The Silent Luna's Trial (Maple and Finn) novel Chapter 74

**When the Last Candle Sang to the Ocean Wind by Aurelion Kyre Solvane**

Natalia’s complexion drained of color, her eyes wide with fear as she struggled to articulate her defense in a voice that trembled like a fragile leaf in the wind.

“This is a setup! Someone’s trying to ruin me! The child is yours!”

She paused, her breath hitching, then reached out, gripping Dante’s arm with desperate urgency. “Please, don’t trust these reports—someone is framing me! Yes, it’s all a setup!”

Dante, overwhelmed by a wave of disgust, forcefully shook her hand away, his patience wearing thin. He fished out his phone, his fingers trembling slightly as he dialed the pack doctor, the very same physician who had once examined both him and Evelyn, their shared past now a haunting specter.

On the other end of the line, the doctor hesitated, his voice laced with uncertainty after recognizing Dante’s tone.

“Dante… when those test results were revealed, Luna pleaded with me to keep your infertility under wraps.”

His words hung in the air like a heavy fog. “She insisted it was crucial for your dignity and your future as Alpha. If word got out that you were unable to father children, it could jeopardize your standing within the pack. So, she requested that I alter the report, putting her down as the one who couldn’t conceive.”

A heavy silence fell between them. Then, the doctor added softly, almost reverently, “Luna truly loved you.”

Each word struck Dante with the force of a thousand tiny daggers, piercing through him and leaving him gasping for breath, a deep ache blossoming in his chest.

Suddenly, he recalled Felicity’s peculiar comments from the previous day, and everything began to click into place.

A wild laugh erupted from Dante, a sound tinged with hysteria and madness, echoing off the walls of the room.

So, Evelyn had loved him that fiercely, enough to sacrifice her own pride, to shoulder the burden of his shame, all in an effort to protect him.

To preserve his dignity.

To shield him from the scorn of being infertile.

And how had he reciprocated that profound love?

By pushing her away. By treating her as though she were a burden rather than the treasure she truly was.

With a tight grip on the report, he collapsed, his body wracked with sobs that tore through him, raw and wrenching, as if his very soul were being laid bare.

Across the room, Natalia observed his unraveling, her heart racing as she sensed an opportunity. Slowly, she rose, attempting to slip away unnoticed.

But she had barely taken two steps when Dante’s hand shot out, catching her with a fierce grip.

“She deserved to die! If you ask me, Rowan didn’t act swiftly enough!”

In that instant, Natalia froze, the weight of her words crashing down upon her.

Dante’s eyes darkened, a storm brewing within them, his voice turning icy and deliberate as he spoke, each word a dagger aimed at her heart. “You. Had. Rowan. Kill. Evelyn.”

Frantically, Natalia shook her head, desperation flooding her features as she attempted to deny the truth.

“I didn’t—”

Bang!

Before she could articulate her denial, Dante’s fist connected with her face, the blow twisting her head violently to the side, and she spat out a mouthful of blood, the metallic taste mingling with her fear.

Dante’s eyes narrowed, a man possessed by fury, as he unleashed a barrage of punches upon her face, each strike fueled by a tempest of rage and betrayal.

Natalia slumped against the wall, her body crumpling under the weight of his wrath, but just as Dante prepared for another blow, he suddenly froze mid-motion, a trickle of blood escaping his own lips.

The entire room gasped, shock rippling through the air like a sudden chill, leaving everyone to wonder what would happen next.