The Rise Of The Betrayed Luna (Amorah and Holmes) novel Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Chapter 15

AMORAH

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The chamber did not empty as quickly as it should have. Even after the basin was exposed and the truth inside it erased, the elders remained in quiet discussion, their voices low but tense.

No one spoke openly about what had just happened, but the shift in the room was clear to anyone paying attention.

I did not look away from Holmes.

He stood in front of me, composed as ever, but I could see it now. The control was tighter, more deliberate, as though he was holding something in place beneath the surface.

“You’re done here.” he said quietly.

His tone was calm, but it had authority.

I did not move.

“No,” I replied.

The single word hung between us.

The guards remained still, waiting, their uncertainty visible now that the situation had slipped beyond simple obedience. Behind me, I could feel the presence of the stranger, steady and watchful, but I did not turn toward him.

This was between Holmes and me. Holmes stepped closer. The distance between us closed completely.

I could feel the heat of his body, the pressure of his wolf pressing forward instinctively, trying to reclaim space that no longer belonged to him. It wrapped around me in a way that used to feel natural.

Now it felt wrong.

“Don’t do this here,” he said, his voice lower now.

“Where should I do it?” I asked.

My voice stayed even, but my chest felt tight.

“In private?” I continued. “Like everything else you’ve been hiding?”

His jaw tightened.

“You’re crossing a line.”

“You erased the truth,” I said.

He did not deny it.

Instead, his gaze sharpened, and his voice dropped further. “You think you understand what you’re dealing with, but you

don’t.”

I held his gaze.

“Then explain it.” I said.

For a moment, he said nothing.

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Chapter 15

The silence stretched between us, heavy with everything that had not been said for years. Around us, the chamber continued to shift, but it felt distant compared to the tension building here.

“You forced the council’s hand,” he said finally. “You forced a rite without preparation.”

“I forced the truth,” I replied.

“You forced chaos.” he corrected.

I took a step closer.

“There was nothing chaotic about it until your guards arrived.”

His eyes flickered briefly. There. That was the crack.

“You’re making accusations without proof,” he said.

“You made sure there would be no proof.”

His hand moved suddenly.

It closed around my upper arm, firm enough to stop me from stepping back.

“Enough,” he said.

My body reacted instantly, tension running through me as my wolf stirred sharply beneath my skin. I did not pull away immediately, but I did not relax either.

“Take your hand off me,” I said.

He did not.

Instead, he leaned closer, his voice dropping so low only I could hear it.

“You are still my mate.”

The words landed harder than they should have.

“Not for long,” I replied.

Something in his grip tightened at that.

“You think the council will sever this bond based on suspicion?” he asked.

“I think they will when I’m done,” I said.

For a moment, neither of us moved.

The air between us felt sharp, every word pushing us further apart while the bond between us pulled in the opposite direction. It was strained now, uneven, but it was still there.

I hated that I could still feel it.

“You’ve always underestimated what it takes to hold power,” he said.

“And you’ve always abused it,” I replied:

His eyes darkened.

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Chapter 15

“That’s where you’re wrong.”

“Is it?” I asked. “Or is that what you’ve been telling yourself?”

His grip tightened again.

This time. I pulled my arm free.

“I am not the same Luna you controlled before,” I said.

He straightened slightly, watching me with a different kind of focus now. Not dismissive. Not irritated.

“You were never controlled,” he said.

I almost laughed.

“You poisoned me.” I said quietly. “You kept me weak so I couldn’t give you an heir.”

For the first time, he did not respond immediately.

“That’s what this is really about,” I continued. “Not the council. Not the pack. Control.”

His expression hardened again, the moment of hesitation gone.

“You’re letting emotions cloud your judgment.”

“No,” I said. “I’m finally seeing clearly.”

Behind me, I heard movement as more of the chamber began to empty. The elders were withdrawing, their discussions moving elsewhere, leaving only a few guards and scattered witnesses behind.

The space around us widened.

But the tension between us did not.

“You

should have stayed in your chambers,” he said.

“You should have been more careful,” I replied.

His gaze sharpened at that.

“You think you’ve gained an advantage,” he said. “You haven’t.”

“I think you’re running out of time,” I said.

Something shifted in his expression again.

“And what do you plan to do with that time?” he asked.

I held his gaze.

“Expose you.”

The words landed cleanly between us. For a moment, there was no reaction. Then he exhaled slowly, almost like he had expected that answer.

“You don’t have what you need,” he said.

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Chapter 15

He studied me carefully.

“You’re relying on assumptions,” he said. “On things you think you heard.”

“I heard enough,” I replied.

His eyes narrowed slightly.

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