Avenging Luna
Chapter 86: Just a Taste

Chapter 86: Just a Taste

Leila’s POV:

I can’t believe it. How the hell was a bottle of wolfsbane in my drawer? Drake kept asking how I had it, like I’d know. How the hell was I supposed to know? I never saw that bottle in my entire life up until now. I couldn’t explain it, and I could see in Drake’s eyes that he was struggling too. His disbelief cut through me like a knife, but honestly, I didn’t blame him. If I were standing in his shoes, it would be hard for me to believe too.

I had once wanted to abort the baby, it’s true. When I first found out I was pregnant, I was terrified, confused, and not ready for the weight of motherhood. But that was months ago. I had grown attached to this life growing inside me. I had come to love the child. How the hell would I suddenly want to abort it now? How could Drake believe that of me?

But I could see how it looked from the outside. To someone who didn’t know me, it would seem like I had lied about keeping the baby—like I’d pretended to accept motherhood, only to turn around and secretly try to get rid of it. I pleaded with Drake to believe me, to trust that I hadn’t done this, but I could see the doubt flickering behind his eyes. The more I begged, the more his silence deepened, and that hurt more than anything.

Then he asked me to get tested for wolfsbane in my blood. My heart sank when he said it, but I agreed. I had to. What other option did I have? I needed to prove to him that I was innocent, even if it broke me a little that he needed a test to believe me. But it was a logical step. If the test proved I didn’t have any wolfsbane in my system, he’d know I was telling the truth. He’d see that I wasn’t trying to hurt our baby.

Still, the fact that he doubted me—again—brought back a flood of painful memories. The first time he’d accused me, when Lily planted those lies in his head. I hadn’t forgotten that betrayal. Back then, he’d been so quick to believe Lily, to trust her over me, that he nearly threw me in the dungeon. The rage I felt then resurfaced now, twisting inside me. Would this be the second time he falsely accused me? Would this become a pattern?

I clenched my jaw as I thought about it. Fine. Let him run his tests. When I proved him wrong, he would owe me big. No, huge. And I would make sure he never forgot how wrong he was.

When the pack doctor arrived, I felt a momentary relief. The test would finally clear all this up. This whole nightmare would end, and Drake would realize how insane his accusations were. I mean, how could I have taken wolfsbane? No one tampered with my food—Drake or I prepared most of our meals, and I was a picky eater. Nobody else touched what I ate, not even the kitchen staff. So the only way I could’ve ingested wolfsbane was if I took it myself, and I didn’t. Which meant the test would prove my innocence, right?

I thought about it logically: either the wolfsbane was planted in my drawer as some twisted set-up, or... well, no, that was the only possibility. Someone was trying to frame me, and I would expose them soon enough.

But then the doctor spoke. His words shattered my relief, each one hitting me like a ton of bricks.

"The test results came back positive. There are traces of wolfsbane in your system, Luna."

What? No... that’s not possible. My ears were ringing, my body frozen in place. What did he just say? Positive?

I blinked rapidly, trying to make sense of the words. They felt like a bad joke. Like I was in some surreal nightmare that I couldn’t wake up from.

I turned to Drake, desperately searching his face for some sign that he understood. That he knew, deep down, that I could never do this. But his expression was unreadable—torn between disbelief and something else I couldn’t place. His eyes, once so full of love, now clouded over with suspicion.

"No, this can’t be right," I whispered, shaking my head. "I didn’t take wolfsbane. There has to be a mistake."

The doctor just looked at me with pity, and that only made the knot in my chest tighter.

Drake didn’t say anything, but I could see the hurt etched into his features. It was like he was trying to understand, but the evidence was pulling him in another direction. I wanted to scream, to break something, to make him see that none of this made sense.

"Drake," I choked, my voice barely a whisper, "I swear, I didn’t do this."

He stayed silent, his eyes drifting toward the floor, his fists clenched tightly at his sides. The silence between us was suffocating.

I could feel the weight of his doubt pressing down on me, and it broke my heart. Why couldn’t he see that I was being framed? Why couldn’t he trust me? It wasn’t just the wolfsbane, it was everything. It was Lily poisoning his mind the first time, it was him always questioning whether I was capable of these terrible things.

"I... I don’t know how this happened," I stammered, my voice cracking. "But I didn’t do it. Please, you have to believe me."

He finally looked at me, his expression softening for a moment, but the damage had already been done. He was trying so hard to understand, but the seed of doubt had already taken root, and I could see it in his eyes.

"I don’t want to believe it," he said quietly, his voice hoarse, "but the evidence is there, Leila. It’s in your blood."

Tears welled up in my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. I couldn’t break now. I had to stay strong, for me, for our baby. I didn’t know who was behind this, but I wasn’t going to let them win. I wasn’t going to lose Drake because of some sick, twisted plan to ruin us.

I took a deep breath, trying to steady my voice. "I didn’t take it, Drake. I don’t know how it got into my system, but I’ll prove to you that I’m innocent. I swear on everything I love, I’ll find out who did this."

He nodded slowly, but the distance between us felt like a chasm.

"I hope you’re right," he murmured, though there was no conviction in his voice.

And with that, the doctor left the room, and I was left standing there, alone with the man I loved, more broken than I’d ever felt before. How did this happen? How did my life, my pregnancy, everything, turn into this nightmare?

Whoever was behind this, they were going to pay. I was going to find them.

The doctor had suggested running more tests before he left, and I clung to that glimmer of hope. Maybe, just maybe, they’d find something else—anything—that could prove my innocence. I was grateful for his thoroughness. At least someone was still looking for the truth.

Drake had left right after the doctor, and I had no idea where he went. Only God knew. But deep down, I knew why he chose to walk away. He didn’t want to say something he’d regret—something he couldn’t take back. I respected him for that, but that didn’t mean I was okay with it.

I wanted him to hold me, to tell me everything would be alright, to trust me without question. But instead, he chose to leave, leaving me to deal with this torment alone. Damn him. Damn this life for always putting me in these impossible situations. It was like a cruel joke the universe kept playing on me, over and over.

I curled up on the floor, arms wrapped tightly around my knees, crying silently. My gaze drifted to the small bottle lying a few feet away, the very thing that had turned my life upside down. How could something so small cause such chaos?

Curiosity gnawed at me. I reached for the bottle, turning it over in my hands. How could this little thing have so much power? I brought it closer to my nose, expecting the pungent scent of wolfsbane to hit me. But nothing. I frowned, confused. There was no scent. Was this a joke? Some cruel, twisted joke?

I opened the bottle, cautiously sniffing it again. Still nothing. No scent. Could it be...water? Was this just a bottle of water? My mind raced with absurd thoughts. Was Drake playing some sort of cruel prank on me? It wasn’t April Fool’s Day, and this definitely wasn’t funny.

Frustration bubbled inside me. Could this really just be water? Why had everything spiraled out of control if it was something as simple as that? I didn’t know what compelled me to do it, but before I could stop myself, I tipped the bottle to my lips, ready to taste it—to prove to myself that it was nothing.

That was the worst mistake I could’ve made.

Because just then, the door swung open.

Drake.

He froze, his eyes wide with shock, as he saw me with the bottle raised to my lips. The look on his face—pure horror—hit me like a punch to the gut.

I let the bottle fall from my hands as I stared back at him, helpless. My heart pounded in my chest, and for a moment, time stood still.

What had I just done?