When the Hidden Luna Rises novel Chapter 36

**Chained by Fate**
**Eliza Rowan**
**Chapter 12**

Audrey inhaled deeply, seeking to steady her racing heart as she climbed the stairs to confront the storm brewing within her home. The moment she crossed the threshold, she was met with an eruption of energy as Chloe flung herself into her mother’s embrace, desperation etched across her youthful features.

“Mom! Have you found Tessa?” Chloe’s voice was a melody of hope, a fragile thread that seemed to hang in the air, waiting for an answer.

Audrey’s response was a cold, unyielding shake of her head. The instant rejection cast a shadow over Chloe’s face, her bright eyes dimming with the weight of disappointment.

“How many days has it been?” Chloe’s voice trembled with frustration as she spoke, her anger bubbling just beneath the surface. “Tessa did this on purpose, to destroy me and then vanish! I won’t let her get away with it!” The bitterness in her words was palpable, each syllable dripping with a fierce determination to reclaim her narrative.

“Why do you harbor such hatred for your sister?” Audrey’s voice sliced through the air, sharp and accusatory.

Chloe froze, caught off guard by the intensity of her mother’s gaze. It was a look she had never encountered before, one that sent shivers down her spine.

“Tessa is the one who despises me!” Chloe shot back, her voice rising in indignation. “She humiliated me in front of everyone!”

“I am destined to be the Luna of the Bloodmoon Pack. If she insults me, she insults our entire pack!” Chloe’s voice crescendoed, fueled by a sense of righteous fury. “I won’t let her escape unscathed!”

Audrey stood silent, her expression inscrutable as she scrutinized her daughter, wrestling with the complexities of their relationship.

“Isn’t it you who first stole your sister’s boyfriend? You betrayed her with her mate,” Audrey’s words cut through Chloe’s defiance like a knife. “What exactly has Tessa done to deserve this?”

For the first time, a wave of fury surged through Audrey, shocking even herself.

Chloe’s bravado began to falter, her defenses cracking as she processed her mother’s accusations.

“Mom, why are you siding with her? I’m your daughter!” Chloe exclaimed, her voice tinged with desperation as she sought to reclaim her mother’s favor.

Audrey narrowed her eyes, and in a sudden surge of emotion, she seized the diary from the table and hurled it at Chloe with a force that shocked them both.

“Do you truly believe you can deceive me? My real daughter? All these years, have you not been weaving a web of lies about Tessa?”

Audrey’s voice quivered with fury, each word laced with betrayal. “How dare you claim to be my real daughter?”

Chloe’s eyes widened, disbelief washing over her as she grappled with the reality of their confrontation. She had been meticulous in hiding her tracks—how could they have uncovered the truth?

Opening the diary, she scanned the pages that laid bare her secrets, and her heart raced as panic threatened to consume her.

“So what? This could just be Tessa’s attempt to drive a wedge between us!” Chloe snapped, her tone defensive yet tinged with uncertainty.

Audrey let out a bitter laugh, unimpressed by her daughter’s feeble justifications.

“Then tell me, where is the halfmoon-shaped necklace I gifted you at birth?”

“I won’t do it again, please! Don’t make me leave!” she pleaded, tears cascading down her cheeks as she clung desperately to Audrey, searching for solace.

Yet, Audrey could bear no more. She wished for Chloe to vanish from her life entirely.

“You must leave now, or I will have the warriors throw you out!” Audrey’s tone was icy, resolute.

As Chloe processed her mother’s unwavering stance, the façade of innocence crumbled. She wiped away her tears, her expression hardening into one of cold defiance as she glared at Audrey.

“You think that by casting me out, Tessa will miraculously return and reclaim her place as the Luna? Do you honestly believe she will come back to you as your daughter?” Chloe laughed bitterly, the sound echoing with disdain. “It’s because of you that she is gone. All the karma falls on your shoulders!”

Chloe’s voice grew more heated, the venom in her accusations spilling forth unchecked.

Audrey was well aware of her past transgressions, but hearing them from Chloe felt like a brutal slap across her face.

Overwhelmed by a torrent of emotions, Audrey felt a wave of dizziness wash over her, and before she knew it, she collapsed onto the floor, the world spinning away.

The maid rushed to summon the pack doctor, panic etched on her face, while Liam, oblivious to the chaos that had unfolded, hastily concluded his pack meeting and headed toward the hospital.

Outside the hospital room, Chloe’s legs trembled uncontrollably, fear gripping her heart. She had always been acutely aware of Liam’s temperament.

He adored Audrey with a fervor that was palpable, and if he discovered that Audrey had collapsed due to Chloe’s actions, who could predict the storm that would follow?