Chapter 116: The other woman.

July 24 2026, 11:24am.

For the next couple of days, Nyx’ara exerted herself to the bones. She was stressed and frustrated, and this was mostly because she had exams coming up, exams she was supposed to prepare for, yet here she was playing the lady of the house for her four husbands who had suddenly decided that a party was all they needed.

She still did not understand how a party was supposed to help catch the culprit behind Leilani’s murder. However, she knew that she was not to question their plans so as not to come off as the enemy.

However, after discarding all the thoughts swirling through her mind, she decided to focus on her current task, which was sorting through the different interior decor designs laid out before her.

She pinched the bridge of her nose as she stared hard at the pictures in front of her, but no matter how hard she glared, she could not bring herself to make a decision.

Why?

Because all of these were things she was never used to! All of these were things her stepmother and father had made sure to isolate her from while growing up, leaving them to Elara who they felt was more ’tasteful’. So if she was being true to herself, she would admit that she had no idea what to say.

She didn’t even know what to do!

Her hands shook against the palette and she panted slightly as the weight of eyes on her grew with each passing second.

Her heart raced as she traced her fingers over the designs laid out in front of her. Everything looked almost the same, making her believe that this was some form of setup.

They knew she was clueless so they had decided to make a mockery of her.

"Luna, is this beyond your knowledge?" A voice suddenly asked from beside her but before she could respond, the person continued: "If yes, do I seek opinion from someone else?"

She lifted her eyes to meet the sharp gaze of the maiden, one she had never spoken to before, and then she made a mental note of how even though her voice was soft, there was an unhidden contempt dripping from each word like honey.

This was not lost on Nyx’ara who immediately glanced one more time at the templates then nodded once. "Yes, ask f-for opinions." She said, her voice breaking slightly.

She hadn’t even finished saying the words when the doors were forcefully pushed open and a gust of wind blew into the room. A lady dressed in a silk red dress then waltzed into the room with enough bravado that everyone was forced to turn to look at her.

And goddess, it wasn’t just her bravado doing the work. It was her aura, her beauty and magnificence!

Nyx’ara’s breath hitched when the familiar mane of dark hair came into view and she frowned deeply when Seraphina walked over, her strides prideful yet dainty.

"Long time no see!" Seraphina greeted but even a deaf person could hear the hint of mockery lacing each word like honey.

Her eyes dragged from the top of Nyx’ara’s head to her slipper-clad feet, and her eyes shone with malice for a second before she turned away to respond to the servants greeting her.

Then she turned back to Nyx’ara. "I used to think you had something special about you that could measure against me. I used to wonder what it was about you that made the Alphas tolerate you!"

"Seraphina—"

"Now I know and understand that the only thing they feel for you is pity, and this is why they decided to send for me to help you out just as I have been doing in the past."

Nyx’ara of all people should know that Seraphina was only bragging. She should not have taken her words to heart but for some reason, she could not shake out the feeling that the other lady was telling the truth.

Her heart pounded against her chest as she watched her stroll around like she owned the place, her dress billowing behind her as she paced about.

"I-I do not know what you mean?" Nyx’ara hissed, hating the way her heart suddenly felt so heavy in her chest.

She hated that this girl could so easily get under her skin without even trying so much.

The corners of her eyes stung but she deluded herself into thinking it was anger instead of tears.

And when Seraphina walked over to hook her index finger under Nyx’ara’s chin, the latter saw red.

"What do I not mean?" Seraphina mocked. "You stutter, you’re almost deaf and blind. You are ugly and pathetic... and you cannot even do something as simple as picking decor for a party! You’re nothing but a loser and the alphas know this, that is why they sent for me to help out with the preparations... but that is not all..." she sneered. She let her voice trail off in order to keep Nyx’ara on her toes.

And she succeeded as Nyx’ara found herself wondering what the rest of this madness entailed. However, before she would ask about it, Seraphina beat her to it by adding:

"They also want me to stand with them during the occasion as their Luna. I don’t know what you’ll be introduced to the crowd as on that day, but definitely not as theirs."

The words hit Nyx’ara like a ton of bricks and if she wasn’t already sitting, then she would have fallen to the floor.

Her bloodshot eyes darted up to meet Seraphina’s glare and once again, she tried to delude herself into thinking that the other woman was only bluffing.

She does not mean that.

The alphas would not do that!

She was however about to say this when Seraphina beat her to it one more time. She snickered;

"You do not believe me?" She asked, and when Nyx’ara would not respond immediately, she added; "...then ask them."

Then ask them!

The words once more hit Nyx’ara with a force. Her face stung with the realisation that the only reason Seraphina was this smug was because her words were true.

This realisation in itself made her so angry that her hands clenched into fists. She snarled; "Well, g-good for you."

Because Seraphina had not expected her to respond like that, her face burned and her lips curled downward into a sneer.

She hated that Nyx’ara was impossible to shake. She hated that the girl never allowed anything to get under her skin.

But not for long.

Deciding that she would break Nyx’ara whether she wanted to pretend to be unfazed or not, she smirked at her and drawled; "They have also promised me something in return if I manage to get rid of you once and for all."

Even though Nyx’ara was no longer interested in this conversation, she could not help but frown and hiss; "What is that?"

The gleam in Seraphina’s eyes should have told her how bad this was but she didn’t pay any attention to it. However, nothing prepared her for the things the other woman said next.

She hissed; "They promised to mark me."