From Betrayed Luna to Wolf Queen (Lillian) novel Chapter 6

Lillian's POV:

The doctor said I needed to stay in the hospital for at least a week. Chloe left to fetch me some clean clothes from the apartment.

I must have lost too much blood the night before, because a leaden exhaustion pulled me under, dragging me back into a deep, heavy sleep.

I didn't know how much time had passed when the door to my private room whispered open.

The soft sound of wheels rolling on linoleum.

I opened my eyes.

Iris entered, seated in a wheelchair pushed by a uniformed attendant. With a slight wave of her hand behind her, the attendant retreated, closing the door with a soft click.

A faint, cold smile played on her lips—one that held unmistakable satisfaction.

"How are you feeling? I just had a word with your physician. He mentioned you had a significant hemorrhage last night. You must be feeling utterly drained."

I didn't answer, simply watched her with icy detachment.

Meeting my gaze, Iris' smile widened a fraction. "And you still intend to cling to the title of Julian's Luna?"

I lifted my eyelids, the movement slow. "That shove yesterday. It was deliberate, wasn't it?"

In that moment, I was almost certain. Both the "accident" two years ago and the push yesterday had been calculated.

Iris folded her hands neatly in her lap, not directly confirming. Her tone was deceptively calm, yet carried an undercurrent of steel. "Sever the mate bond with Julian. Name your price. Whatever you want, I'll ensure you get it."

I continued to stare.

This was the woman the entire Graves Pack praised as the epitome of grace and propriety.

What a magnificent performance.

A soft, derisive sound escaped me. "The depression... It's all an act, isn't it? Does Julian have any idea how you truly feel about him?"

"That is hardly your concern." Her voice cooled several degrees.

Perhaps because I was an Omega from an orphanage, with no pack name behind me, she didn't even bother to maintain the facade in private.

"I can understand yesterday. But two years ago?" I pressed, my voice low. "Why come for me then?"

Two years ago, Ethan was still alive. Had her fixation on Julian begun even then?

Iris' gaze dropped. She was silent for a beat too long.

"Some questions are better left unasked."

Her hesitation was answer enough. The final pieces clicked into place. Both incidents had been intentional.

While still bonded to his brother, she had already been plotting for Julian.

"Lillian, you need to know when to let go," she said, lifting her eyes, her tone now openly dismissive. "With your... origins, you were never meant for a pack like the Graves."

Your origins. The words ripped away any pretense. In her eyes, I was a low-ranking Omega she could easily crush, utterly defenseless.

Faced with her naked arrogance, I let out a short, hollow laugh. "Did Julian tell you?"

She raised a perfectly shaped brow. "Tell me what?"

"That I'm reclaiming the lead design credit for the Moonvale Eco-Community project."

Iris' expression froze for a fleeting second.

Then, a mocking laugh bubbled from her throat. "You? How do you propose to do that? With your... impressive connections? Or perhaps your orphanage alumni network?"

The arrogance was breathtaking.

"A nobody like you," she leaned forward slightly, her voice dropping to a venomous whisper, "could disappear from Gilneas City, and no one would bother to look. I suggest you learn your place. Your little threats don't frighten me. They only irritate me, and that never ends well for the source of my irritation."

Her words were glacial, laced with a promise of violence. "Leave Julian. Leave Graves' territory. Don't come back. This is the last time I'll ask politely." Her eyes glittered with a predatory sharpness.

Having delivered her ultimatum, she turned her wheelchair to leave.

Watching her back, I spoke quietly into the sterile room. "I've never seen a... rival... be quite so bold."

Most at least attempted subtlety.

Iris' audacity stemmed from one source—the backing of her mother, Margaret.

The wheelchair stopped.

Iris looked back over her shoulder, a cruel, bloodless curve lifting the corner of her mouth.

"Rival?" she echoed, her voice sweetly poisonous. "How many people in the Graves Pack territories even recognize you as his mate?"

The blow landed with perfect, painful accuracy.

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