Avenging Luna
Chapter 82: The Final Crucial Step

Chapter 82: The Final Crucial Step

Lily’s POV:

It was time to put on the best performance of my life. I had to play my cards perfectly if I wanted everything to fall into place. My plan was already in motion, but now I needed to add the final touch to ensure its success. After sneaking into Leila and Drake’s room earlier, I had taken the bottle of scentless wolfbane I had mixed and carefully hidden it beneath Leila’s underwear drawer. It was a small but crucial step towards ensuring her downfall. Every detail had to be perfect—no mistakes, no traces that could lead back to me.

With the first part of my plan in motion, I needed to move quickly to the next phase. I had to convince Nelly that something was terribly wrong, something only she could help prevent. Nelly was Leila’s best friend, someone I couldn’t afford to lose if my plan was to work.

I couldn’t help but smirk to myself as I headed toward Nelly. Poor Nelly, always so trusting, always ready to believe the best in everyone. She’d never see this coming. And I needed her to play her part perfectly.

I approached Nelly, putting on my most worried, concerned look. "Nelly," I called softly, ensuring my voice carried just enough concern to pique her curiosity without raising any alarms as I approached her. She was sitting in the living room, cradling Mike in her arms, rocking him gently.

She looked up, immediately noticing the fear etched into my features. "Lily, what’s wrong? What’s the matter?" Nelly asked, her voice filled with genuine concern as she carefully placed Michael down to give me her full attention.

I approached her slowly, putting on my most convincing worried expression. I knew how to play this game. "I don’t know if I should tell you this," I started, my voice trembling slightly as I wiped away a tear. "But I don’t want Leila to regret it later."

Nelly reached out, taking my hands gently in hers. "I know it’s not my place to say, but I think I have to speak up before something bad happens," I continued, wiping away the tear that had escaped.

Nelly’s eyes widened with concern. "What do you mean, Lily? Is Leila in trouble?"

I hesitated for effect, wringing my hands as though I was scared to say too much. "It’s not really my place to interfere," I continued, my voice barely above a whisper. "But... I’m really scared something bad is going to happen if no one steps in."

"Lily," Nelly said, putting Mike down gently to play by himself. She reached out to take my hands, her voice trembling with fear now. "If Leila’s in trouble, you can tell me. I’ll help. I’ll stop whatever’s happening."

I bit my lip, pretending to be conflicted. "But Nelly... you know my history with Leila. What if you think I’m back to my old ways? You might not believe me."

Nelly squeezed my hands, her eyes full of earnest trust. "Lily, I know you’ve changed. You want what’s best for Leila. If you know something that could help her, you have to tell me. Please."

I took a deep breath, giving her a sad, resigned look. "Okay... but you have to promise me you won’t tell anyone I told you this. I’m only doing this because you’re her best friend, and you might be able to stop something bad before it happens."

Nelly nodded, her grip tightening. "I promise."

I inhaled deeply again for dramatic effect, letting the tension build before I finally said, "I think Leila is still trying to abort the baby."

Nelly’s reaction was exactly what I expected. Her hands jerked away from mine as though she had been burned. "No," she said, her voice sharp with disbelief. "No, Lily, you’re wrong. Leila has already said she’ll keep the baby. I’ve seen her. She’s accepted it, she’s happy about it."

I shook my head, wiping away another tear. "I wish I were wrong, Nelly. I really do. But... why else would she be taking wolfbane?"

The color drained from Nelly’s face. "What?" she whispered, barely able to speak.

"You have to understand," I continued, my voice quivering. "I’m not trying to make her look bad. I’ve made my own mistakes when it comes to children, and I don’t want her to go through the same regret I did. Wolfbane is dangerous, Nelly. It could kill a fully grown wolf, let alone an unborn child. Why else would she be taking it?"

Nelly looked completely thunderstruck, as though the rug had been pulled out from under her. "No... she wouldn’t... Leila wouldn’t do that."

"I saw her," I said softly, my voice full of false sorrow. "I saw her at the pack house when I went to get something for Mike. She was taking the wolfbane herself. Please, Nelly, I don’t want to accuse her of something so awful, but... I think she’s hiding it from everyone. You have to stop her before something terrible happens."

"We need to stop her," I gasped between sobs. "She’s not herself anymore. The child—she’s going to regret it if she continues down this path."

Nelly was quiet, her mind clearly racing to come to terms with what I had just told her. She looked heartbroken, like she was fighting to believe that her best friend could betray her trust like that. Just as I had planned. All I had to do now was push her in the right direction.

"If Drake finds out..." I let my voice trail off, knowing that would push her over the edge.

Nelly’s eyes snapped back to mine. "He has to know," she said, her voice full of determination. "He’s the only one who can stop her."

Perfect. That was exactly what I wanted.

I sobbed again, for dramatic effect, reaching for Nelly’s hands. "No, Nelly, please don’t tell Drake. It’ll hurt him so much. I don’t want him to be devastated. He’s already been through enough."

"But Lily," Nelly said, shaking her head, her resolve hardening. "If what you’re saying is true, only Drake can stop her from making a mistake she’ll regret forever. Don’t worry, I won’t mention your name. You’re only trying to help her."

I nodded, pretending to be reluctant, but inside I was celebrating. Everything was falling into place. Nelly was going to run straight to Drake, and Drake would confront Leila. And then everything would unravel.

I squeezed Nelly’s hands one last time before wiping my tears and standing up. "Thank you, Nelly," I whispered, my voice full of fake gratitude. "You’re such a good friend. I know you’ll do the right thing."

Nelly smiled weakly at me, still clearly shaken by what I had told her. "I just want to help her," she said softly.

"You will," I said, my voice firm. "You’ll save her from making a terrible mistake."

Everything was falling perfectly into place. I forced myself to hesitate, to look conflicted as if I were still debating whether or not to let her go to Drake. But deep down, I was celebrating. Nelly was going to walk right into my trap, and there wasn’t a damn thing Leila could do about it.

Finally, I let out a long, defeated sigh and nodded. "Okay... but please, be gentle with her. I think she’s just scared. Maybe if Drake talks to her, she’ll see reason."

Nelly gave me a determined nod. "I will. Thank you for telling me, Lily. You did the right thing."

As Nelly hurried off to find Drake, I sat back down, a satisfied smile spreading across my face. Phase two of my plan was complete. Now, it was only a matter of time before Leila’s world came crashing down.

And when it did, I’d be there to pick up the pieces.

With that, I left her there, knowing she would go straight to Drake as soon as she could. Everything was set in motion now, and there was no turning back. I had planted the seed of doubt, and now all I had to do was sit back and watch it grow.

As I walked away, a cold, satisfied smile spread across my face. Leila had no idea what was coming.

Drake’s POV:

I sat in my office, my thoughts heavy with worry. Leila’s deteriorating health weighed on me like an anchor. Day after day, I watched as her energy drained away, and despite all the doctors and remedies, no one could explain it. Worse, Marcus’s killer was still on the loose. My patience was wearing thin. A traitor within my pack—someone who could slip through our security, kill Marcus, and vanish without a trace. It made me sick to my core. My instincts were screaming at me that something much larger was at play, but I couldn’t piece it together.

I rubbed my temples, trying to shake off the headache that had settled in over the past few days. Brooding over the unanswered questions only made me more frustrated. I slammed my fist against the desk, the sound echoing through the quiet room. How could things have gone so wrong so fast?

A knock on the door snapped me out of my thoughts. "Come in," I called, my voice laced with exhaustion.

Nelly stepped inside, and the moment I saw her face and smelled the scent she was emitting, my stomach dropped. Fear and anxiety clung to her like a shadow, and something else—betrayal. I knew Nelly well enough to see she was shaken. My body tensed, and instinctively I rose to my feet, walking towards her. This wasn’t just the normal stress of pack life. No, something was very wrong.

"Nelly," I said, my voice hard with concern as I approached her. "Is Leila okay?" My mind immediately went to the worst-case scenario. Leila’s health had been so fragile lately, and Nelly was her best friend. If she wasn’t resting, I knew she’d be with Leila, which meant something must have happened.

Nelly shook her head, clutching my hands tightly, stopping me just as I reached for the door. Her grip was firm, her eyes wide with fear, but she nodded no, signaling that Leila wasn’t in immediate danger.

"Drake," she said, her voice shaky, "I need you to sit down and calm down. Leila is safe, at least for now."

The words made my heart race, but the uncertainty in her tone sent ice down my spine.

"For now?" I repeated, my voice barely above a whisper, but the urgency was rising. What wasn’t she telling me?

Nelly’s eyes filled with something dark, something almost too painful to say. She hesitated, as if the next words were going to rip through the fragile peace we had been clinging to.

And just like that, I felt the world tilting. Whatever she was about to say was going to be bad. Real bad.

"Tell me," I urged, the tension in my chest growing unbearable.

But she shook her head, biting her lip, trying to find the right way to say what she had come to deliver. I could feel it. Whatever news she had wasn’t just going to make my day worse; it was going to turn everything upside down.

"Nelly, tell me!" My voice came out more forceful than I intended, but I couldn’t help it.

She took a deep breath and looked at me with an expression that told me life as I knew it was about to change.