CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED & NINETY SEVEN
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CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED & NINETY SEVEN
Maggie’s POV
I did not leave right away. I stayed in the bedroom, trying to be as quiet as possible.
Viki told me to watch them and report back everything they did. I expected to hear Talia badmouth me to Nolan. Instead, I heard a gasp and the desk creak. Then, I heard rhythmic slapping and Talia moaning.
My face flushed as I felt disgusted, like some creepy pervert listening in. I clenched my fists so tightly my nails dug into my palms. My wolf did not even try to comfort me.
“They are mates. This is what they should be doing. You need to leave,’ she said firmly.
I hated that she was talking to me as if I deserved this.
I left the room quickly, but I could still hear them out in the hallway. I walked down the corridor fast. Why did it have to be her? Why did she have to show up? It should’ve been me underneath Nolan.
‘You’re delusional,’ my wolf growled, but I ignored her.
I still couldn’t shake the shame and anger I felt. Nolan had scolded me and ordered me to apologize. He had never raised his
voice to me before.
‘You were out of line,’ my wolf said.
‘No, I was just telling the truth,’ I snapped.
Talia had to have known Nolan was nearby. She set me up to get me in trouble. This was all because of her.
‘No one is going to take pity on you,’ my wolf scolded. ‘You should know better.’
My wolf was right. I let my anger override reason. Nolan already thought I was acting like a child. If I made another mistake, he would not forgive me twice.
I needed to talk to Viki.
Once I got to her home, I knocked once and then twice when she didn’t answer immediately. The door opened only a few inches. Viki’s masked face appeared in the gap.
“Maggie,” she said quietly. “Come in.”
I stepped inside and shut the door behind me. Before Viki could even ask me what was going on, I blurted out, “He reprimanded me for that witch! He has never done that. Not once.”
“Because of Talia?” Viki asked.
“Yes,” I snapped, “Who else?”
Viki nodded slowly as if she had expected it. “Tell me exactly what happened.”
“I went into his study to clean. She told me to leave. I told her I only take orders from Nolan because she is not the official Luna yet,” I explained. “She didn’t like that, so she started treating me like I was a kid and I responded.”
Viki raised an eyebrow and said, “You provoked her.”
“She provoked me first,” I said, defensive. “Who is she to tell me where I can and can’t go?”
“And then what happened?”
“And then she smiled at me,” I said, the memory making my skin crawl. “She said I liked Nolan. She said it like she was amused, like my feelings were a joke.”
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CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED & NINETY SEVEN
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Viki’s eyes narrowed. “She said that in front of Nolan?”
“No,” I said. “Not at first. Nolan came in right after I called her a witch.”
Viki scoffed and said, “You said it where he could hear you.”
“I did not know he was at the door,” I explained.
“Did you apologize?” Viki asked.
“I did,” I admitted. “I apologized. He made me do it twice because the first time was not good enough.”
Viki nodded and said, “Good.”
“How in the hell is that good?” I snapped.
“Because that means that Nolan doesn’t see you as a threat…yet,” Viki stated. “Now, you know if you lash out at her, you will push him even closer to her. You will make her look like the victim, and you will look like the jealous maid who cannot accept her place.”
“I am not a maid,” I muttered. I only cleaned Nolan’s rooms, no one else’s.
“But you are for now,” Viki responded. “And you need to play that role well to get what you want.” She walked over to the kettle on the stove. Viki placed a tea bag into a mug and poured hot water into the cup before giving it to me.
“Talia is skilled at manipulating men,” Viki continued. “She knows how to position herself. You cannot beat her by confronting her. You have to be patient.”
I swallowed hard. “What am I supposed to do now? She and Nolan will be watching me now.”
“And you play the respectful, dutiful little sister,” Viki said. “You bite your tongue and you don’t antagonize her.”
I stared at her. “Why?”
“Because when something bad happens to her, no one will suspect you,” Viki said plainly.
My stomach turned. “You are saying you want to hurt her.”
Viki’s eyes held mine without blinking. “Do you want her gone or would you rather Talia get you expelled from the pack?”.
I thought about how it was so hard being homeless. How every night before I made it to Bloodmoon I didn’t know if I was going to make it to morning. I couldn’t live through that again.
“I want her gone,” I said,
Viki’s tone became businesslike. “Then, you will get control of your emotions and then you will be patient. The plan will be carried out around the Luna ceremony date. Until then, you will play the role of the obedient maid.”
My wolf bristled, “You’re making a mistake. All you have to do is give up on this fantasy of being Nolan’s Luna. If Nolan finds out…’
‘He won’t find out and even if he does, he won’t know it was,’ I cut her off.
‘You are too trusting,’ my wolf huffed.
I finally nodded once. “I will do what you say. You won’t have to worry about me.
Viki’s eyes softened again, that same almost kind look. “Good girl.”
The words made my skin crawl, but I forced myself to accept them. This was not about pride. I had to humble myself to get Nolan
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CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED & NINETY SEVEN
I exhaled slowly and said, “Thank you.”
Viki tilted her head and asked, “For what?”
“For helping me. For telling me what to do,” I said.
Viki smiled and said, “No need to thank me. You’re my friend and I help my friends.”
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