Chapter 66: Chapter 66

CHAPTER SIXTY SIX

RYKER

Roxanne looked terrified and bewildered at the same time. She glared at the book as if trying to understand my words. “A curse?”

“Yes,” I said and continued. “My mother would scream and say things we couldn't understand and we began to wonder who Lilith was. That name had haunted me and Selina from that day till date. Sometimes she would enter a trace and wouldn't snap from it for about a day or two. Then gossip began to go around that Luna was insane.

My father became embarrassed and so did we. We could be in an important meeting and my mother will just start screaming and trying to fight off things we couldn't see. She wasn't herself anymore. Most times she would stare at us without blinking or uttering a word and it was becoming scary. People were terrified of her and …” I stopped again to take quick breaths.

Roxanne squeezed my hand. “You don't have to continue.”

“No, Roxanne,” I said. “I have to make you understand things you don't.”

She swallowed and sank into the bed.

“When it got out of hand, I locked my mom in that cell you talked about. I needed to keep her away from the hate and I needed to keep her away from us. So we sent food to her and that was the only way Selina felt at ease. I kept the necklace in the lock of this book and hid this book so it wouldn't be found. But that didn't help her.”

I felt tears prick the corners of my eyes and I sighed. I hated talking about my mother and how it made me feel. “I shouldn't have locked her up Roxanne, but I did and she died.”

“Because your sister poisoned her,” Roxanne said.

I shook my head in disagreement, my voice sounding like a warning. “Roxanne, Selina didn't poison her.”

“But I saw it,” she argued.

“You do not see visions!” I lashed and she backed away.

I got on my feet, unable to suppress my emotions. “I was the reason why she died and till today, Selina blames me for it. I locked her up in that cell and when white moon waged war against us, the place was set on fire. My mother died from that. If I had released her, she could have still been alive.”

Roxanne scoffed. “Selina only blames you so she wouldn't feel the guilt. Blaming you for her sin makes her feel good about herself. She guilt trips you, Ryker. She poisoned your mom's tea. That's what your mom died from, not the fire. She was already dead before the thing with the fire happened.”

I was annoyed at her insistence. “You make this harder than it is,” I said to Roxanne. “I still haven't healed. Can you not say a word about poisoning? There's no proof to back it up.”

“I'm sorry,” she whispered, tears glistening in her eyes.

“Everything was at ease until it started with you. That book was hidden for a reason, Roxanne. If not, who hides a book in the walls? I was perturbed when Selina told me you said the name lilith and when they told me you scratch walls with your nails. It was traumatising to know it began with you again. That was why I had you chained, Roxanne.”

She gasped and whispered, “oh my days.”

“I was really terrified that you looked a lot like my mother. Those things you see are hallucinations, Roxanne. They were caused by the necklace and that's why I took it from you because I didn't understand the connection.”

“They aren't hallucinations, Ryker,” she countered and closed her eyes. “I know what I saw. They feel real.”

“It's how the mind works, Roxanne. The mind knows how to shield itself from trauma.”

“So you think I'm traumatised?”

“Are you not?”

She snatched the necklace from me and held it to my face. “I'm not disturbed, Ryker. I know what I hear, see and feel and they are not hallucinations. There's a lilith and there's a reason why your mother and I experienced it. Also, you had better get rid of the traitor you call a sister.”

“How about we get rid of the traitor called a mate,” Selina said with an evil grin as she walked into the room, unannounced.

“What do you mean?” I demanded.

Roxanne eyed Selina like she wasn't worth the dirt under her shoes. She scoffed and said. “You can fool everyone here, Selina. But not me. I know what you don't know, and you also know what I know.”

“What I know sweetie, is that you're insane and a traitor,” Selina said in the softest voice and turned to me. “You should be at the event but too bad she ruined that for you.”

“Why are you here?” I demanded in frustration.

She pouted. “Easy brother, I bring news. So tell me, would you like to hear what I've got? Or do you want to wait till after the event?”

Roxanne shook her head. “I'll excuse you both.”

“Trying to run away, princess?” Selina's tone was menacing and it made me wonder what she had to say.

Roxanne gritted her teeth. “It's called privacy, in case you don't know. And why would I want to run away from you?”

“Maybe because what I have to say has to do with you.”

That statement made me feel uneasy and almost immediately, I wanted to know what Selina had to tell me. She kept talking in a sinister way.

Roxanne smirked at Selina. “You really are some delusional woman aren't you?”

Selina scoffed. “You're a cheating bitch.”

“Calling me that, when you know we're from the dog family is intriguing.”

I growled at them. “It's enough! If you're going to speak to each other like that you might as well leave my office. I can't entertain this. I gave enough people waiting for me outside, do you think I have all day?”

“I'm sorry,” Roxanne apologised and gave a small smile.

“That's better,” I said and glared at Selina. “What do you have to say?”

“I'm sorry Alpha Ryker,” She said and pointed at Roxanne. “But this woman is a traitor.”

“What do you mean?” I demanded.

I was exhausted, worn down by Selina’s constant accusations against Roxanne. Every time she called Roxanne a traitor, it cut deep. I decided to confront her, to finally see what so-called evidence she had this time.

"Show me what you have against Roxanne now," I demanded, not bothering to hide my frustration.

Selina smirked, that infuriatingly confident look on her face, and handed me a flash drive. I inserted it into my laptop, my stomach churning with a mix of dread and disbelief. As the file loaded, I noticed Roxanne beginning to panic, her eyes wide with fear.

“What is this, Selina?” I asked, my voice edged with impatience.

"You'll see," she replied smugly.

The video began to play. I watched in stunned silence as a man appeared on the screen. He had his arms around Roxanne’s waist, kissing her deeply. Roxanne’s fingers were threaded through his hair, kissing him back with equal passion. My heart sank as I saw the man slowly lay her down on a bed, undressing her with an intimacy that made me sick to my core. He kissed her nipple, and she moaned a name I couldn’t quite catch.

That was enough.

I slammed the laptop shut, my eyes blazing with fury. Roxanne stood frozen, shaking her head repeatedly.

“It’s fake!” she cried, her voice trembling. “I spent the night with Selina at a slumber party she invited me to. I swear!”

Selina’s smirk only grew wider. “Roxanne was high on alcohol. She said she wanted more fun, so she kissed one of my friend’s men. I knew you wouldn't believe me if I told you, so I made a video. Your girl really is a good kisser and moaner.”

I clenched my fists.

“I would never do that!” Roxanne’s voice was desperate, pleading with me to believe her. “I don’t even know who that man is!”

But I felt betrayed, a deep ache settling in my chest. She had never let me touch her like that, yet here she was, allowing another man to do so. The thought gnawed at me, making my blood boil.

Selina decided to twist the knife further. “You should watch the video to the end, Ryker. Hear how your beloved lover moans another man’s name.”

“Enough!” I lashed out, my anger consuming me. “You slut!” The words burned as they left my mouth, but I couldn’t stop them. Roxanne burst into tears, her sobs echoing in the room.

“I was set up!” she wailed. “When I got Selina’s invitation, I knew it was a trap. Selina has never been nice to me!”

Selina scoffed. “You’re stupid, Roxanne. You lied about me killing my mother, and now this. You had sex with someone else. The evidence is before us yet you're so audacious to lie.”

Roxanne’s face crumpled, her voice breaking. “It’s a lie! I didn’t feel any different, and I woke up in my own vomit! If I had sex I would have felt pain or something different.”

I was beyond reason, consumed by rage and hurt. “Don’t play the victim,” I spat, the betrayal cutting deep.

Roxanne continued to cry, her sobs raw and broken. She looked at me with such despair, but I couldn’t see past my anger. I had to make a decision, to protect myself from further hurt.

With a cold determination, I said, “I reject you as my mate.”