The Luna Queen - Chapter 55: Chapter 55

_Kayden's POV_
I didn’t sleep that night.
My mind kept going back to Mira’s words. Her voice echoed in my ears, quiet and trembling, but filled with truth.
She has been putting something in your tea… every morning.
Selena. The woman I let close. The woman I almost… trusted. She had been drugging me. Making me weak. Blinding me to what was right in front of me.
I paced the length of my room long after the moon had risen. Leo was growling inside me. He was restless and furious.
She has been poisoning us. We should have ripped her throat out the moment we found out.
“I need proof,” I muttered. “If I go after her now, she’ll lie. She’ll twist it all.”
Proof? Look what she’s already done! Look what she made us do to Leah.
I clenched my fists. My breath was shallow. My whole body felt tight and ready to explode. I wanted to scream. To destroy something. To destroy her.
But no. Not yet.
I would be smart. I would wait. Just one more day.
The next morning came with a clear sky and a bitter taste in my mouth. I hadn’t eaten. I hadn’t rested. But I had a plan.
I headed down to the dining hall. As expected, Selena was already there, waiting.
She smiled when she saw me. Her face was glowing with fake sweetness.
“Good morning, my love,” she sang. She was dressed in a pale lilac robe. “I was just about to pour your tea.”
Her words dripped like honey, but all I heard was poison.
I forced a smile and sat down across from her. “Morning,” I muttered.
She began preparing the tea right in front of me. Her hands moved fast and confidently. She thought she was being careful, but I saw it. That quick flick of her wrist. The vial from her sleeve. It was done in less than two seconds.
Leo growled low in my mind. There it is. The poison. She really did it again.
“She didn’t even hesitate,” I murmured silently.
Selena placed the cup in front of me. “Here you go. I made it just the way you like.”
I stared at the tea, feeling my stomach twist. But I didn’t touch it.
I picked up a small plate of cupcakes and began selecting one. Then, I ‘accidentally’ knocked my elbow into her cup.
The porcelain tipped, and the tea spilled straight onto her lap.
Selena jumped up with a gasp. “Oh my Goddess! Kayden!”
I stood quickly. “Shit! I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to.....damn, that was clumsy.”
She stared down at the brown stain on her robe. “You got tea all over me!”
I grabbed a napkin. “Here! Let me help....”
“Don’t touch it!” she snapped, then caught herself. Her tone softened. “It’s fine. It’s fine. I’ll just go change. I’ll be back in a minute.”
“Are you sure? I really didn’t mean to...”
“It’s okay,” she said again, waving a hand. “Just... try not to touch anything else, alright?” She gave me a playful wink and turned toward the hallway.
I waited until I was sure she was out of sight. Then, I rushed to the tea cart and grabbed the cup she had made for me. Carefully, I poured the remaining tea into a small vial I had hidden in my pocket. My hands moved quickly, but I kept glancing toward the door.
I had to be fast.
Once the cup was emptied, I tucked the vial into my coat pocket. My heart was racing.
“I need answers,” I whispered. “And I’ll get them.”
She’s not walking away from this, Leo snarled. Not this time.
Just then, I heard her returning. I rushed back to my seat and picked up a muffin, trying to look calm.
She walked in wearing a fresh pink robe and a bright smile. “Crisis averted,” she joked. “I swear, Kayden, you’re worse than a pup around porcelain.”
I chuckled, forcing the sound. “Guess I need more practice.”
She sat back down beside me and reached for her own tea cup. “Well, now that I’m dry again... shall we enjoy our breakfast?”
I nodded and took a bite of the muffin. It tasted like ash in my mouth.
She was chatting about something...some dressmaker from the neighboring pack, or a new festival in the South. I wasn’t listening. My mind was already somewhere else. I just needed her to leave. I needed to move.
She doesn’t know. She thinks she fooled us again.
“I’ll be heading to the training grounds later,” I said casually. “Want to come?”
She raised an eyebrow. “And get mud on my new shoes? I think not.”
I shrugged. “Suit yourself.”
“I might go to the spa. I’ve been so stressed lately, you know?” She touched my arm gently. “Being Luna isn’t easy.”
I smiled tightly. “I bet.”
Soon, she stood up. “Well, I’ll let you go do your Alpha things. Let me know when you’re done.”
“Of course,” I said smoothly.
She kissed my cheek and left the room, humming to herself.
The moment she was gone, I stood and made my way to my study. I shut the door, locked it, and pulled out the vial from my coat.
I stared at it for a moment. The liquid was amber-brown. It looked like tea. But I knew better now.
I took my phone and called Fred.
He arrived a few minutes later, his face serious. “You called for me, Alpha?”
“Come in. Lock the door behind you.”
Fred did as I said and stepped closer. “What’s going on?”
I handed him the vial.
He looked at it, confused. “Is this tea?”
“It’s poison.”
Fred blinked. “What?”
“Selena has been drugging me,” I said, my voice low and hard. “Every single morning. Mira, one of the maids, saw her doing it. She’s been slipping something into my tea for weeks.”
Fred’s eyes widened. “Are you serious?”
“I just caught her red-handed. I spilled her cup on purpose so she would leave the room. Then I collected a sample from mine. That’s what this is.”
He took the vial carefully. “Do you have any idea what’s in it?”
“No. And I don’t want guesses. I want facts. I want you to take this to the lab. Tell them to run every test they can. I want to know what she has been feeding me.”
Fred’s jaw tightened. “And if it’s what you think it is?”
“Then we’ll have proof,” I growled. “Real proof. Something I can use against her. She has been clouding my judgment, Fred. Making me weak. Making me believe lies.”
Fred nodded slowly. “Alright. I’ll go now. I’ll have the results as soon as possible.”
“Don’t speak a word of this to anyone. No one. Not even the guards.”
“I understand.”
“Fred...” I paused, my voice tightening. “I think... I think this all started before I rejected Leah.”
Fred’s eyes darkened. “You think it’s connected?”
“I don’t think. I know.”
Leo growled. She turned us against Leah. She made us cruel. She made us a monster.
“I’ll make sure this gets tested,” Fred said. “And when we get the results....”
“We expose her,” I finished. “And then... I’ll decide what to do with her.”
Fred nodded once. Then he turned and left, locking the door behind him.
I sank into my chair and ran a hand through my hair. My chest was tight. My head was buzzing.
I had a piece of the puzzle now. But I needed more. I needed the whole picture.
Leo stirred again.
We should have trusted our instincts.
“I know.”
She almost destroyed us.
“She still might,” I said quietly.
But not if I got to her first.
Not if I found out the truth.
I looked out the window, my eyes searching the trees beyond the estate.
I would wait.
And soon… I would know exactly what Selena had done.
And she would pay for it.