Lunar Temptations

Ch 40

A knock resounded at the door, followed by Lisa and some maids coming in to serve tea. I felt my shoulders easing as the tension dissipated, followed by the rustling of the maids coming in to serve. The atmosphere lightened, and I inhaled deeply to ease my nerves. Ever so slowly, I extended my hand under the table towards Zayden's. The touch took him by surprise, and he threw a glance before following my lead and entwining our hands. Esther's presence, along with Rowan Castillo's constant negative energy towards me, was putting me on edge. And that warm hand wrapped around mine was the only comfort I could get in this room.

Lisa advanced towards me with a smile, a teacup in her hand. She gently placed it down in front of me and began to pour tea into it.

"Beta Drake, are there any witnesses or leads in Macy Jenkins' case?" Esther bent over the table, directing her question towards Drake who was seated across from her. Whatever happened next was a blur, as I felt hot liquid burn my skin through the dress, and I stood up hastily. A gasp or two resounded from the table as I hissed, panicking. The teacup had overflowed as Lisa was pouring into it. My hiss brought her attention to it as she jerked back, immediately setting the kettle down.

"I-i am so sorry, Miss Dawson!" Her lips quivered as she stared at me with horror etched on her face. It was entirely her mistake because she was clearly distracted, resulting in the tea overflowing and falling onto my lap. Zayden stood up, shooting not one but many glares towards Lisa. I shook my head, grabbing some tissues.

"It's alright," I said dabbing the tissue paper on the dampened cloth. "I didn't mean to, please forgive me." Lisa wailed, and despite my ruined dress and probably burned thigh, I felt bad for the girl. The whole room felt silent as everybody stared expectantly, probably waiting for me to lash out. The poor girl was a crying mess by now, and my heart softened.

"I'll be right back," I said and nodded at Lisa, "Come, help me clean it."

She was making a fool out of herself by standing in front of them and crying. So, I asked her to lead me to the washroom. Eager to avoid any more carelessness, she quietly walked with me. Her gaze was cast down throughout the way, and I could tell that it wasn't just about pouring the tea on me.

"What happened?" I asked, dabbing the stained piece of cloth with water. With each dab of wet tissues, it began to lighten. Lisa jerked her head towards me and blinked twice, confused. "What happened back there? What was on your mind?" I softened my tone even more, hoping she would share with me. I always wanted to be kinder to my wolves, so that they would be compassionate towards me. Anger and dominance might make them fear you as a leader but kindness was capable of doing a lot more.

She shook her head, "It was nothing, Miss Dawson. I should have been more careful."

I wasn't an expert lie detector, but this girl was incapable of hiding her feelings. Her lie could be caught from her face imprinted with worry and a small frown, which hadn't disappeared from the moment the tea had fallen.

"You can trust me. I won't bite," I said, passing her a small smile. She hesitated for a while but remained quiet. I knew there was more, but I refrained from insisting anymore if she was not willing to share. Just as I was finishing up cleaning, it hit me. The alarms in my head went off, and I turned towards her so quickly that she stared at me, baffled.

"Is this about Macy?" I said, recalling the moment when the incident happened. Esther was asking Drake about any witnesses or leads, and that must have been what had distracted Lisa too while she was pouring the tea. Not only that, she was relaxed and smiling at me before, but now the poor soul looked devastated.

Her face turned pale, and it was an answer enough.

I took a step towards her and took her hand in mine. "Lisa, what do you know about it?"

She gulped slowly and averted her gaze. "I-i know nothing." She was shaking by now, and tears had started to well up in her eyes. I wanted to stop and comfort her, but it wasn't the right time for it. I grabbed both her shoulders and matched her gaze. "You can trust me. I have promised Paula her daughter's justice, but for that-" I paused as she calmed down hearing Paula's name.

"You'll have to tell me everything."

She slowly began to nod. I waited for her to begin, and she took a minute to breathe in deeply; her face was contorted in fear before, and it hurt to see her like that. No woman ever deserved to be exploited by a man or to witness such a horrible thing happening around her, knowing she wasn't safe either. Lisa's reaction was only expected as she was a worker in the Estate too. The same Estate where an innocent woman was gang-raped by 4 monsters.

"Macy and I- we were good friends. She would come in once a week with Paula to help her out with the work, but-" she paused, gulping and trying to contain a sob. "That day, Macy stayed in late with me while Paula left. We were cutting the overgrown vines in the yard when the fire alarm rang, and I told her to stay back while I go check it out since she wasn't aware of the pro." With that, a heart-wrenching sob broke through her.

"I-i should have stayed back." She cried out. "It wasn't your fault, Lisa. They would have probably gone after you too if you had stayed." I said, clenching my jaws. Macy and Lisa were friends, and not only that, but Lisa was also present there when it all happened. I was all about empowering women and believing that she could have saved Macy too, but they were 4 men with enormous strength, considering one of them was the former beta's son. It would have ended in their favour either way.

"Did you see any one of them? Or can you identify them?" I asked when she calmed down, hoping she would say yes, and we would finally have a witness or at least a lead because I remembered Drake replying no to Esther's question earlier.