The Second Chance Of The Rejected Moon (Celine and Bastian) novel Chapter 115

Chapter 115

I slowly rise to my feet, folding my arms across my chest as I take a step forward until I’m standing directly in front of Beatriz. I don’t need to raise my voice or adopt a threatening stance. The confidence with which I hold her gaze is enough to plunge the entire hall into silence, broken only by the crackling of the fire in the hearth.

“And what right do you have to come here asking me for help?”

Unable to hide it, Beatriz’s face flushes with anger. Her lips press into a thin line, and she clenches her jaw so tightly that the muscles in her face stand out beneath her skin. For a moment, she seems torn between maintaining her composure and unleashing all the fury she’s been holding back since she crossed the castle gates.

“Your father and your brother need you. Whether you like it or not, we’re family.” She furrows her brows she squares her shoulders, trying to reclaim an authority she lost over me a long time ago. “You can help us, and what’s expected of you is that you remember where you came from, Luna Celine.”

The last words drip with venom. The mask of cordiality that both she and Anne have worn since arriving at the castle finally begins to crack as they realize their false smiles and feigned concern aren’t going to move me. Time is running out, and desperation is beginning to seep into every word they speak.

I look at her for several long seconds without taking my eyes off hers. How strange it is to see her so shaken when, for so many years, I was the one trembling in front of her.

“If I remember correctly, my father made the entire pack believe I died alongside my mother the day I was born. He blamed me for her death when I was nothing more than a defenseless baby, and from that day on, all I ever received from Darius Miller was contempt. He hid me from the rest of the pack as though my very existence were something to be ashamed of. He forced me to work as nothing more than a servant from the age of eight and forbade me from leaving the main house so no one would ever discover who I really was. The few people who knew my true identity chose to look the other way because the two of you either bought their silence or frightened them enough to make sure they never spoke a single word.”

The memories come crashing into my chest like a massive wave. What I never intended to reveal slips beyond my control for a moment, and resentment speaks in my place.

“Then you arrived with a four-year-old little girl holding your hand to take the place that belonged to my mother, and you never showed me a single ounce of compassion. You punished me for no reason, turned my own brother against me, had me beaten, humiliated, and left bleeding over and over again until, while I was still just a little girl, you made me wish I’d never been born. So tell me, Beatriz Miller… why should I do anything for any of you when the only thing you deserve is to answer before the law for every crime you committed against me?”

“We gave you a roof over your head, a bed, and food, you ungrateful girl.”

I can’t help letting out a short laugh completely devoid of humor.

“Did you really? Do you honestly believe a cold, damp room that was practically falling apart was what an Alpha’s daughter deserved?” I feel a subtle change spread through my body. A familiar warmth flows from my chest to the tips of my limbs as Astra makes her presence known beneath my skin. My eyes remain fixed on Beatriz, but I know my wolf is watching her as well.

“Anne, now you call me your sister, but weren’t you the one who cut the few clothes I collected from the pack’s charity into strips? Weren’t you the one who stole the blankets and sheets from that room so I’d have to spend every winter shivering with cold? Weren’t you the one who gathered your friends just for the amusement of watching your mother whip me until 1 bled because you needed to prove you were the Alpha’s favorite daughter?”

Anne pales ever so slightly. Her lips part, but no words come out. For the first time since she arrived at the castle, she lowers her eyes for a moment, unable to hold my gaze.

“And we’re sorry…” Beatriz says, her voice much quieter than before.

I watch her for several seconds, allowing the silence to become uncomfortable.

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