thing on my mind.

However, what I thought about instead was the strange guy behind a cloak. The one who claims now to be Jennifer’s brother. The one who I was sure was lying because I never knew Jennifer had a brother in all the years I’ve known her.

I also thought about Leilani. Sweet precious Leilani whose life must be nothing but a bouquet of roses in my absence, and my husbands whom I was sure must be showering her with all the love and affection in the world.

The thought made my heart tighten with malice. It made my blood boil so much, whatever fire my neighbor was talking about felt little in comparison. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

I turned to look in the direction of her voice, and even though I couldn’t really see her face due to how dark her cell was, I imagined her to be a brunette with sharp eyes and sharper tongue.

I hissed; "How do we start the fire?"

"Now, this is where the little connections you have should come in. You were Luna. You should have some subjects or minions... whatever! But there should be some people who would be willing to lay down their lives just to protect you..."

I squeezed my eyes shut. I didn’t.

All I had was a drive to get the hell out of here. All I wanted was to get rid of this child or children in my womb... then my pesky sister, Leilani.

Maybe she would have people willing to sacrifice themselves for her— eg that Frostclaw Alpha.

I shook my head and sighed; "No."

"No?"

She sounded stunned yet disappointed. And I could imagine the slow smile that suddenly spread across her face as she suddenly whispered; "It doesn’t matter."

"Huh?"

"Try commanding a guard. Ask them for fuel... a little of it."

"And if he asks me what I need it for, what should I say?"

"He wouldn’t ask. But if he does, tell him that you’re injured and need to clean your wounds."

Her voice... her conviction was what pushed me into slowly nodding my head in agreement. My heart raced though, and it felt as though a large bile had lodged itself between my chest.

I rasped; "Okay," and began to tremble slightly when the sounds of boots hitting the pavement from the distance began to fill my ears.

A guard was coming!

It was evening, meaning that it was time for one of the large stupid guards to come and check on all of us; but this time, instead of shrinking away when he hovered over my cell, I looked up, forcing pain into my voice as I croaked; "Hey you!"

He stopped. "Luna Chalice?"

Good.

"Yes, it’s me! Please help me with some fuel. I’ve cut myself in the knee an I need a little fuel to clean my wounds. I would have asked for a bottle of methylated spirit, but I know that that wouldn’t be given to me."

"It won’t." He answered and with that, walked off, only to return later with a half full bottle of a pungent smelling liquid.

He tossed it at me. "Clean away!"

"Thank you." I said sweetly, "thank you for real!"

—

Leilani.

For a couple of minutes— even after he left my house— I stood there, shocked to my bones and shaking like a leaf in the wind due to fear, confusion and... you guys may find this crazy... but joy.

I was happy, but it was not in the way that you all may probably think. I was happy because I’d been able to throw him off so effortlessly.

Because now, I was sure that I wasn’t so powerless against him.

I walked over to my table mechanically and also lost in my thoughts, my heart skipping a beat whenever I remembered how far he had flown when I’d pushed him. How shocked he had seemed. How powerful I had felt in that moment.

A sure slow smile spread across my face as I sat down and clasped my hands between my legs.

"You seem too happy for someone who I’ve been told was in danger." A voice suddenly said from my door, causing my head to whip in the direction so fast, my neck almost snapped.

"Maya!"

"Aye, aye, your majesty. It is I!" She sassed back with a smile— one that I returned as I jumped into her spread out arms.

I breathed in a lungful of her warm scent, my heart skipping beats now, not out of fear but pure glee. It felt good to see a nice face after everything. To be in the arms of someone I was comfortable with after my run in with Darius.

Her arms wrapped around my body, hugging me too tightly and for a moment too long— not like I complained. She buried her face into my hair and sighed;

"I missed you."

"You always do."

"I wish I could live with you."

"Say that to Gavin." I replied with a smile, and when she chuckled, I pulled away, pulling her further into the house and to a chair. "I’m sorry, the house is in a bit of a mess. But—"

"I was told you had an episode today. Heat." She drawled, making me freeze in my steps. "So I can’t even be mad that the house is in ’a bit of a mess.’

I cocked my eyebrows as I watched her sit, not bothering to hide my embarrassment and mortification as I coldly said; "Gavin."

"Huh?"

"Gavin told you about it. Didn’t he?"

She shook her head. "Nope. Not really. Your mates did and they tasked me with the job of staying with you to keep you safe."

I froze.

The remote control in my hands turned into stone and I found myself frowning, wondering if I’d just heard correctly or if this was another game being played on me by my mind.

"They didn’t."

She shrugged. "Alpha Zevran called me earlier— I do not know how he got my phone number— but he did, and asked me to come over. He also told me that you were in a lot of pain due to your heat and that he trusts me to be around you in a moment such as this more than anyone else, especially Alpha Frostclaw."

Heat crawled up my face as her words rang free between us, and in that moment, I realized that he didn’t do this out of care. Maybe he was indeed worried about me,but he certainly did it out of jealousy, to mark his territory.

And I hated that even up until now, he hasn’t gotten the hint— that we could never ever be a thing.