Maya

After the intense argument with the twins, seething with anger, I strode back to my room. Amid my swirling emotions, a sudden voice caught my attention—emanating from a room that seemed unoccupied until now. Yet, the voice was achingly familiar.

"I promised the money, didn't I? Just fucking wait till then and keep quiet. You'll get what's due," the words cut through the air, unmistakably my mother's.

Who was she talking to? Suspicion crept inside of me.

Carefully, I peered through the narrow gap of the door and was taken aback to find her engrossed in a conversation on her phone.

"Don't you fucking dare threaten me. Remember, if I fall, you fall too. I facilitated your exit from this pack, so don't think of turning the tables on me," her voice, laced with tension, held a certain edge. She was stressed. Not just stressed in fact scared even though she tried not to give it away.

There was a momentary pause as the other person spoke, but their words eluded my ears. My mother resumed speaking.

"You think you won't be in danger? Wake up! The twins won't hesitate to kill you if they find out you assisted me in their mother's murder. You are the one who fucking helped me from killing that bitch to making it all seem like a stupid suicide case. Your information won't save you. They'll take you out for being complicit in the murder."

My hand instinctively shot to my mouth, stifling the gasp that threatened to escape. Horror gripped me, widening my eyes in disbelief.

She... she killed Luna Ayla?

Oh god…My mother, capable of such a heinous act? It couldn't be true. I must have misheard—

The damning words continued, slicing through my disbelief.

"What makes you think I'll stay silent if they haul me off to prison, ready to tear me apart? Don't you dare try to shift blame, you twisted fuck. I've promised you the money as always. Keep your distance from the pack and my life. Don't toy with me—know this, if I die, you'll fucking die with me."

Oh no...

The truth hit me like a sledgehammer. My mother... She killed Luna Ayla.

A surge of terror sent me stumbling backward, cold sweat clamming my forehead. My body went rigid, paralyzed by the chilling revelation. Breathing became a struggle; the air felt suffocating.

I couldn't comprehend it. The world around me spun, blurring at the edges, as the weight of this horrifying truth bore down on me.

How could she fucking do that?!

"You did what?! What have you done, you idiot? Are you out of your mind?!" My mother's voice exploded with fury in response to the caller's words. "I told you I’ll give you the money, then why the fuck did you do it!? Do you realize the mess you've created?! I warned you, you greedy fool, that I'd send the money soon. How dare you contact them?! They'll trace your number and end you. Damn it! I told you to keep quiet, didn't I?!"

But her frantic outburst faded into background noise as my head began to swim.

The realization that the woman I knew, a selfish and despicable figure, was now unveiled as a murderer plunged me into deeper darkness than I already had my life surrounded with. I couldn't fathom what steps to take next—whether to disclose this truth, to whom, or if silence was the safest recourse.

"Why the fuck are you laughing, you bastard? They'll hunt you down. Do you think I'll hand everything over just like that? There's no proof linking me to the crime. You might escape for now, but not for long. They'll hunt you down and finish you! Just wait—" Her words abruptly halted, her eyes flickering to the now blank screen. "Did this imbecile just hang up on me?"

I observed silently as she redialed the number, only to be met with an eerie silence.

"Damn it! What the hell do I do?" My mother's voice trembled with panic, her pacing echoing in the room as she covered her mouth in distress. "I can't afford to lose everything I've built over the years."

So, it was her. She was the one who ended Luna Ayla's life. It wasn't suicide—it was murder.

Could I simply brush aside what I had overheard? She was a criminal, a murderer who deserved justice for her actions.

How could she? All Ayla ever yearned for was the love of her mate. My mother not only robbed her of that but also her life—a life she deserved with her sons and mate.

I couldn't shake off the weight of the truth—that she had robbed the twins of the chance to live with their mother.

In so many ways, she had wronged them.

She was the murderer of their mother, and I... I was the daughter of a murderer.

"Damn it all. I have to do something. The twins won't spare me..." Her hurried footsteps approached the door, and I quickly hid behind a nearby pillar, observing as she stormed out. Swiftly, I made my way back to my room and slammed the door shut. Rushing to the bathroom, I splashed cold water on my face, attempting to steady my racing thoughts.

"Stay calm, Maya. Just breathe..." I tried to steady my racing heartbeat, but panic was tightening its grip.

There was no justification for her actions. She had taken an innocent life, and I couldn't simply brush it aside. I had to take action.

Should I confide in the twins? I dreaded their reaction. Revealing this truth might push their hatred of me to its limits. But I couldn't let fear rule me or act selfishly.

Ayla deserved justice.

Could Alaric be someone to confide in? He was the culprit too, wasn't he? He contributed to Ayla's suffering alongside my mother.

"Oh God, what should I do?!" My attempts to control my breathing faltered as panic surged.

I knew I'd never forgive myself if I kept this from the twins. Regardless of what they'd done to me, withholding this truth from them felt unjust.

Telling them seemed like the only right thing to do, despite the risks.

"There's no other choice—I must tell them tonight," I stared at my reflection in the mirror, uncertainty clouding my features. This decision could lead to either redemption or catastrophe, but it was the only path forward.