Alpha's Discarded Luna (Talia) novel Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Talia’s POV

A faint, mocking smile plays on Raymond’s lips. “Mr. Perseus, when your wife was under attack, you were clearly engaged in some other activities with a certain someone. And now that the battle has been won, suddenly, you are interested in competing with me over who will take her to safety? How gentlemanly of you!”

Aires’s face darkens further, a muscle ticking in his jaw. He has

no retort.

Imema, of course, rushes to fill the silence. Her voice is a gentle flutter. “Aires just arrived! He would never have allowed such bullying if he’d seen it sooner…”

Raymond doesn’t even look at her. His gaze is a laser on Aires. “When the reporters turned toward Miss. Volkov, you shut them down with a single word before they could even open their traps. But when they were tearing your wife apart with accusations and lies, where was your protection then?”

He puts extra emphasis on the word ‘wife’ making it sting further.

Imema flinches, her delicate features pinching with distress.

The things they said… they weren’t all lies. Miss. Perseus 16:29

Chapter 25

admitted some of it herself. If you don’t believe me, ask her.”

Raymond ignores her, a dismissal more potent than any argument. He keeps his eyes on Aires. “Well? Do you share your friend’s assessment of your wife’s character?”

Aires’s gaze, heavy and dark, finally pulls away from Raymond and lands on me. It’s not a look of concern, it’s a command. “Come here, Talia.”

Raymond lets out a soft, derisive breath. He knows he’s wasting his time. Talking to a wall would be more productive.

The choice is no choice at all. I look at Raymond, my voice flat. “Mr. Capaldi, the hospital, please.”

His smile is a small, private victory. “As you wish, Lia.”

୮

He adjusts his hold and walks forward, forcing Aires to step aside or be shouldered out of the way.

A cool breeze stirs as he passes, carrying the scent of sandalwood, each step filled with the power.

The doctor confirms it’s a bad sprain, not a fracture. Raymond steps out to take a call, the weight of his presence leaving the singll exam room feeling strangely empty. Exhaustion, delayed 9

Chapter 25

and total, crashes over me. I lean back in the stiff chair and my eyes drift shut.

I don’t mean to sleep. But the darkness pulls me under into a chaotic collage of nightmares. Imema’s smiling face twisting into a malicious grin. The lake water, shockingly cold. Aeson’s small hand, not reaching for me, but pushing me. Me, falling into a black abyss, with Aires and Aeson watching from the edge, their faces blank.

I jerk awake with a gasp, my heart slamming against my ribs. A cold sweat coats my skin.

“A nightmare?” A deep, familiar voice asks from my right.

A clean handkerchief is offered. I take it mechanically, muttering a thanks, wiping my brow before the cold dread of recognition hits.

I turn my head.

Aires sits in the visitor’s chair beside the exam table. How long has he been there?

Shock is quickly swallowed by a wave of pure irritation. “What are you doing here?”

He observes my reaction, his lips twisting into a cold smirk. Disappointed? Were you expecting to see your new knight?6:29

Chapter 25

“No,” I say, my voice weary. “It’s not about whom I wanted to see. It’s about whom I don’t wish to see at all. And to be honest, it feels quite nauseating.”

T

His eyes narrow. He watches me for a long moment, as if trying to decode a puzzle. Then he says quietly, “If you are prepared to offer a sincere, public apology to Imema, I will issue a statement. I will clarify on behalf of the Alpha Council that the recent events were nothing more than misunderstandings.”

I stare at him, refusing to back down.

“I have nothing to apologize for.”

His mask of calmness finally cracks. His voice drops, icy and sharp. “After all this, Talia, you still see no fault in your actions?”

My hands clench into fists on my lap, the knuckles bleaching white. The echo of a million hateful comments screams in my head, and he sits here, in this sterile room, waiting for me to The absurdity of it is a physical pressure in my chest.

again, the sound verging on hysterical. “My only

ke, the monumental, life-ruining mistake, was ever saying to you.”

“Talia, enough!” he barks, the Alpha command lacing the words.

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“You’re right, it’s enough!” I snap back, meeting his fury with my own cold fire. “You are welcome to be a blind man forever biased toward Imema. But I refuse to keep playing the fool who endures it.”

His eyes turn obsidian. “You always asked for too much.”

The injustice of it steals my breath. “Too much? I asked for basic respect! For loyalty! You gave Imema a wedding theme meant for your mate. You spent millions to make her a celebrity. You froze the accounts of the woman who manages your home and raised your heir, and you have the audacity to say I asked for too much?”

His voice is glacial. “Nothing justifies the way you have targeted her. Your jealousy is a sickness.”

“Yes,” I hiss, the sarcasm dripping like poison. “I am sick with jealousy of Saint Imema, so pure, so faultless.”

r

He frowns, a look of genuine bewilderment crossing his face, as if I am speaking a language he cannot parse. He truly sees me as the irrational one.

I take a steadying breath, the fight draining out of me, leaving only cold resolve. “Here is what will happen. You and Ms. Volkov will issue a joint statement. You will retract every lie, clarify every manipulated timeline, and end this public lynching.

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Chapter 25

Or,” I meet his gaze, unblinking, “you will find out what a ruined reputation truly looks like.”

He actually laughs then, a short, derisive sound. “I will have a ruined reputation?”

“You don’t believe me.”

“Frankly, no.”

A small, cold smile touches my lips. “Then we’ll see, won’t we?”

The silence that follows is absolute and hostile. He stands, looking down at me as if I’m a stranger, a problem he can no longer solve. He leaves without another word.

Shortly after, Raymond returns. He doesn’t ask. He simply helps me up and takes me home.

*

The next afternoon, I drive to Silver Creek Academy to pick up Robin. The online storm still rages, a constant, low-grade hum in the background of my life. But Robin, through texts and quiet phone calls, has been a tiny, steadfast light. He insisted on seeing me. The thought of his serious little face warms something in my frozen chest.

Traffic is a snarl. I don’t want him waiting anxiously qn the curb

Chapter 25

I tap out a quick message.

Me: Stuck in traffic. Will be a few minutes late. Sorry,

sweetheart.

His reply is almost immediate.

Robin: It’s okay, Lia. Don’t worry. Drive safely.

The simple kindness of it makes my throat tighten. Aeson would have sent a frowning emoji at best, a complaint at worst. Once, when I was sick and moving slowly, he just brushed past me, more concerned about texting Imema back.

I’m a block from the school, approaching a four-way intersection. The light is green for me. I begin my turn.

From the cross-street to my left, a dark sedan, moving far too fast for the residential area, blows through its red light. It isn’t slowing. It’s accelerating.

My heart jumps into my throat. I twist the steering wheel hard to the right, in a desperate attempt to avoid the inevitable.

Time slows. I see the grille of the other car. The driver’s face, a blur behind tinted glass.

Then, impact.

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Chapter 25

A deafening roar of rending metal and shattering glass.

The world snaps, spins, and goes brutally, finally, black.

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