Chapter 420
86%
Finished
Ronan Duskcliff stood silently, his face calm yet unreadable-neither fully convinced nor skeptical of the accusations made by Alpha Alaric and Luna Zara. His ces lowered slightly, as if deep in thought, and he said nothing.
Suddenly, a dry, raspy laugh shattered the heavy silence echoing down the dim corridor like the howl of a wounded wolf.
Alpha Alaric, Luna Zara, and Ronan all turned instinctively. Pushed forward by a nurse was Ronan’s sister Tessa, her frail figure seated in a wheelchair.
The sight of her caused Alaric and Zara’s pupils to constrict sharply. The fierce arrogance and harsh words they had just thrown at Riley vanished instantly, replaced by palpable dread and fear.
Alaric’s face paled, sweat beading down his temple, while Zara’s body trembled as if gripped by an invisible hand clutching her heart. Her eyes were wide and filled with terror.
They knew the truth better than anyone.
Scarlett had cunningly lured her deep into the Black Forest under the pretense of a peaceful walk. Once isolated in the shadowy, twisted woods, Scarlett struck with ruthless cruelty, leaving Tessa severely injured and unconscious.
She was found days later by hunters, barely clinging to life, and had since been trapped in a vegetative state, her body broken but her spirit slowly stirring beneath.
Zara had never witnessed the attack, but when Tessa begged for help before slipping into unconsciousness. Zara coldly turned her back and immediately accused Riley of causing her fate.
Together, Zara and Alaric conspired to blame Riley, fabricating lies to cover Scarlett’s heinous betrayal.
Zara even deleted the only surveillance footage that could have proved Riley’s innocence.
The guilt they carried was as heavy as iron chains, and seeing Tessa alive-though fragile-filled them with a deep, gnawing anxiety.
Alaric, experienced in the brutal politics of the Ebonclaw Pack, masked his inner turmoil quickly, but the unease hidden behind his calm eyes was like a river of darkness flowing beneath a frozen lake.
Zara was less composed-since marrying into the Eboncw Pack, she had become a delicate, frightened wife, easily shaken.
Her trembling voice broke the silence, “What… what do you want now?”
Tessa’s eerie smile faded into a hollow, haunting blankness. Years of unconsciousness had drained the blood from her face, leaving hollow cheeks and large, ghostly yes that seemed to pierce the shadows like a wolf stalking its prey.
Ronan rushed forward, concern carved into his feature “Tessa, you shouldn’t be up yet. Your body isn’t healed. You need rest.”
Tessa’s gaze locked onto Ronan’s with icy intensity, eyes sharp as silver daggers.
“Tessa, what’s wrong?” Ronan’s voice wavered as he searched her impassive expression.
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09:58 Thu, Jan 8
Chapter 420
86%
Finished
Though she had just awakened after five years trapped in darkness, she fought tirelessly to speak-for Riley’s sake, to clear her name and reveal Scarlett’s true nature.
What cut her deepest was that Ronan, her own brother had never once asked who destroyed her life.
Had he asked, she could have blinked or nodded, or given any sign.
It was Scarlett.
Her brother needed to avenge her, to send Scarlett to justice.
But no question ever came.
The brother who once cradled her like a cherished pup had become distant, cold, and cruel-unrecognizable and despised.
Her heart shattered into a thousand bloody shards.
With a twisted, grim smile, Tessa summoned all her remaining strength to force two rasped words from her parched throat:
“Retribution.”
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