VERA
"You failed!" My mother was livid, her voice tearing through the air like a whip.
"After everything I have done to get you here, to carve your future. After every sacrifice I made, every enemy I silenced, you let your father's bastard snatch it from right under your nose!" She wasn't having it. I felt my guts twist and turn. The disappointment in her voice was unmistakable.
I wasn't sure what I was feeling at the moment. The anger and disgrace from my wedding night started to surface. I had done everything perfectly, obeyed, and followed through with my mother's plans.
"You stood there and watched as she mated them!" She pointed a finger at me.
"I tried—" I opened my mouth to say something, but she cut me off with a glare, and if looks could kill, I would have dropped dead in that instant.
"You're not fully mated to the triplets, so our efforts, my efforts, are as good as futile, and I'm disappointed in you." She said, turning away from me.
I dug my nails into my palm. My half sister's existence was the bane of my own existence. She caused trouble for me without even lifting a finger. Clenching my fists tight, I wished I could choke her for all the pain she had caused me.
"Leave." My mother said, after a moment of silence, with a finality in her tone.
I turned on my heel, gritting my teeth as I stormed to my room as fast as possible.
Dashing into my room, I slammed the door so hard that I was surprised it didn't come off its hinges. My chest heaved with ragged breaths, hot and wild with fury I couldn't contain.
"ARGH!" I screamed in frustration, digging my hands into my hair and pulling at it as I paced right in front of the vanity mirror.
In one swift move, I pushed down all the items on the vanity table, and the sharp sound of glass shattering did nothing to soothe my rage.
"How could she?" I spat, voice trembling. "How could someone as useless as her come in and steal everything I've worked for? Right under my nose, like I wasn't even here."
Anger surged through me, and I ripped the thick velvet throw from the bed and flung it at the vanity mirror. The glass didn't shatter, but it was obscured—my own reflection swallowed in the darkness of fabric.
I was restless, pacing the room, tearing down curtains, and throwing my things around, but I was still livid.
"My father's bastard daughter took my place at the altar! Took my mates!" A scream tore through the air, leaving my throat sore and dry.
I grabbed the silver picture frame holding a faded portrait of my mother. It spun through the air and smashed against the floor with a sharp crack.
"You're not mated to the triplets, so our efforts are as good as futile, and I'm disappointed in you." I snarled, mimicking my mother. She had never spoken to me like that before, but she did today because of Emma!
I grabbed a jewellery box from the dresser and threw it at the door with all my might. It hit with a heavy thud and rattled the frame.
A breathless pause settled in the room. Then the door creaked open just a crack. Sharon stood there, eyes wide, lips tight.
"I-I heard the noise, my lady," Sharon stammered from the doorway, her hands trembling around the edge of the tray she carried. "Is everything... okay?"
"Does everything look okay to you?"
Sharon stepped in carefully, letting her eyes travel across the room. The velvet throw was crumpled on the floor, half-drenched with perfume and shards of glass littered the ground.
"I-I just—" she swallowed hard, flinching as I slammed a drawer shut, "thought you might... need help."
Without waiting for permission, she dropped to her knees and hurried to gather the pieces. Her fingers fumbled as she picked up the larger shards, wincing when one pricked her thumb. Still, she didn't stop.
She shook out the duvet, muttering apologies as glass clinked to the floor, then folded it neatly and placed it back on the bed, avoiding my eyes.
"I only mean," she said nervously, "why wreck your own space when you could put all this anger into hurting her?"
That made me pause.
I slowly turned to face her. "Her?"
Sharon's voice dropped, but she met my gaze. "Emma."
Then, slowly, my lips tilted upwards in a lopsided smile as I felt my anger evaporate completely. "That's exactly what I need to do; destroy Emma piece by piece."
I turned back to Sharon, my brows furrowed. "But, how?"
She rose to her feet, moving towards me with caution. "What if…" she began hesitantly, glancing up at me through her lashes, "what if you got sick?"
I narrowed my eyes. "What?"
She dropped her, fondling her fingers nervously. "Not really sick. Just enough to scare them. Something public. Visible. You collapse, gasping for air—maybe even convulsing. It happens right after Emma brings you something. A drink. A pastry. No one would question it. Everyone knows how much she hates you."
I stared at her, lips parting slightly in amusement.
"You want me to poison myself?" I said slowly, incredulously.
Sharon's voice quickened, desperate. "Nothing permanent! Just enough to make it believable. Something you can recover from in hours. But the damage will be…" she snapped her fingers. "Irreversible."
"Are you crazy? Why would I agree to a plan as stupid as that?" She flinched at the sound of my voice.
"I'm sorry, my Luna," she bowed her head as she apologized. A small smile curled at the corners of my lips, at least to Sharon, I was the Luna.
Seconds passed, and her head snapped up, eyes wide and gleaming with mischief.
"What did you come up with? Tell me?" I demanded.
She nodded, going to make sure the door was properly closed before coming to whisper the plan in my ears. My eyes grew wide with shock and excitement.
"That's amazing!" I exclaimed with a clap.
Sharon's eyes gleamed. "She won't know what hit her."
I nodded, voiced a chilling promise: "Tomorrow will shatter her, and when the triplets cast her aside for such an abomination, even the priest won't be able to interfere. "
A soft chuckle escaped Sharon's lips. "It's perfect. She won't see it coming."
"No," I said, my lips curving into a daunting smile, "she never does."