Fated: The Alpha's Unwanted Luna

Chapter 294: Special treatment

But then what else could Viola do when she was locked away right alongside her? She didn’t want to be here either, and just as much as Laila wanted to get out, she wanted her freedom as well. She knew that if anything happened to her in this place, the people who cared about her would be hurt, and the last thing she wanted was to cause pain to anyone close to her heart.

And as much as Viola wanted to confess and allow Laila to be released, she felt deep in her heart that confessing would only make everything worse. She wouldn’t even be able to properly explain what had happened because none of it had been intentional. All she had wanted to do was protect Zoe and prevent her workspace from being destroyed.

If anything were to happen to her because of a confession, she had a feeling Sebastian would suffer for a very long time, especially because of their mate bond. He had already lost two Lunas before. One of them had been a woman he had loved so deeply that Viola had always envied the place she might still hold in his heart. Losing another mate, especially after everything he had already endured, might break him in ways he would never fully recover from.

The thought alone made her chest ache.

So, for her husband’s sake as much as her own, she would keep the secret and swallow down the guilt of having dragged another person into this nightmare with her.

And furthermore, how could she confess to something she hadn’t entirely done?

Yes, she had grabbed Ember’s wrist. She couldn’t deny that. She had felt that strange surge of power move through her the moment their skin touched. But she hadn’t put the silver found in Ember’s stomach and bloodstream there.

For reasons she couldn’t fully explain, Viola was certain of that much. Deep down, she knew her ability didn’t create silver, nor did it carry silver substances that were harmful to werewolves and even sea creatures when consumed. Whatever had killed Ember, there was still a piece of the truth missing, and confessing now would only bury that truth even deeper while condemning both her and Laila for something neither of them fully understood.

"It was never my intention to drag you here and believe it or not, I do not wish for you to be here." Viola said quietly. "I hope we can stop the blame and find a way to prove that neither of us is responsible for Ember’s death. We didn’t kill her."

Laila let out a dry laugh. "You wish. You are the last person I would ever work with. I am innocent here and you are the culprit. After all, it was you who held her wrist and it was after you held it that she went down. Whatever you must have done, it’s best you tell them right now and spare yourself further pain."

Laila advised, wincing at the heat from the harsh lights above her head that were burning into her skin.

Viola let out a sigh and pressed her lips together. It seemed hopeless to talk to Laila about working together when the she-wolf despised her so much.

She had endured Laila’s entitled words on top of her own discomfort, listening to the she-wolf boast about how her uncle would come and set her free and how Viola would die a humiliating death in front of the entire pack.

But after the visit from her mother and their brief exchange, the she-wolf went silent and withdrew completely into herself.

Through the silence, her mind began to wander. It drifted from wondering about her background and how she and her sister had come to be, to what had happened to Ember, and then, inevitably, it turned back to her husband, who was away and probably unaware of what was happening here.

Sebastian.

She thought of him, hoping the thought of him would distract her from the pain spreading through her body. It had been three days since he had been away and she wondered if he even knew she was being held captive. Through their bond she believed he would feel her distress, but she didn’t want to be a burden when he was in hiding and faking his own death to draw out his enemy.

He was away handling personal matters that were important to him and she didn’t want to cut them short. Constantly pulling him away from things he needed to do would eventually lead to an exhausting relationship, and all she wanted was to be a source of comfort in his life, not another problem for him to carry.

Still, despite her determination not to trouble him, she found herself staring at the door every now and then, imagining what it would feel like if it suddenly opened and Sebastian walked through it. The thought was foolish, yet she held onto it anyway.

Viola was drifting off on the chair, trying to sink into sleep to numb the aches, when she heard voices outside and opened her eyes a crack as the door slid open.

The harsh overhead lights made it impossible to see who had walked in, but she watched carefully as the figure came around and loosened her binds before roughly pulling her up from the chair without ceremony.

"Where are you taking her?" Laila, who was quietly trying to recover from her wolfsbane injuries but failing miserably because of the harsh lights, demanded.

"Mind your business. She’s being taken to another room." The guard grumbled and Laila rattled her chair.

"Why is she being taken to a room? What about me? I haven’t done anything and should be the one getting special treatment. Take me with you! I also need a room." Laila shouted irritably, believing that because Viola had once been Luna she was about to receive special treatment while she would be left here to suffer more.

Not to mention Laila had noticed that while being whipped, Viola’s lashes were lighter and less harsh than hers. It was as though the guards were holding back on her while striking Laila with full force.

"You can’t leave me out!" Laila added. "I will go wherever you take her and receive the same treatment she gets. After all, I am far more important than she is."

The guard parted his lips to tell her to shut up, but before he could speak, a voice called from outside the cell.

"If she insists on joining the wolfless, bring her along."

The command was delivered calmly, leaving no room for argument or disobedience.

"Yes, Alpha Javier." The guard answered as a second one entered to release Laila’s binds as well.

Hearing Javier’s voice outside, Viola felt any hope Laila was clinging to that she would receive special treatment deflate immediately in her own chest. Javier had had a problem with her long before any of this, going back to the day she had interfered with his treatment of Sofia, and he would be the last person on earth to extend special treatment to her.

Matt and Nick had each come to see her more than twice, both of them promising she would be released soon, but she knew there was nothing either of them could do with Javier in charge.

As they were pulled along behind Javier, Laila said to Viola, "Don’t think I will rot in there while you get different treatment. You put me through this and I will make sure you don’t get out before me."

Viola let out a quiet sigh. "Not everything is a competition, Miss Serrano. Not everything is always about you. And I hope you won’t regret tagging along rather than staying behind."

Before Laila could respond, Javier spoke without turning around.

"I’ve heard you aren’t speaking, dear Luna, or should I say Viola? You were the last person to hold Ember’s wrist and not confessing what you did will only cost you your life. I have decided to take the punishment into my own hands to make you speak the truth, and it seems Miss Serrano doesn’t want to be left out of it either. So welcome to your end, because neither of you will be leaving this room alive until I get the answers I want."

When they were dragged into the room, Viola’s eyes widened in horror.