Lethal Temptation (by Michelle Ray) novel Chapter 199

199 Final

Mara

We woke early, refreshed from the night before. After showering and dressing, Lucian and I headed to

breakfast. It had been uneventful lately without Martha’s usual dramatics. Honestly, I missed the chaos a

little-it had its own rhythm. Still, the peace had been a blessing.

Vander hadn’t banned her from the table. She’d simply stopped coming.

So when we walked into the dining room and found Martha seated at the table, I froze.

She looked thin-shockingly so. Her face was gaunt, her posture stiff. She reeked faintly of alcohol, and

her eyes were too bright, too wide. There was something off-not just physically, but emotionally.

Tiffany caught my eye and gave me a small smile. I returned it, but my attention drifted back to Martha

immediately.

“Good morning,” I greeted her cautiously.

“Good morning, Mara!” she replied, too cheerfully. There was a strange, manic edge to her voice. I could

swear she was either drunk or on something.

She didn’t carry Vander’s scent. They hadn’t spent the night together. But she looked happy-or maybe just unhinged. It was hard to tell.

I glanced at Darian. He gave a small shrug, as if to say, Don’t ask me.

Lacy sat at the end of the table, quiet and clearly anxious. She looked like she hadn’t slept all night.

When Vander entered the room and saw Martha, he froze in his tracks. For a second, no one moved. Then,

calmly, he took his seat.

Without a word, Martha stood up and relocated to sit beside Lacy-far away from Vander.

Why didn’t she just sit there to begin with? The move felt performative-intentional.

We all greeted Vander, and he offered a short, distracted response. Breakfast was served, and a strange, heavy silence followed.

I noticed Martha didn’t touch her food. Her fingers toyed with the edge of her napkin, but her appetite was

gone.

“Won’t you eat your food?” Vander finally asked, his voice clipped.

She smiled at him, tight-lipped.

“I’m not hungry. I just wanted to spend time with my family!”

She reached out and patted Lacy gently on the head. The girl flinched.

Something is definitely wrong.

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“Lucian,” Martha said suddenly, smiling at him, “I hope you’re ready for the handover. You’ll make an excellent Alpha.”

Her tone was polite-too polite. Like someone reading from a script.

Then she turned to me.

“I wish I could give you some advice on being Luna, Mara. But… I was never good for much.”

She took a sip of her juice. Her hand trembled.

Vander put his utensils down with a clink.

“Out with it, Martha,” he growled.

The smile vanished from her face.

“I have nothing to say.”

“Then don’t spoil breakfast. Today is a big day for Lucian and Mara.”

“I haven’t said anything wrong,” she replied, her voice smaller now, but still defensive.

“I only congratulated them. Forgive me for that.”

She looked toward us, her eyes glassy.

“Sorry I said anything.”

Her lips quivered. She blinked rapidly, trying to hold back tears.

Then Darian’s voice cut through the quiet like a blade.

“Where is Alaric Moongrove, Mother?”

Martha’s head turned slowly. Her eyes met his, and she looked like he’d slapped her.

“Anything I haven’t said, Darian… is for your good,” she said softly.

“But I promise you-he won’t bother anyone again after today.”

The certainty in her voice made my skin crawl.

Clas

“Why are you so sure?” Darian pressed. “Did you finally pay him off? I saw you selling your jewelry. Did

you manage to come up with the money?”

Vander slammed his hand against the table.

“What?!”

Martha flinched-visibly shaken. She turned pale.

She was terrified of Vander.

“Your family ring wasn’t part of what I sold,” Martha blurted quickly, her voice trembling.

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199 Final

“I’ll return it to you today after the handover.”

But Vander wasn’t calming down.

Darian leaned forward, his frustration rising.

“Why are you doing this, Mother? You’d rather sell everything you own than just tell us where he is?”

Tears spilled freely down Martha’s face now, her lips pressed tightly together. She was holding something in, something heavy-and it was poisoning her from the inside.

“I wish I knew where he was,” she said shakily, looking straight at her son.

“If I did… I would have killed him myself. But I don’t. I have no clue what he’s planning, where he’s hiding. But I’ve found a way to get him off our backs.”

She reached out to Lacy, gently touching her hair. The girl flinched-barely-but it said enough. Her face was streaked with tears, her hands clenched tight in her lap.

“I have something for you and Lacy,” Martha said to Darian.

“I had to come to breakfast. No one is answering my links. I’ve been shut out completely. This was the only way to speak to you all at once.”

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