Look back….
This wasn’t just an attack on Amira-it was a trap for me. Veronica had suspected something, and now she was using Amira to bait me into revealing myself.
I took a deep breath, forcing myself to remain calm. I couldn’t act rashly. If I made the wrong move now, everything we had worked for could be undone. But Amira-she had risked everything for me. I couldn’t just leave her to face this alone.
As Veronica presented her so-called “evidence”-a series of forged letters implicating Amira in a conspiracy-my mind raced. I had to think quickly, but I couldn’t act openly in front of the council. I needed to find a way to turn this situation to my advantage.
Then, an idea struck me. I stood up slowly, the eyes of the council and Veronica now on me.
“Queen Veronica,” I began, my voice steady, “these accusations are indeed serious. But I must question why this alleged plot has only now come to light. Every one of us knows that this lady in question happens to be your most trusted handmaid, so if anything had been going on, you, of all people, should have noticed long before now.”
“And so what are you insinuating? Are you trying to say that I am lying?”
“Not at all, please don’t misunderstand me. I am merely pointing out that if Amira has been conspiring against you, why wasn’t this discovered earlier? And why would she act alone without the support of others?”
The council murmured in agreement, their suspicion turning toward Veronica. She frowned, clearly not expecting me to challenge her so directly.
“I do not think Amira would act on her own,” I continued. “I believe there’s more to this than we’re being told. Perhaps we should investigate further-bring in other witnesses, examine all the facts. After all, we cannot act on mere accusations without proof.”
Veronica’s smile faltered as the council members nodded, murmuring their approval of my suggestion. She realized that her plan was beginning to unravel, but she couldn’t back down now without arousing further suspicion.
“Of course,” she said tightly. “We will investigate thoroughly. But rest assured, the truth will come out.”
I locked eyes with Amira for a brief moment, silently promising her that I wouldn’t let this end with her punishment. Veronica’s plan was faltering, but the game was far from over. We just needed to play it a little longer, to expose the truth in a way that the council could not ignore.
As the meeting adjourned, I felt a surge of resolve. Amira had given me enough time, and now it was my turn to strike back.
—
That evening, Rita and I finalized our counterstrike. We had enough information about Veronica’s underhanded dealings-her manipulations, the corruption within her circle of loyal followers, and the evidence Amira had helped gather in secret. It was time to expose it all.
Tomorrow, we would make our move. And by the time we were done, Veronica’s reign of fear would come crashing down.
The next morning, as we all gathered for breakfast at the dining table, I couldn’t help but notice the tension brewing from Veronica, where she quietly sat. She was trying very hard to keep her composure on the outside, but I could easily see through her facade. I just knew something was definitely bothering her.
“Veronica, you haven’t touched your food yet. Is something the matter?” Lucas asked, and she soon snapped out of the thoughts she had gotten herself lost in.
“What? No, I…”
“Your food. Everyone else is already halfway done with theirs, including the kids, and you haven’t touched yours at all. What are you thinking about?”
“Oh, it’s nothing! I just haven’t really had an appetite, that’s all.” Lucas raised his brow before turning to face me. Ever since I presented the recording of our conversation, which revealed Veronica’s intentions towards me to Lucas and Simon, it had started sowing a seed of doubt in their minds about her, which pleased me. After all, for someone to actually go ahead with a plan as vile as giving me some strange substance to defame me under the guise of sexual immorality, much had to be considered about how dangerous she could be. This only furthered my resolve to have her exposed, which I would be getting on with in just a few hours.
“Mama, can you help me with this chicken?” I heard a tiny voice from my side, and I turned to see wide-eyed Luke, who had almost completely wiped out his plate.
“Oh my, you’re done eating so fast,” I exclaimed, and he nodded. I grabbed both my fork and knife and helped him shred and debone the medium-sized chicken he had been served. As soon as I finished, Simeon called for my attention to do the same for his, and I helped him as well.
“Ashley,” I heard Simon say, and I looked up to face him.
“Yes?”
“I think it will be necessary for you to start teaching the boys how to use their cutlery. Now that they’re being groomed, it’s important for them to learn proper dining etiquette so they won’t need to ask you for help with things like this anymore. Besides, it won’t be long before they start attending dinner meetings with us, so why not have them learn early?”
“Oh, okay then, no problem,” I responded, finishing up with Simeon’s chicken. Once done, I returned my focus to my plate and resumed eating. By the time everyone was done with breakfast, Veronica had slowly made some progress with her food. At this point, both Lucas and Simon had left the table, and not long after, the boys left too, leaving just Veronica and me.
The room was awkwardly silent for a while before I cleared my throat, which, somehow, prompted a response from her.
“I don’t know what game you’re trying to play, but I suggest you don’t even think about getting in my way, because I will squash you like a bug.” I remained silent for a moment, trying to process what she had just said.
“Game? Wait a minute, do I look like I have nothing important to do with my life? In case you’ve forgotten, I’m a mother with not one but two children, whom I actively take care of. To add to that, I’ve been saddled with responsibilities I never asked for regarding the kingdom’s matters. So I already have more than enough on my plate. Honestly, I think you’ve let all of this get to your head because I can’t understand how you think of me this way.”
“So now you think you’re important, pretending like you don’t know what I’m talking about. Listen carefully-whatever you have going on with Amira, you’d better stop, because she will never betray her loyalty to me for you.” I laughed hysterically, and she looked at me as though I had lost my mind.
“Hmm, I see. But now I need you to answer this question in your mind-you don’t have to say it out loud, okay? With all the confidence you have in talking about her loyalty, are you really saying this to me, or are you just saying it to comfort yourself?” I asked, and her demeanor soon changed.
“I guess I know the answer now. Watch your back, Queen. You might think you have a lot of people still with you, but by the time you actually look back, you’ll be shocked to find you’re all alone. So, be careful,” I finished, before rising and leaving the table.
As soon as I left, I went straight to meet Lucas and Simon, who were seated together in Simon’s study. As I reached the door, I heard them talking.
“You know, this has got to be the longest we’ve ever gone without draining the blood of a rebellious wolf,” I heard Lucas say, and my ears perked up at the sound.
“Tell me about it. Somehow, every one of them keeps having that one thing that traces them back to this mansion, so someone’s definitely pulling the strings again.”
“And do you think it’s Ashley this time?” I heard Lucas ask, and just from the mention of my name, my heart started racing.
“To be honest, something doesn’t add up. Last time, we didn’t really look into it because of all the evidence, but this time it doesn’t make sense now that I’m looking at things,” Simon said. I pressed my ear closer, becoming more invested in their conversation. “Look at it this way-when Ashley was accused, the person bringing all the evidence was Veronica, and we chose to believe it all, even though Ashley never gave us reason to suspect her all the time she was with us.”
“But she could also be pretending, maybe just to get us on her good side so we wouldn’t see her coming.”
“I don’t dismiss that, but let’s not be so fixated on seeing things from just one perspective. This time, Ashley has been so occupied with the kids and other responsibilities that her movements have been limited. Yet the reports show that a woman has been keeping tabs on the wolves. Look at this now-the day this woman visited Heathrow, Ashley was with us, remember?”
“Oh yes, I remember.”
“Exactly, and that day she took the boys out. There’s no report of her leaving to visit the Heath Moon pack, which is miles away from where they went.”
“You’re right! It doesn’t add up.” Hearing this, I couldn’t contain my excitement, realizing they were starting to uncover the truth bit by bit. My phone slipped from my hand, and they both went silent.
Oh no!
I quickly picked up my phone and ran to hide as I heard footsteps approaching the door. When the door creaked open, there was silence for a short while as Simon looked around to examine the area. I held my breath, trying to remain as quiet as possible, hoping he wouldn’t detect me.
“What the heck, Ashley, what are you doing hiding there like some sort of thief or something?” I heard Simon’s voice, and my eyes widened in shock. How did he know I was there? I stayed still, hoping he might be bluffing.
“Ashley, I’m not going to repeat myself. Come out now; I can see you clearly,” he said firmly, and I realized I had no choice but to step out of my hiding place.
“Wait, how did you know it was me?” I asked, walking out into the open, feeling slightly embarrassed.
“You’re not very smart if I must say,” Simon responded with a smirk. “You forget that you’re our mate, and your scent is one of the easiest things for both myself and Lucas to pick up.” I bit my lip at this, realizing how careless I had been.
Before I could respond, Simon dragged me into the room where Lucas was waiting, sitting calmly with his arms crossed. My heart pounded as I stood before them, feeling as though I were on trial.
“I can explain. It’s not what you think,” I began, trying to sound convincing, though my voice wavered with anxiety.
“Oh really?” Lucas replied, raising an eyebrow. “Please enlighten us then.” His tone was laced with skepticism as he leaned forward slightly, his piercing gaze locked onto mine.
I swallowed nervously, trying to find the right words. “I-I wasn’t eavesdropping on purpose. I just happened to overhear part of your conversation, and I wanted to make sure I wasn’t being misunderstood,” I stammered.
“Misunderstood, huh?” Simon interjected. “You’ve been sneaking around, Ashley. Don’t you think that raises some questions?”
I could feel my pulse racing, but I forced myself to stay calm. “Look, I know you’ve had your doubts about me, but I swear I’ve had nothing to do with these wolves or any rebellion. If anything, I’ve been trying to expose Veronica’s schemes. She’s the one manipulating everything behind the scenes, not me,” I insisted.
Lucas and Simon exchanged a glance, their expressions softening slightly but still laced with suspicion.
“And what makes you so certain of Veronica’s involvement?” Lucas asked, his voice steady but probing. I was going to pull out everything I had gathered a while later, but I guess it’s finally time to!