Chapter 197: 197 - sent you
197
~Belinda’s POV
Damon’s lips curled. "You are swearing on the moon goddess? Don’t make me laugh. You are already poisoned by your jealousy."
I flinched as his words struck me. My tears poured harder. "Please, Damon... I would never betray you. Never!"
Rowan’s voice cut through, calm but firm. "Brother, enough. You’re letting your anger blind you. Belinda is our Luna. We cannot condemn her without proof."
Kael nodded sharply, his tone edged with warning. "Damon, think. Dolph may have acted on his own. You know he owed Belinda his life. It’s not impossible he twisted that debt into something reckless."
But Damon’s jaw tightened like stone, his voice a snarl. "Do not defend her. Her guard tried to murder Lisa and my child. He would not take a step without her word."
"No." Rowan’s tone grew sharper, iron beneath his calm. "You don’t know that. Don’t throw away reason because of rage. Remember, this child is not yours alone!"
Kael stepped closer, his gaze burning into Damon’s. "I won’t stand by and watch you punish her without cause. Restrain your fury. Investigate first."
For a heartbeat, the air was thick, tense, three brothers standing at an edge. Damon’s nostrils flared, his chest rising like a beast holding back the kill.
Finally, his voice came, cold as a blade. "Fine. Until I have proof, she will not walk free. Guards, lock her in her chambers. Let her sit there until we know the truth."
My heart lurched. "No! Damon, please..."
The guards moved at once, bowing before stepping toward me. I stumbled back, shaking. "Rowan! Kael! Stop him! Don’t let him do this!"
Rowan’s hand clenched at his side, his jaw tight. "Endure this, Belinda. We will find the truth. Trust us."
Kael’s eyes stayed locked on Damon, not me. His voice was low but sharp as steel. "This is a mistake, brother. And when the truth comes out, you’ll regret treating her this way."
But Damon did not relent. He turned from me, his shoulders stiff, his rage unyielding. "Take her."
I pressed my palms against the wood, my chest heaving. "Damon..." My voice broke. "Why can’t you see me?"
Silence answered.
Slowly, my hands fell, my tears drying into salt on my cheeks. My lips curved, bitter and sharp. "Fine," I whispered. "Lock me away. Think me weak. When the truth comes out, I’ll remember who stood against me... and who didn’t."
The guards seized my arms, rough and ready to push me.
"Don’t you dare!" I snapped, jerking my arm free. My voice echoed sharply against the walls, cutting through the silence. Both guards froze, startled by my tone.
"I am not some servant to be tossed about," I hissed, my eyes flashing. "I have legs of my own, and I will walk inside myself. Lay a hand on me again, and I swear, you will regret it."
For a moment, they hesitated, glancing at each other. They knew they had orders, but they also knew I was the Luna. Their grips loosened, and they stepped back.
I lifted my chin high, gathering the edges of my gown in one hand, and strode into the chamber with steady steps. My spine was straight, my head unbowed.
The door shut behind me with a heavy thud, the lock clicking into place. I stood in the center of the room, breathing hard, my pride burning hotter than my anger.
I quickly wiped my face with the back of my hand, trying to erase the traces of tears.
I whirled, grabbed the nearest vase from the table, and flung it hard against the wall. It shattered in a burst of sharp fragments, scattering across the floor.
"Useless!" I screamed, my voice cracking with rage. I tore at the curtains, ripping the silk free from its hooks, sending fabric crashing down around me. My chest heaved, but it wasn’t sorrow that filled me. No, only fire.
I grabbed a goblet from the shelf and hurled it at the mirror. The glass cracked, spiderwebbing across the frame until it collapsed into jagged pieces at my feet.
"Dolph!" I spat the name like poison. "Even you are worthless! I gave you one task, just one! Kill Lisa. Kill her and be done. And yet she still breathes, still clings to her life like a weed that will not die."
I kicked over a stool, the wood splintering as it hit the ground. My hands trembled, not with regret but with rage. Not a single shred of remorse touched me.
"She should have been gone!" I shouted at the empty chamber, pacing like a caged wolf. "Her child should have been gone! But no...Dolph failed, and now they look at me as if I am the fool."
I raked my fingers through my hair, tugging at the strands until my scalp stung. My eyes burned, but no tears fell this time. Only fury remained, boiling hotter with each breath.
I lashed out again, sweeping books from the table, letting them scatter across the floor. The sound of their pages tearing did nothing to calm me; it only reminded me that nothing was enough, nothing could satisfy this hunger for destruction clawing at my chest.
"No one in this cursed palace is capable of finishing what I start," I snarled. "Not even him."
I collapsed onto the edge of the bed, the wreckage of my chamber lying around me, chest rising and falling in sharp, furious breaths.
The heavy door creaked open, and I turned my head sharply. One of the guards walked in. But something about him... it was off.
No guard in the palace would dare enter my chamber without permission, and not even when the Damon gave the order that my place should be locked. Yet this one pushed the door with steady hands and stepped inside as though he owned the place.
I narrowed my eyes, sitting up straighter on the edge of the bed.
"What do you think you’re doing?" I demanded, keeping my voice strong even though my heart raced.
He shut the door behind him without hesitation. "No need to raise your voice, my lady," he said, his tone calm, almost too calm for a guard.
That was when it hit me. He was no ordinary palace guard. The way he carried himself, the way his eyes scanned the room first before meeting mine, it was deliberate, practiced.
"Who sent you?" I asked quickly, my voice low but sharp.