Chapter 109
Scarlett’s POV
The darkness finally began to clear, replaced by a dull ache behind my eyes and the sound of hushed voices nearby. My head felt heavy, like it was filled with wet sand.
“She’s waking up,” a woman whispered.
The voice was like a ghost from a dream—silky, gentle, and hauntingly familiar. It was a voice I hadn’t heard in two years. A voice I had mourned every single day. A voice I never imagined I would hear again.
I forced my eyes open. Everything was foggy at first, a blur of white walls and expensive wooden furniture. I blinked, trying to clear the chemical haze from my mind, and saw a figure sitting on the edge of the bed. As the image sharpened, my heart didn’t just race; it tried to leap out of my chest.
“Luna Olivia?” I gasped, my voice coming out as a choked sob. I tried to jolt backward, but my limbs were still sluggish. “Am I… am I dead p>
Luna Olivia reached out, her fingers cool and soft as she brushed a stray hair from my forehead. She looked exactly as I remembered—beautiful, regal, and very much alive. “You aren’t dead, Scarlett. And neither am I p>
“No,” I whispered, shaking my head violently. “No… this is a lie. A trick. Who are you? A shapeshifter? A hallucination p>
She gave me a sad, knowing smile. “It’s me, Scar. It’s really me. Remember your fifteenth birthday? You were so upset because your painting wouldn’t dry in time to show the triplets before they left for their trip, and I sat with you in the garden, blowing on the canvas p>
I froze. No one knew that. It was a tiny, private moment between a girl and the woman who was like a second mother to her. “You’re alive,” I breathed, the shock hitting me hard. “But if you’re alive… then my parents… they were hanged because of you! They died for a crime that never happened p>
I started to hyperventilate, the injustice of it screaming in my soul. But then, a scent drifted toward me. It wasn’t the chemical smell of the guards or the spicy scent of Ethan. It was lavender and fresh earth. It was home.
I looked toward the door just as it swung open. My breath hitched. My mother and father walked in, looking healthy, vibrant, and dressed in clothes that looked like royalty.
“No!” I screamed, jumping out of the bed, my weak legs barely holding me up. “It’s not real! I saw the platform! I saw the ropes! I saw you both hang p>
“Scar, it’s us,” my mother whispered, her eyes brimming with tears. “It’s really us, baby. We’re alive p>
I backed into the wall, my hands over my heart. They looked so beautiful. My father didn’t look like a broken prisoner; he looked like a high-ranking lord. Behind them, the room suddenly felt crowded as Sir Lennox, Levi, and Louis walked in, their faces hard and heavy with guilt.
“Scarlett,” Sir Lennox said, his voice deep and commanding. “You have questions. We are here to answer them p>
Sir Levi stepped forward, looking at me with a pained expression. “We faked our Luna’s death. And we faked your parents’ execution. The ropes were loose, Scarlett. We arranged everything with the executioner beforehand. The bodies that were buried… they weren’t your parents. And the body of my mate? Olivia used a deep trance to stop her breathing and heartbeat. It was a charade p>
I felt sick. “Why?” I whispered. “Why would you put me through that hell? Why let me live as a traitor’s daughter for two years p>
Luna Olivia took a seat beside me again, her expression full of guilt. “Scarlett, three years ago, a prophecy came. It wasn’t just told by one seer, but by many. They all saw the same thing: because of you, Liam, Leo, and Leon would end up killing each other p>
She paused, letting the weight of the words sink in. “It is natural for triplets to share a mate, but the seers said these three were different. Their wolves are too dominant, their possession too dark. They said if you became their mate, they would never share you. They would tear the pack apart—and each other—just to own you completely p>
“The only way to save them,” Levi added, “was to make sure the bond never formed. We had to make them hate you, and we had to make you hate them. We knew the triplets loved you too much to ever hate you for no reason. So we planned my death. We framed your parents for treason and forced the triplets to order the execution themselves. We wanted the blood of your parents to stay on their hands so you would never, ever accept them as mates p>
I stared at them, my world tilting. Every tear I had shed, every night I had spent in fear, every bit of hatred I had nursed for the brothers… it had all been a scripted lie. A plan made by the people I trusted most.
“You broke me,” I laughed through tears, looking at my parents. “You let me believe you were dead just to stop a prophecy p>
My mother took a step toward me, her hand reaching out, but I pulled away. “We did it to save the triplets, Scarlett,” she said softly. “If the triplets fought over you, it would be a disaster… We had to protect the future p>
“And what about my life?” I screamed, my voice cracking. “I spent two years being treated like trash! I was bullied, lonely, and scared every single day. I watched you ’die’ on that platform. I felt the rope around my own neck every time I looked at those brothers. You didn’t just stop a prophecy…you destroyed me p>
My father looked down at his boots, unable to meet my eyes.
Sir Levi stepped forward, his face hard.
“We knew it was cruel. But we thought if you hated them enough, you would never accept the bond. That’s why we planned to send you away on your birthday… but you know what happened p>
“You could have just told me!” I yelled. “You should have told all of us! We could have fought it together p>
Luna Olivia sighed, her eyes filled with a pity that made me want to scream. “We thought about it, Scarlett. But the seers were clear: telling you would change nothing. You cannot reason with destiny. So we did what we had to do p>