Chapter 12
Time seemed to slow. I saw the madness in her eyes, the desperation clinging to every fiber of her being. She was unhinged, a woman with nothing left to lose.
“Die, you bitch!” Debbie screamed.
I moved.
The blade barely missed my throat as I twisted to the side, her momentum throwing her off balance. Her wrist was exposed—an opening.
I struck.
My fingers wrapped around the hilt of my own dagger, the silver cool against my palm. With a swift, precise motion, I slashed upward.
A sharp cry rang out.
Debbie stumbled back, clutching her cheek. A thin, red line ran from the corner of her eye down to her jaw, blood welling up and spilling over her fingers.
The hall fell silent.
Debbie’s breaths came out in ragged gasps as she touched her wound, then looked at the blood staining her hands. Her eyes snapped up to me, filled with unbridled hatred.
“You… you think this is over?” she seethed, voice trembling with rage.
I tilted my head, twirling my dagger between my fingers. “Oh, sweetheart,” I murmured, smirking. “I know it is.”
Debbie let out a high-pitched laugh, one that sent a chill down even my spine. Her face twisted into something ugly, something monstrous.
“I will destroy everything you love!” she shrieked, her voice echoing through the halls like a curse. “Everything you touch will rot! You will regret ever crossing me!”
Her words dripped with venom, but I didn’t flinch.
Instead, I stepped forward, closing the distance between us. She recoiled as I leaned in, my voice barely above a whisper.
“You already lost,” I said, letting the words sink in, watching the horror flicker in her eyes. “And the worst part? You did it to yourself.”
Debbie lunged at me again, but before she could reach me, a strong hand gripped her wrist and yanked her back.
Tyler.
His face was a mask of stone, his golden eyes burning with fury. “Enough,” he growled, his grip tightening. “You’re done, Debbie.”
She thrashed in his hold, screaming. “You can’t do this to me! I am your Luna! I gave up everything for you!”
Tyler’s jaw tightened. “And now, you have nothing.”
With one powerful motion, he shoved her toward the guards standing at the entrance. “Take her to the dungeons,” he commanded, his voice sharp as a blade. “She is no longer Luna.”
Debbie froze. Her breath hitched, her wide eyes searching his face for any sign of hesitation. “Tyler, you don’t mean that,” she whispered, voice shaking.
His gaze remained cold. “I do.”
A sob tore from her throat as the guards grabbed her arms, dragging her toward the dungeon. “Tyler, please!” she begged, kicking and struggling. “You can’t do this! I did it for us!”
He didn’t even blink.
I watched as they hauled her away, her screams fading as the doors slammed shut behind her.
For the first time in years, the packhouse was silent.
A breath I didn’t realize I was holding slipped from my lips. I turned to leave, my body thrumming with exhaustion.
“Aurora.”
I stilled. Tyler’s voice was softer now, lower. And then he glanced at Alex. “Get the hell out of my sight. I need to talk to Aurora. Alone.”
Alex looked at me and I nodded at him. When he left, I let out a bitter laugh, shaking my head. “We really don’t have to talk about anything.”
“Yes, we do,” he insisted, stepping closer.
I felt his presence behind me, heat rolling off him in waves. He smelled the same—cedar and something wild. A scent I used to find comforting. A scent I used to crave.
I forced myself to stay cold. “There’s nothing left to say.”
I took a step forward, but before I could escape, his hand wrapped around my wrist. Sparks. Damn those sparks.
They ignited across my skin, traveling up my arm, sinking into my chest. My breath hitched, my body betraying me in the worst way. Tyler noticed.
His grip tightened just slightly, and when I turned, his eyes weren’t cold anymore. They were burning.
“Then why do you still tremble when I touch you?” he murmured.
