Chapter 73: Chapter 73

CHAPTER SEVENTY THREE

ROXANNE

I'll let Beta Miles continue his side of the story but first let me tell you how we connected,” Lilith said and beamed at me. “Kara was a chatterbox and she couldn't keep secrets to herself. So she got so happy one day and told Beta Miles that she knew the prophecy, not caring that it could put me at risk. She told him it was Roxanne and me and they were faraway.”

She sounded disappointed.

“Beta Miles got interested and wanted to work for me so I could get what I wanted and he could get what he wanted. All of us wanted something and we burned for it. For me, it was revenge, for Kara it was peace.” Lilith touched my shoulder but I shrugged her hands off. “I knew kara was going to fail me someday. She stopped writing to me after receiving my letter, then one day, she said she couldn't kill you because she liked you and you were nice.”

Tears slipped down my eyes. Kara… she had always told me she would never hurt me. It wasn't a promise, it was the truth. She never did anything to me.

Lilith sighed. “I became disappointed and I partnered with Beta Miles.”

Beta Miles tilted Rykers face and spat on it, before striking a blow to his head. I rushed to Ryker protectively. “Don't test my anger, Miles. My good-side is all you've ever seen. You've never seen my anger.”

Beta Miles scoffed. He stared at Ryker with a look he had once given me.

Hate.

Was there something more than what actually meets the eyes?

“I loved Ryker like my brother. He was my best friend, My Alpha. I never wanted what he had, I just wanted to be as good as he was. Everything would have gone well until he had to kill my father.”

Ryker's eyes widened as he looked up at him.

“And you lied, Ryker. Whenever we talked about our parents all you did was lie. You kept saying you hated your dad, well I loved mine. Why did you kill him?”

Ryker looked sad. But he didn't say a word. “Answer me,” Beta Miles snapped. “You thought the secret was going to stay covered up didn't you? Well it got out brother.”

Selina's mouth dropped open. “What? Stop it Miles, my brother would never do such.”

I looked at Ryker pitifully. He tried to speak but he couldn't. He had already told me the story before so I volunteered to speak for him. “He did, Selina.”

Beta Miles' eyes were as big as the size of dinner plates. “You knew?”

Selina pouted.“Roxanne seems to know everything I don't.”

I shrugged, “Perhaps you should try getting to know your brother rather than trying to get him a mate.”

She gritted her teeth but didn't utter a word. She cupped her brother's cheeks and tears poured from her eyes. She was in pain from seeing him in pain.

I turned to Beta Miles. “He was a child. He was just eleven and his father asked him to kill someone. Your father would've known about it because it's an Alpha thing for Red Moon. He couldn't and his father had to pick your father. Have you looked at Ryker closely? He still has scars from the slashes his father gave him that night because he wouldn't kill your father. You have your answers now. Ryker was forced to and he's never been able to forgive himself ever since.”

Selina hugged Ryker, “I should have protected you. I really should. Miles please, he was a child. Just an eleven year old.”

“I don't care,” Beta Miles spat. “He had a choice.”

Lilith tsked. “In this life, the useless ones are always the victims. My mom had a choice but she let me die because I wasn't powerful. Your dad had to die because he was inadequate.”

“Shut up!” I lashed. “Mom was selfish, yes, but it's different from Ryker's.”

“Being protective over a man who rejected you is pathetic,” Lilith mocked.

Her words cut deep and Zane's eyes widened. “I'm the lost one here. What's going on? Roxanne and Ryker are mates?”

“Were,” Lilith corrected. “She was rejected.”

The deafening sound of a slap was heard. It was Beta Miles. Rykers head lolled to the side and in a burst of anger I threw myself at him and punched him hard across the face. “First of all you kill me, now you want to hurt Ryker too, you've done enough.”

Beta Miles spat blood out and staggered to his feet. Zane looked as though he was going mad. Selina looked confused. “What's going on? One minute it's Ryker, the next second it's Roxanne? What do you mean by "killed?”

Lilith stared at Beta Miles. Although she had a pathetic look on her face, anger flashed in her eyes.

“I found out Ryker killed my father and I wanted to hurt him so bad. He kept acting oblivious and when I spoke about my father, he went silent. But when we spoke about his, he had a thousand things to say. I didn't get to grow up with him but before my mother died, she told me it was you. The feeling of losing my dad– the emptiness, made my mom die. But you had yours until the war.”

Tears rolled down Selina's cheeks. “Please don't hurt him.”

Beta Miles laughed. It was a scary laugh and it made the hairs on my neck stand.“I won't kill Ryker. I want something that he cares about the most. Let him know what it feels like to lose someone you love. Let him experience that feeling.”

His eyes turned to me and that's when it dawned on me that I was in a room where each person wanted someone dead.

“I found Lilith and I agreed to help her get what she wanted. Get you killed because I know Ryker loved and cared for you. You were the perfect thing I needed to make him sorry all his life. So I became close to you. Showed interest in what you liked and safe to say I was a chameleon. Who would've thought.”

Lilith chipped in. “The night you were attacked, it was me all along. Beta Miles forged Ryker's writing because he was aware of the issues. So he gave the letter to kara but she was too scared so she gave a partner to give it to you. Beta Miles was the one in the halls of shadows mimicking Rykers voice.”

Beta Miles jumped in excitement. “It was fun. I've spent my life being a voice artist because I liked how deep Ryker's voice sounded and how scary he could get so I trained for years. And Roxanne, you were the hardest but I got your voice. I loved watching you in pain that night, the heat, the stab, the blood. It was beautiful and I was sure my dad was somewhere, proud of his son.”

I remembered the pain and I clenched my fists, my nails digging deep. Zane gasped in horror. He had his eyes on me all the while and I tried not to break in front of my enemies.

“You're a sadistic asshole and you're the worst thing that has ever happened to your father,” I spat.

He grinned and pulled up Ryker's trousers, revealing the fresh burns. “It's okay sweetie, you and Ryker have matching scars now. How cute!”

“Well, I confirmed from Beta Miles that kara dyed her hair white and she wasn't around, so yeah I did the same and he snuck me into the pack territory. I shot the arrows, Roxanne. I wanted you dead. But I wanted you to die slowly. And you couldn't tell the voice because I had a voice changer.”

My heart broke into shards at the length of betrayal.

“Of course Kara wrote to me when she was being accused and I didn't write back. I intentionally set her up. Ryker's an idiot and so are you. I should've been sad but I wasn't because she couldn't do her job. I had to help out. And you guys thought she did it and made her pay for my sins,” she pushed me against the wall. “You are the reason Kara died.”

I shook my head as Kara's lifeless body invaded my mind. “I didn't.”

“Of course you did. And it was because she refused to listen to me. She would rather take the blame than kill you. That day when you went hiking with Ryker, I came to the pack house. I was the one who killed Kara and put her body in your wardrobe. Think of it, Roxanne. Beta Miles would be around and not hear someone's scream if they're being killed? He literally helped me out.”

I stared at Ryker as the tears pouted freely. It was too much news for one day. All I wanted was to go home and drown in my tears.

“I knew you would want to investigate so I planted the letter in your room, and the Hanmer in yours and Fabiola. Just so you know, Fabiola is innocent. She only agreed to be responsible because every evidence proved her guilty. I had to take Kara's boxes with me because they were mine to keep.”

It all felt unreal. Too unreal.

“But she was your mate,” I said in disbelief.

Lilith shrugged. “She didn't listen to me. I don't like disobedient girls.”

“You're sick,” Zane said in shock.

“Enough family talk,” Lilith groaned. “I'm getting bored. Let there be bloodshed.

Before anyone could react, Lilith grabbed Beta Miles roughly and pressed a sword to his throat.

"You traitor," she snarled. "I told you to bring Roxanne to me alive, but you got greedy. I mentioned that anyone who kills the prophecy would gain her powers, and you killed her.”

I gasped. "What?”

Lilith nodded at me. "He didn’t kill you to punish Ryker. That was his initial plan, but greed overtook him. He wanted your powers, so he killed you.”

Zane stared at me in shock. "You were actually killed? How did you wake up? Oh my God.”

Lilith pressed the blade deeper into Beta Miles' throat, keeping him in place. He struggled, but her grip was unyielding. She whispered, "If you move, you're dead.”

I stepped forward, meeting Lilith's gaze with defiance. "We know the truth now. Let Ryker go. Do whatever you want with the Beta. I don’t care.”

Selina glared at me. "You know he's my mate, right?”

Lilith shook her head. "I didn't bring them here to let them go. I led Selina to you, using their scent.”

"What do you want?" I demanded.

"Bloodshed," she replied.

At that moment, the people of Blue Moon rushed in, and a roar echoed outside. Beta Miles skillfully freed himself from Lilith's grip. He was more trained.

He kicked Lilith in the leg, pulled her sword out, and stabbed her in the stomach. Lilith cried out, staggering backward with the sword sticking out.

Beta Miles pulled out the sword and whispered, "I'm going to kill everyone.”