Chapter 84

\*\*ARIELLE'S POV\*\*



Luciana picked up her phone, and instead of speaking to the person on the other side, her gaze traveled to Lyra, Keira's nanny, with a scrutinizing look.



Why's she staring that much?



I wanted to ask, but she was on a phone call, so I discarded the thought. I'll just ask some other time. I got off bed, deciding to head out of the room.



I'll check on her later.



"See you girls later." I winked, walking out of the room.



"Look who's missing Uncle Duncan." Luci grinned. 



"He's literally a few steps away," Keira smirked, "Just go meet him already, and send our regards."



I chuckled at their cheesiness "You said it yourself, that he's a few steps away, didn't you? Go give him your regards then." 



"Perfect comeback!!" Luci screamed.



"You don't trust me, huh!" I smiled cockily, before walking out of the room.



The walk down the hallway wasn't really a long one, since my mind was occupied with a lot of ideas.



I giggled to myself, before turning the doorknob open, walking into the bedroom.



The lights were off, and the temperature in the room seemed freezing.



Oh no! It's not what I think, right?



I switched on the lights, looking around for any sign of Duncan, and when I couldn't see him, I exhaled in relief. 



It wasn't what I was thinking. I went to the wine cellar and picked up a bottle of whiskey.



As I poured myself a glass, I heard the door open behind me.



"Cupcake." I called with a bright smile, turning to Duncan who stood by the door, looking hot with his hands tucked in his pants pockets.



"Arielle?" He called, his voice low and husky.



Wait? He just called me Arielle? Like, my real name?



I panicked, sure that something was wrong, as the temperature in the room became extremely low, worse than it was previously. This only happens when an Alpha is enraged.



Duncan's anger is quite dangerous, and even I can't stand it.



His eyes narrowed, glowing and scanning the room. "Why didn't you tell me?"



My heart skipped a beat as my grip tightened against the bottle. 



Tell him what?



"Tell you what?" I asked, trying to sound cool despite my racing heart. "I'm lost."



Duncan's eyes flashed with anger, his gaze piercing mine. 



"Don't play dumb Arielle," he growled. "I already know about Adrian." 



His words echoed in my head, causing cold shivers to run down my spine. My grip on the whiskey bottle loosened, causing it to fall and shatter.

My mind went blank. How did he even find out?



I swallowed emptiness, trying to think of a plausible explanation.



"H…how did you know?." I whispered, my eyes gleaming with tears. "I… I was going to tell you, I was..."



"Going to lie to me?" He snarled, his voice echoing through the room.



I flinched, feeling the weight of his anger as the room vibrated with tension.



"Duncan, please listen," I pleaded, trying to reason, but he cut me off harshly.



"Listen?" He repeated, his voice dripping with Venom. "You want me to listen? You've been keeping secrets from me, Arielle. Secrets that could put you and everyone else in danger."



My heart sank. So, despite knowing I'd kept secrets, does he still care?



I nodded, hot tears streaming down my face. "I know, and I'm sorry."



Duncan's expression softened slightly, but that lasted for just a moment, as his blazing expression returned. 



"Why Arielle? You could have just told me."



I took a deep breath, wiping my tears with the back of my palm. "I...I was scared, "I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper. "I was scared of losing you, of losing us after so many years."



He shook his head, before asking, "What really happened?"



"A lot..." I trailed off, another round of tears streaming down my face.



"Adrian was everything to me…, the best boyfriend, a best friend, a father, a confidant, a comforter and everything." I started, not sure that this was what I wanted to do, but it was the right thing to do.



My gaze drifted to Duncan's, but it held no emotions, his face was as cold as ice, avoiding mine.



"I'm listening." His stern voice rang.



"After the fire and everything, I only had Adrian, and the desire to grow stronger and achieve my dreams." I whispered. "In all my future plans, he was there, and I thought I was in his too, until the Full Moon Festival."



Just like yesterday, the memories of that night flooded my mind, breaking me apart all over again. 



"We'd hoped and prayed the Moon Goddess would bring us together as mates, our fifty years together couldn't just go down the drain. Or maybe it was just my thoughts and not Adrian's, because he didn't hesitate to ditch me after he found a Mate, throwing all our plans out through the window."



Duncan's expression remained icy, although his eyes held a hint of emotion, but he didn't express it, instead he remained silent.



Taking that as a cue, I continued. "He discarded me like trash, and went for his mate... I tried to pacify him, for the sake of our memories and all, but he wouldn't budge" I whispered. "And his mate, she was rude and a brat, always rubbing it in my face, that I lost him, and I couldn't get a mate."



I clenched my fists, and shut my eyes, recalling my own sin, although it sounded too mean and inhumane, I just had to say it, and face whatever comes with it. 



"I killed her...I used my powers on her, weakened her and killed her even though I was aware she was pregnant." I blurted out and an expression difficult to decipher found its way to Duncan's face.



Now what will he think of me?



"As usual, she came to mock me and left with no choice. I had to get rid of her permanently, hoping the supposed Mate Bond would finally be broken too, but I was wrong." I explained, cold shivers running down my spine. "He grew into a monster, one that was solely after my life, and I had to run, far away from him...then I met you."





\*\*DUNCAN'S POV\*\*



After the confrontation with Adrian at my office today, I couldn't help but feel like there was something else going on. 



At first, I thought she had probably left him for someone else, but after seeing the hurt and pains in his eyes, I was certain something else had transpired, something bigger that nobody was telling me about.



I returned home, and met Luciana unconscious in bed, with Arielle, Luci and Keira surrounding her.



I sighed, wondering why she's always under attack. 



I thought of confronting Arielle about Adrian at that moment, but considering the situation and surrounding circumstances, I decided to wait until she came into the room.



I spent hours waiting, and when there wasn't any sign of her, I stepped out of the mansion for a stroll. I returned to the room and met her about to have a drink.



It's now or never… 



After the confrontation, I didn't know what to think anymore.



I stood frozen, my mind reeling from Arielle's confession. 



She killed Adrian's mate, a pregnant woman at that!! The weight of those words crushed me, isn't that inhumane?.



Slowly, I took my gaze into hers, my eyes locking with her own pain. I saw the pain and desperation.



I wanted to hold her and comfort her, but I couldn't. My Alpha instincts screamed for justice, and my wolf grunted in disgust.



'If she could kill Adrian's Mate out of jealousy, what makes you think she won't kill our Mate, when we find her?' 



I ruffled my hair confused about what to do next, then with a deep sigh, I tore my gaze away from hers, turned around and walked away...