Avenging Luna
Chapter 83: The Plan Unfolds

Chapter 83: The Plan Unfolds

Drake’s POV:

"Sit down, Drake. Before I tell you anything, you need to sit down," Nelly pleaded, her voice trembling with a mixture of fear and urgency.

I hesitated, standing there, my chest tight with worry. Every fiber of my being wanted to grab her by the shoulders and shake the truth out of her, but the look in her eyes—wide, panicked, filled with an emotion I couldn’t quite place—stopped me. She wasn’t going to speak until I did what she asked.

I sighed heavily, my frustration barely contained. Every part of me wanted to demand answers, to shake her until she told me what was wrong. But the look in her eyes—fear, anxiety, even a flicker of something close to guilt—held me back. She wasn’t just stalling. This was something big.

Sighing deeply, I nodded and walked back to my desk. My muscles tensed as I lowered myself into the chair, watching her closely. Every second felt like a lifetime. She stayed standing, wringing her hands, her eyes darting around the room like she was searching for the right words or the courage to say them. It was unnerving, and I hated it.

"Alright," I said, my voice low, but firm. "I’m sitting. Now tell me what’s going on. Is it about Leila? What happened?"

Nelly took a deep breath, clutching her hands together so tightly that her knuckles were white. She glanced at me, then away, clearly struggling to get the words out.

Nelly hesitated again, her hands fidgeting in front of her, and that only made my anxiety spike. What could possibly be this bad? Was Leila’s health worse than the doctors had let on? Had something happened to her or our child? I couldn’t stand the waiting.

"Nelly, for the love of the Moon Goddess, just spit it out," I urged, my voice low and tight. The longer she stayed silent, the more my mind raced with possibilities—none of them good.

"Drake... it’s Leila, but..." She trailed off, biting her lip nervously. "I don’t think she’s in immediate danger, but there’s something you need to know. Something... I can’t keep from you any longer."

My heart pounded in my chest. The way she was talking—so cryptic, so hesitant—made me feel like I was about to be hit by a truck.

"Stop dragging it out, Nelly," I snapped, though I tried to control the frustration rising inside me. "Just tell me. What’s wrong with Leila?"

She winced at the sharpness in my voice but quickly composed herself. "I... I don’t know how to say this, and I don’t want to believe it myself. But... Lily came to me earlier today."

My eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Lily? What does she have to do with Leila?"

"She said... she said that Leila might be trying to... harm the baby." Her voice cracked, and I felt like the world had just spun off its axis.

"What?" I growled, my heart skipping a beat. Wolfbane? Leila? No. There’s no way she would—"Nelly, that doesn’t make any sense. Why would she—?"

"Harm the baby?" I repeated, my voice hollow. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Nelly took a shaky breath. "Lily claims that she saw Leila taking wolfbane... and we both know what wolfbane can do to a pregnant wolf."

I stared at her, my mind going completely blank for a moment. Then, slowly, the words started to sink in, and they hit me like a freight train.

"No," I said, shaking my head in disbelief. "No, that’s not possible. Leila wouldn’t... she wouldn’t harm our child. She’s been so happy, she talks about the baby all the time. This is bullshit, Nelly."

"I know, I didn’t want to believe it either," she continued quickly, clearly afraid of my reaction. "But Lily swears she saw it. She said Leila was acting strange when she was at the pack house, and she saw her taking wolfbane."

"Lily?" I growled, my anger flaring up like wildfire. "Lily, of all people, says this? The same woman who’s caused nothing but trouble for Leila in the past? The same woman I’ve never trusted?"

Nelly stepped back, her eyes wide with alarm. "I know you don’t trust Lily, but she seemed genuinely worried, Drake. She came to me in tears, saying she didn’t want Leila to make a mistake she’d regret. She asked me to tell you because she didn’t want anyone else to know. She was afraid Leila might be trying to get rid of the baby."

I clenched my fists, my knuckles turning white. The idea was too insane, too horrifying to believe. Leila had been glowing with excitement about the baby, about our future. There was no way she’d do something like that. Not her. Not my mate.

"I don’t believe it," I said through gritted teeth, trying to keep the rage from boiling over. "Lily’s lying. She’s trying to stir up trouble."

"I thought the same thing at first," Nelly replied, her voice quiet but steady. "But Drake, if there’s even a chance that this is true, we have to find out. I know you love Leila, and I do too, but if she’s been secretly struggling... you need to talk to her. You need to know if she’s okay."

My mind was spinning. I didn’t want to believe any of it. I didn’t want to think that Leila, the woman I loved more than anything, could be hiding something this dark from me. But the seed of doubt was planted now, and it was growing fast.

Leila had accepted the pregnancy. She had been so happy about it, or at least that’s what I thought. The nausea, the exhaustion—everything had seemed normal for a pregnant she-wolf. But now? Now it all seemed wrong. Had she been secretly hurting herself? Was she trying to harm the baby? My child?

A surge of protectiveness shot through me, but it was immediately drowned in confusion. Why wouldn’t she tell me if something was wrong? Why would she go behind my back?

I stood up abruptly, pushing past Nelly as I paced the room. "This doesn’t make sense," I muttered to myself. "She’s been happy. She’s been fine. I would have noticed if something was wrong."

"Maybe she’s been hiding it," Nelly said softly. "You know how proud Leila is. She doesn’t like showing weakness, and if she’s been struggling with this pregnancy... maybe she didn’t want to burden you with it."

I stopped pacing, my fists still clenched at my sides. My mind was at war with itself, torn between disbelief and the horrifying possibility that there was truth to Nelly’s words. I had to know. I had to confront Leila and find out what the hell was going on.

Nelly insisted. "She’s hiding it. I don’t know where she got it, but I know what I am talking about. She’s taking it... and I think it’s her way of trying to get rid of the baby without anyone knowing."

"Nelly," I said, my voice tight with barely controlled anger. "If Lily is lying, if she’s made this up just to cause trouble, I will deal with her myself. But if there’s any truth to this... I need to find out."

"I need to talk to her," I muttered, my voice coming out like a growl. "Now."

"Drake, please—" Nelly reached for me, trying to stop me, but I was already halfway to the door.

"No, Nelly! If Leila is in danger, if she’s really doing this, I need to know why!" I couldn’t just sit here and do nothing. The thought of her putting herself and our baby at risk made my blood boil. There was no way I was going to let this go without answers.

"I understand, Drake. I do," Nelly said, her voice pleading. "But please, don’t go in there angry. Leila needs you right now. You need to stay calm, for her and for the baby."

I stopped at the door, clenching my fists so tightly my knuckles turned white. Stay calm? How could I stay calm when everything was spiraling out of control? But Nelly was right. If I stormed in there in a rage, I’d only make things worse. I had to get the truth, no matter how painful it was.

I took a deep breath, forcing myself to reign in the fury that was coursing through me. "Alright," I said, my voice low. "But if she’s been doing this... I’m not letting it go."

Nelly nodded, her eyes filled with worry. "Just... talk to Leila, Drake. Please. Don’t let this fester. You need to know the truth."

I nodded, my jaw clenched. I wasn’t sure if I was ready for the truth, but I couldn’t ignore it anymore. I had to know if my mate—the woman carrying my child—was hiding something that could shatter everything we had built.

I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself. "Are you absolutely sure, Nelly? Is there any chance you could be wrong?"

Nelly’s eyes filled with sadness as she shook her head. "I wish I was wrong, Drake, but I’ve seen enough to know that something’s very, very wrong."

For a moment, I sat there in silence, my mind racing with a thousand thoughts. How could this have happened? What had pushed Leila to this point? I had to confront her, but how? I couldn’t storm in and accuse her. I needed to handle this carefully, for her sake and the baby’s.

I stood up, my mind made up. "Thank you for telling me, Nelly. I’ll take care of it."

She nodded, relief flickering in her eyes, but I could tell she was still worried. "Just... be careful with her, Drake. She’s fragile right now."

I didn’t respond, because I already knew that. I had seen how her health had deteriorated, how she had become more withdrawn. And now, if what Nelly was saying was true, it was far worse than I had imagined.

As Nelly left the room, I felt the weight of the situation crash down on me. I needed to talk to Leila, but I also needed to be smart about it. Accusing her outright would only push her away. I had to be careful, but time wasn’t on my side. If she really was taking wolfsbane, every second counted.

With a deep breath, I turned towards the door, preparing myself for what might be the hardest conversation of my life.