Avenging Luna
Chapter 39: Is he mine?

Chapter 39: Is he mine?

Drake’s POV:

"Where’s Nelly?" I asked Lucas, my voice tinged with concern.

He glanced at me before replying, "She was with Lily the whole night, but she’s gone to rest now."

I nodded, absorbing the information. "Okay, tell Lily I’ll come visit her later. Something urgent has come up."

Lucas gave me a curious look but didn’t press for details. I grabbed the envelope, the weight of it heavy in my hand, and made my way out of the hospital. The air outside was crisp, a stark contrast to the turmoil brewing inside me.

As I headed toward the cottage, my thoughts were consumed by one thing: Leila. I needed her with me as I looked at these results. Whatever was in that envelope, I couldn’t face it alone. The bond we now shared felt stronger, more intense, and I knew I needed her by my side to ground me, to help me make sense of the chaos that seemed to be spiraling out of control.

With every step closer to the cottage, the urgency in my chest grew. I knew that whatever awaited me inside that envelope would change everything. And I needed Leila to be there with me, to face it together.

As I approached the cottage, I saw Leila waiting for me on the balcony, her eyes filled with a mix of anxiety and relief. The moment she spotted me, she rushed forward, launching herself into my arms. Her hands moved frantically, checking me all over, searching for any signs of injury or distress. I couldn’t help but chuckle at her worry.

"If I knew heat and marking was all it took to get you to be this nice," I teased, "I would’ve done something sooner."

She blushed deeply, her cheeks turning a rosy pink, and slapped me playfully on the shoulder. "Ingrate," she muttered, trying to hide her smile.

Before I could tell her about Lily having delivered and the doubts gnawing at me about whether the child was mine, Leila’s expression turned serious. She took a deep breath and said, "There’s something I need you to listen to first. It’s evidence... evidence that I’m innocent."

Curiosity and concern warred within me, but I decided to hear her out before sharing my own burdens. She led me inside, guiding me to the couch near the fireplace. The warmth of the flames provided a comforting contrast to the tension in the air. Leila sat beside me, placing her phone on the table in front of us.

She looked at me with earnest eyes, asking, "Are you ready?"

I nodded, my heart pounding with anticipation. Whatever this evidence was, it clearly meant a lot to her. Leila pressed play, and the room filled with the sound of a recording that would change everything.

Lily’s voice filled the room, each word cutting through me like a blade. She detailed her schemes with a sickening casualness, confessing to oiling the stairs and how she manipulated both Nelly and me into believing that Leila had pushed her off the porch. The way she spoke about her plans, about how she tricked us all, made my blood boil. But what truly enraged me was when she told Leila to leave, saying I was meant to make a family with her instead. The venom in her words, the way she dismissed Leila’s place in my life, was more than I could bear.

As the recording ended, the room fell into a heavy silence. Leila looked at me, her eyes searching mine, waiting for me to say something. But I was at a loss. The fury I felt was overwhelming, yet it was accompanied by a deep sorrow for not believing her, for failing her as her mate.

After what felt like an eternity, I finally found my voice. "Nelly gave birth to a boy," I said, my tone flat, devoid of any emotion.

Leila’s eyes widened, and she opened her mouth to congratulate me, but the look on my face must have stopped her. She hesitated, her concern growing as she noticed the envelope in my hand. Without a word, I handed it to her, the weight of my doubts crushing me as I did.

"Check it out for me," I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

Confusion clouded her features as she took the envelope from me. She opened it carefully, her eyes scanning the contents. I watched her closely, my heart pounding in my chest, waiting for her reaction.

As she read, her expression shifted from confusion to shock, and then to a deep sadness. Her eyes met mine, and in that moment, I knew she had seen the truth—the truth I had feared and dreaded.

Her face said it all, confirming what Gile and I had already suspected. The child wasn’t mine.

Leila’s POV:

I stood on the balcony, my heart pounding as I watched Drake approach. The relief that washed over me was immediate, but it was mixed with anxiety. As soon as he stepped through the door, I launched myself into his arms, my hands frantically checking him over, desperate to know he was okay. I needed to feel that he was real, that he was here with me.

A soft chuckle rumbled from his chest, and he teased, "If I knew heat and marking was all it took to get you to be this nice, I would’ve done something sooner."

I could feel my cheeks burning as I blushed, and I swatted him playfully on the shoulder. "Ingrate," I muttered, though I couldn’t stop the small smile from tugging at my lips.

But the lightness of the moment quickly faded as I remembered why I needed to talk to him. I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself. "There’s something I need you to listen to first," I said, my voice more serious. "It’s evidence... evidence that I’m innocent."

I could see the curiosity and concern in his eyes, and it made my heart ache. I needed him to understand, to believe me. Guiding him inside, I led him to the couch near the fireplace. The warmth of the flames was a stark contrast to the cold knot of fear in my stomach. Drake sat down beside me, and I placed my phone on the table in front of us.

"Are you ready?" I asked, my voice barely more than a whisper.

He nodded, his gaze unwavering, and I knew he was bracing himself for whatever was coming. With trembling hands, I pressed play.

Lily’s voice filled the room, her words dripping with malice. She spoke of how she had tricked everyone, how she manipulated Nelly and Drake into believing that I had pushed her off the porch. Each word cut through me like a knife, reopening wounds I thought had healed. But the worst part was when she told me to leave, that Drake was meant to make a family with her. Her venomous tone made my blood run cold, and I could feel the fury building inside me.

When the recording ended, the room was silent. I looked at Drake, searching his face for any sign of what he was feeling, but his expression was unreadable. My heart pounded in my chest as I waited, hoping, praying that he would believe me, that he would see the truth.

After what felt like an eternity, he finally spoke, his voice flat and devoid of emotion. "Lily gave birth to a boy."

I opened my mouth to congratulate him, but the look on his face stopped me cold. Something was wrong. My eyes flicked to the envelope he was holding, and a sense of dread washed over me. He handed it to me without a word, the weight of it crushing me even before I knew what it contained.

"Check it out for me," he said, his voice a whisper that sent chills down my spine.

With shaking hands, I opened the envelope, my eyes scanning the contents. As I read, the world seemed to tilt on its axis. My breath caught in my throat, and I felt a deep sadness settle in my chest. I looked up at Drake, and in his eyes, I saw the confirmation of what I had just read.

The child wasn’t his.

I could feel the remorse, the furious sadness seeping into me from Drake through the bond we now shared. It was overwhelming, a tide of emotions that left me speechless. Without a word, I moved closer to him, wrapping my arms around his broad shoulders, pulling him into a tight embrace. He rested his head against my chest, his strong frame trembling ever so slightly as I held him.

A part of me was relieved—relieved that he wasn’t the one who had fathered Lily’s child. But that relief was tangled with sorrow, a deep sadness that gnawed at me. His expectations, his hopes, had been shattered. He had invested so much into the idea of this child, to the point where it almost broke us apart. And now, knowing the truth, it felt like we were both mourning the loss of something that was never ours to begin with.

The whole day, we spent together, slowly mending the wounds that had formed between us. We talked, laughed, and teased each other, the tension between us gradually easing. I couldn’t resist touching the mark I had left on Drake, especially when I noticed how sensitive he was to my touch. Every time my fingers brushed against it, a shiver would run through him, and I couldn’t help but smile at the way he reacted.

As evening fell, and we sat down to a dinner we had cooked together, Drake’s expression grew serious. He told me that he hadn’t confronted Lily yet and that he wanted me to be there when he did. The idea brought a small smile to my face; it felt like a step toward facing everything together, as true mates should.

But then, his words took a turn that caught me off guard. He mentioned that he knew there was something I was keeping from him, something about me that I hadn’t shared. His tone was gentle, understanding, as he assured me that he wouldn’t force me to tell him until I was ready. Yet, it was what he said next that made my heart skip a beat—his uncle Raphael was coming over, and Drake intended to ask for his assistance in destroying the Blood Moon Pack, to finally take the long-awaited revenge and closure he knew I needed.

My focus wavered at the mention of Raphael. I knew him, and he knew me—knew all about my past, the very past I had been trying to keep hidden from Drake. Panic fluttered in my chest, threatening to unravel the fragile peace we had just begun to rebuild. What would happen when Raphael arrived? Would my secrets be exposed? Would Drake see me differently once he knew the truth? The fear of losing what we had just found again gripped me, making it hard to breathe, even as I tried to maintain a calm facade.