Chapter 12: Needed A Red Necklace
Gamma Kira's expression softened slightly, though her eyes still flashed with warning as she glared at Vivian and her mother. With a curt nod, Kira stepped out of the hall, leaving the tense atmosphere to settle.
'Too simple-minded to catch the sarcasm, as always,' Reana thought to herself with a sigh.
"Reana!!" her stepmother wailed, her dramatics heightened by the fact that Vivian's wound had already begun to heal. "You...you're a monster!" she spat, her voice trembling with anguish. "Do you hate your sister so much that you can't wait to destroy her, just like you've destroyed everything else in your path? My best friend died giving birth to you...
"And my destined mate, my children's father, withered away because I devoted myself to raising you, depriving my own children of their father's love and affection. Yet, this is how you repay us? How could your heart be so cold, so scheming?" Tears streamed down her face like a torrent, her words dripping with venom and sorrow.
A fleeting glint of anger flashed in Reana's eyes, but she maintained her composure, denying her stepmother the satisfaction of a reaction. In the past, the cruel taunts of her stepmother and step siblings had drawn a fierce response from Reana, who had been labeled a 'murderer from birth' and a 'jinx' due to the circumstances surrounding her mother's death.
Following her mother's tragic passing, Katherine, her mother's closest confidante, stepped forward with a seemingly selfless offer; to care for the infant Reana, vowing to provide the love and nurturing that her mother would have given.
Reana's father and brothers, consumed by grief and their duties as pack protectors, were oblivious to Katherine's true intentions. They welcomed her into their lives, trusting her implicitly due to her close bond with their late mother. Little did they know, Katherine's actions were motivated by a sinister agenda, hidden behind a mask of kindness and devotion.
Katherine's role as Reana's nanny, despite its luxurious perks, wasn't enough to satiate her ambition. She coveted the title of Luna, and to claim it, she ruthlessly eliminated her destined mate, exploiting his existing illness to her advantage.
With calculated dramatic flair, Katherine mourned her husband's passing, berating herself for being a neglectful wife and mother. She wailed about the loss, proclaiming that her children would grow up without a father figure and that she was now alone, without a supporter.