The Luna Queen - Chapter 57: Chapter 57

_Kayden's POV_
Three days had passed since I handed Fred the vial.
Three long and bitter days.
Each hour stretched like a lifetime. I barely slept. I barely ate. All I could think about was the taste of that cursed tea and the lies Selena had fed me with every sip. Every moment she smiled at me, every time she touched me...had it all been fake? Was it me at all? Or just the chemicals she slipped into my blood?
Leo was restless inside me. He hadn’t stopped pacing.
We should’ve torn her throat out already, he snarled. We let her walk around like nothing’s wrong.
“We needed proof,” I reminded him, though my voice was tight. “We couldn’t act on suspicion alone.”
We had proof the moment we tasted that filth. You just wanted to wait. Now we’ve waited. Now what?
I didn’t answer. Not yet.
Just as the sun began to dip low in the sky, Fred came.
He didn’t knock. He just opened the door to my office and stepped inside. He was holding a brown envelope.
His face was pale and tight.
I stood quickly. “Fred?”
He nodded once, then handed me the envelope. “The results came in an hour ago. I came straight here.”
I ripped the seal and pulled out the documents. My eyes scanned the page. Then stopped.
My chest clenched.
“Nightshade root,” I read out loud, my voice cold. “And... what the hell is this?”
Fred stepped closer. “They broke it down into four components. The dominant one is crushed Nightshade. It’s toxic in high doses, but in small amounts, it causes confusion, fatigue, memory lapses. It also suppresses the wolf.”
Suppresses Leo.
I felt him snarl in outrage.
She’s been silencing me. Weakening me!
I gritted my teeth and kept reading.
“Belladonna extract… that’s the same plant family,” Fred explained. “It causes hallucinations. Makes it hard to tell what’s real and what’s not. They think she used it to cloud your instincts and fog your judgment.”
I slammed the table with my palm. “That’s why I didn’t feel anything. That’s why I couldn’t...”
Fred looked at me sadly. “There’s more.”
My breath caught. “What more?”
“The third substance is something called Eranthex. It’s a rare herb found in the Southern mountains. It is extremely hard to get.”
“What does it do?” I asked, my voice low.
Fred hesitated. “It’s used in old packs as a bonding agent. Not a real mate bond, but… it mimics one. Triggers the same dopamine centers as a mating pull.”
My heart stopped.
Leo growled so loud it echoed in my skull.
She made us believe she was our mate.
“She made me want her,” I whispered. “She forced attraction that wasn’t real.”
Fred nodded grimly. “That’s what the herb does. Just enough to make you feel connected. Drawn in. But it’s artificial. A trick.”
My knees almost buckled.
The betrayal burned so deep I could hardly speak. I clenched the papers in my fists. My vision blurred with rage.
“She made me reject Leah,” I said quietly. “She used this to make me push her away.”
Fred didn’t speak. He just bowed his head.
I turned to him slowly. “You believe me now?”
“With every bone in my body,” he said. “She’s been poisoning you and ontrolling you. You were a victim, Alpha.”
I nodded. I could feel the fury bubbling up in my chest. “And what do you want to do now?”
Fred straightened. “Give me the order. I’ll take care of her. She won’t leave the estate.”
Leo roared with approval.
Let him handle her. Let him end it.
But I shook my head. “No.”
Fred blinked. “No?”
I stepped forward, my hands balled into fists. “This… I will handle myself.”
Fred hesitated. “Are you sure?”
“I am,” I growled. “She didn’t just betray her Alpha. She didn’t just betray the pack. She betrayed me. She made me turn my back on my mate. That punishment… will come from me.”
Fred gave a small nod. “Then I’ll stand down.”
I placed a hand on his shoulder. “Thank you, Fred. For everything.”
“I’ve got your back, always.”
He left quietly.
I stood alone, staring at the vial now resting on my desk, beside the lab report. My hands trembled. My blood boiled. Leo was snarling in my mind.
Let’s go. Now. End this.
“I’m going.”
I stormed through the hallway, each step heavy with purpose. I didn’t care who saw me. I didn’t care who questioned the fire in my eyes. My wolf was seconds away from taking over. Only sheer willpower kept him back.
I reached Selena’s room.
I knocked once.
The door opened quickly.
Selena stood there, smiling softly. She was dressed in a silk nightgown. Her hair was brushed over one shoulder. “Kayden! I was just....”
I didn’t let her finish.
I grabbed her wrist hard and shoved the door open. She gasped as I stepped inside and slammed the door behind me. She stumbled back but I held on, dragging her forward.
“Kayden...what are you...."
I pushed her roughly against the wall. Not enough to hurt her, but enough to trap her.
Her eyes widened. “You’re scaring me! What’s going on?!”
I stared at her. Hard. “I know your secret.”
She blinked. “W-What secret?”
I moved closer, my voice dropping. “You’ve been drugging me.”
Her mouth fell open. Her eyes were wide with fake innocence. “What? Kayden, what are you saying? That’s....That’s crazy!”
“Don’t lie to me!” I roared.
She flinched.
“I saw you slip something into my tea. Mira saw it too. And I got the tea tested.”
I yanked the papers from my coat and tossed them at her. They fluttered to the floor.
“Nightshade. Belladonna. Eranthex. Do those names ring a bell?”
Selena stared at the papers. She stayed still.
I stepped closer. “You were trying to control me. Cloud my mind. Make me believe I wanted you.”
“No,” she whispered. “Kayden, please… I just… I just wanted you to love me.”
“That wasn’t love!” I shouted. “You tricked me. You poisoned me. You made me reject Leah.”
Her face twisted. “She was an omega! She was nothing! You deserved better! I was just trying to help you see that!”
My hand trembled at my side.
Leo was snarling and begging for release.
We should end her now. She’s filth. She almost destroyed us.
I stared at Selena, the woman I once thought might be my future Luna.
Now all I saw was a stranger. A liar. A traitor.
“I gave you everything,” she whispered, her voice shaking. “I gave you my time, my loyalty....”
“You gave me poison,” I snapped. “You took away my will, my instincts and the sacred bond with my mate.”
Tears welled in her eyes. “I did it because I love you.”
“No,” I said coldly. “You did it because you wanted power.”
She slumped against the wall. She was breathing hard. “Please, Kayden… don’t do this.”
“You already did it,” I growled. “And now… you’re going to pay.”
Leo howled inside me. He was hungry for justice.
But I turned and walked toward the door.
Not yet. Not here.
Let her sweat.
Let her wonder what’s coming.
Let her fear what I’ll do.
She called after me, voice trembling. “Kayden! Please! Don’t leave like this! I love you!”
I turned my head just enough for her to see my face.
“You don’t know what love is.”
And I walked out.
I didn’t stop until I reached my office.
I closed the door and sank into my chair.
Leo was quiet now. But not calm.
She should’ve died tonight.
“No,” I said aloud. “She’s going to face worse.