Chapter 106 Sebastian Hated Liars
Author’s POV
Linda Taylor stared at her phone screen.
Three months. Three goddamn months had passed, and Emilia was still very much alive. Still very much married. Still very much the Luna of the Silver Moon Pack.
The curse that was supposed to kill Sebastian’s brides hadn’t touched her. The three-month limit that ended every one of his previous marriages had come and gone, and the bitch was still standing.
Not just standing. Thriving.
Linda had seen the photos online. Emilia at pack galas, draped in designer gowns. Emilia stepping out of luxury vehicles with Sebastian’s hand on the small of her back. Emilia smiling that infuriatingly serene smile, like she hadn’t stolen the life that should have been Linda’s.
"Unbelievable," Linda hissed under her breath, her wolf bristling with envy and rage. "That little half-breed witch actually pulled it off."
She’d waited long enough. If Emilia wasn’t going to die from some mystical curse, and if Sebastian wasn’t going to divorce her like he’d done with all the others, then Linda would just have to take matters into her own hands.
She needed leverage. She needed dirt. She needed something that would blow Emilia’s perfect little facade to pieces.
And she knew exactly where to start.
Chuck Lorris sat in the corner booth of a dingy bar on the outskirts of Silverlake City, nursing his third beer of the afternoon. The place reeked of stale cigarettes and desperation, which suited him just fine. He was a man who’d made peace with disappointment a long time ago.
He was technically a witch. Well, descended from witches, anyway. His grandmother had been one of the old bloodline, back when magic still flowed strong through the Lorris family. But by the time it got to Chuck, the magic had dried up like a river in a drought. He couldn’t cast spells. Couldn’t do a damn thing except live like a human in the poorest part of the pack’s territory, scraping by on odd jobs and borrowed money.
The wolf packs tolerated people like him, as long as they stayed in their lane and didn’t cause trouble.
So when a pretty young woman with an expensive handbag and a sharper smile slid into the seat across from him, he knew trouble had just walked through the door.
"Chuck Lorris?" Linda asked.
"Who’s asking?" Chuck grunted, eyeing her warily.
"My name is Linda Taylor. I’m Emilia’s half-sister."
Chuck’s grip tightened on his beer bottle. "I’ve got nothing to say to you."
"Oh, I think you do." Linda leaned back in her seat, crossing her legs elegantly. "See, I’m worried about my dear sister. And I thought maybe you could help me understand what’s really going on with her."
"Your family didn’t give a shit about her," Chuck spat. "Why the hell would you start caring now?"
Linda’s smile didn’t waver. "You’re right. My family treated her terribly. But that doesn’t mean I don’t care. In fact, I care very much. Especially since she’s married to Sebastian Simons now."
Chuck said nothing, but his jaw tightened.
"Three months," Linda continued. "That’s how long his marriages usually last before the brides either die or disappear. But Emilia’s still here. Still alive. Still playing the perfect Luna. Doesn’t that strike you as... odd?"
"What are you getting at?"
"I think my sister is hiding something. And I think you know what it is."
Chuck scoffed and drained the rest of his beer. "I don’t know anything."
"Really?" Linda signaled the bartender and ordered a bottle of expensive whiskey, the kind Chuck could never afford. "Then let me tell you what I know. I know that before Emilia married Sebastian, she had another arrangement. With a man named Richie Lind. And his son, Leighton."
Chuck’s face went pale.
"I also know," Linda continued, her eyes glittering with malice, "that Richie Lind paid your family a substantial amount of money. A hundred thousand dollars, to be exact. In exchange for a promise."
"You don’t know what you’re talking about," Chuck muttered.
Linda poured him a generous glass of whiskey and slid it across the table. "Why don’t you tell me the truth, Uncle Chuck? I’m not here to judge. I’m here to help."
Chuck stared at the amber liquid. He should have walked out right then and there. He should have told this conniving little wolf to go to hell.
But he didn’t.
He picked up the glass and took a long drink.
Two hours and half a bottle later, Chuck was slumped in his seat, his words slurring together as Linda listened with rapt attention.
"It wasn’t my idea," he mumbled, his eyes unfocused. "It was Richie Lind’s. He came to me after Tanya died, said he wanted to take care of Emilia. Said his son needed a companion, someone kind and patient. He offered money. A lot of money. Said it would help Emilia too, give her a stable home..."
"And you agreed," Linda said.
"What was I supposed to do?" Chuck’s voice cracked. "Henry Taylor and that bitch Dorothy treated her like garbage. At least with the Linds, she’d have a roof over her head. Richie swore he’d take care of her."
"But she didn’t stay with them, did she?" Linda pressed. "She married Sebastian instead."
Chuck laughed bitterly. "She’s smarter than I gave her credit for. She used Sebastian. Used his money, his power, his connections. All so she could destroy the Taylor family."
Linda’s heart skipped a beat. "What do you mean, destroy?"
"She hates them," Chuck said. "Hates Henry for abandoning her mother. Hates Dorothy for treating her like a slave. Hates you—"
He jabbed a finger at Linda. "—for taking everything that should have been hers. Marry Sebastian, gain his trust, use his resources to take down your family. And when she’s done?" He took another swig of whiskey. "She’ll go back to Richie Lind. That’s the deal. She’ll divorce Sebastian and marry Leighton like she promised. Richie’s already treating her like a daughter. It’s all been arranged."
Linda sat back in her seat, her mind racing.
So that was it. Emilia wasn’t some innocent victim who’d lucked into a fairytale marriage. She was a scheming little witch with a vendetta.
And once she was done, she’d toss him aside like garbage and move on to her next target.
"Thank you, Uncle Chuck," Linda said sweetly, standing up and dropping a few bills on the table. "You’ve been very helpful."
As Linda walked out of the bar, one thought burned in her mind.
Sebastian hated liars. He hated betrayal. And when he found out that his precious little Luna had been using him all along, that she was planning to leave him for some brain-damaged fool...