The Rise Of The Betrayed Luna (Amorah and Holmes) novel Chapter 168

Chapter 168: A Friend That Lies

Amorah PUV

I barely slept that night. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the signature at the bottom of the ledger page.

I saw the name of a woman who had smiled at me, comforted me, and acted like she cared while my entire life was falling apart. Morning arrived far too quickly.

The baby was already awake before I was. A sharp kick made me groan as I slowly pushed myself upright in bed.

Conrad woke immediately and looked at me with concern. “You okay?”

I nodded and rubbed my side. “Your child has declared war on my ribs.”

A smile tugged at his mouth as he shifted closer. “My child?”

“Our child,” I corrected. “Better.”

Despite everything waiting downstairs, the small exchange helped. Conrad moved closer and rested a hand against my stomach.

The baby kicked again, making his eyebrows rise in surprise. “Definitely mine.

I laughed despite myself, and for a few seconds, things felt normal. Then reality returned with brutal clarity

The ledger and the signature flashed through my mind again. The betrayal followed close behind.

My smile disappeared, and Conrad noticed immediately. “We don’t have to rush this.”

“Yes, we do,” I replied as I swung my legs over the side of the bed. “If I wait any longer, I’ll start questioning myself.”

Conrad stood and helped me up without argument. That alone reminded me how much our relationship had changed. An hour later, the investigation room was full. Intelligence wolves had spent the entire night cross–checking the ledger against financial records, communication logs, and archived transactions.

The results were waiting for me when I arrived. I sat carefully, already feeling the strain of another long meeting.

The pregnancy made sitting for extended periods uncomfortable now. My back hurt more often, my feet swelled faster, and even sitting required planning these days.

The lead investigator opened the file and looked toward me. “We verified the signature.”

I already knew what he was going to say. Still, hearing it out/loud hurts.

“It’s genuine,” he confirmed. The room remained silent afterward.

I stared at the woman’s photograph without blinking. Mara Vance had been one of my mother’s oldest friends.

She was also one of the few adults who had continued contacting me after my exile. For years, she had claimed she never stopped believing in me.

I felt sick as I looked at her face. Not devastated or broken, just tired.

Conrad sat beside me, his shoulder lightly touching mine. It wasn’t a dramatic gesture, but it reminded me I wasn’t facing this alone.

“The payments continued for nearly seven years,” the investigator continued. My stomach tightened immediately. “Seven years?” I repeated.

“Yes, Luna,” he answered.

That meant someone had still been reporting on me even after Holmes rejected me. Even after Bethany humiliated me and I lost everything, they had continued watching.

Tracking and monitoring me had apparently become routine. I exhaled slowly before speaking.

“Bring her in.” The investigator blinked.

“Immediately?” he asked.

“Immediately,” I answered without hesitation. I wasn’t interested in waiting any longer.

Conrad studied my face carefully. “You sure?”

“Very.” I was done letting other people control th Successfully unlocked!

Three hours later, Mara arrived. She looked exactly the same as i remembered.

Her warm smile, gentle eyes, and soft voice still created the perfect image of a trusted family friend. For a moment, she

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Chapter 168: A Friend That Lies

looked completely at easc.

She smiled when she saw me, but that changed when she noticed the security wolves around the room. Her expression shifted slightly

“Amorah?” she asked.

I didn’t return the smile. “Sit down.”

The room became noticeably quieter as she obeyed. Her eyes moved from me to Contad and then back again.

“What happened?” she asked.

I slid the ledger across the table toward her. “That’s what we’re trying to figure out.”

Her confusion appeared genuine at first. Then she opened the file.

The color drained from her face almost instantly. That was all I needed to see.

She knew exactly what it was. The room remained silent for several long seconds..

Finally, she looked up. “I can explain.”

I almost laughed at the familiar phrase. Everyone always said that when they were caught.

Every single person who betrayed me eventually wanted to explain themselves. None of them ever seemed eager to tell the truth beforehand.

“Go ahead,” I said.

Mara swallowed hard before speaking. “It isn’t what you think.”

“No?” I asked.

She shook her head quickly. “I never hurt you.”

The statement irritated me immediately. I stared at her in disbelief.

“You monitored me for years.” My voice remained calm, but only barely.

“I protected you,” she insisted.

The room went still as her words settled over everyone present. stared at her for a long moment.

“So we’re starting with lies.” Mara flinched.

Conrad remained silent exactly as we had agreed. This conversation belonged to me and no one else.

I leaned forward and locked my gaze onto hers. “Tell me the truth.”

Mara’s hands tightened around the folder. “I cared about you,”

“Then why were you taking money?” I asked.

She didn’t answer right away. I pushed the ledger closer to her.

“Why?” I repeated.

Her composure cracked slightly under the pressure. “Because they approached me first.”

I waited for her to continue. The room remained silent.

“They said you were in danger.” Her voice sounded weaker now.

I wasn’t buying it, and neither was anyone else, Mara seemed to realize that immediately.

Her shoulders sagged. “They said someone would watch you regardless.”

I felt anger building inside me. “So you volunteered?”

“No,” she answered too quickly.

r

The response came out defensive and rushed. Years with Holmes had taught me exactly how a lie sounded.

I stood carefully from my chair despite the ache in my back. The baby immediately protested the movement.

One hand settled automatically against my stomach. Mara’s eyes followed the gesture

Something about it seemed to affect her. “Please sit down,” she said quietly.

“No.”

“Amorah-”

“No,” I cut in sharply.

Years ago, I would have cried first and questioned myself afterward. I would have searched for excuses on behalf of the

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Chapter 168 A Friend That Lies

people hurting me

Not anymore. Thet version of me was gone.

You watched me lose everything.” Mara looked away.

“You watched people destroy my reputation.” Her silence confirrned more than any confession could.

“You watched me get abandoned.” Tears formed in her eyes.

I felt nothing as I looked at her. Not because I was heartless, but because i was finally heated enough to stop carrying guilt that belonged to other people.

“You don’t get to tell me you cared.”

The room stayed completely silent after that. Even the guards looked uncomfortable.

Mara lowered her head and said nothing. Several moments passed before Conrad slid another folder across the table. The evidence sat between us like a final judgment. Communication logs, financial records, transfer confirmations, and years of proof filled its pages.

Mara stared at the documents. Slowly, the fight left her.

The denial disappeared first. Then the excuses vanished.

Only the truth remained. Her voice broke as she finally spoke.

“I never hated you.”

The words echoed through the room. I folded my arms.

“Then why?” I asked.

Mara closed her eyes. For a moment, she looked older than I remembered.

She looked tired and defeated in a way I had never seen before. When she finally spoke, her voice barely rose above a

whisper.

“Because they were afraid.”

I frowned. “Who?”

Her eyes opened and settled on mine. “They thought you would survive.”

The room froze. My wolf stirred immediately.

Every instinct sharpened. “What are you talking about?”

Mara looked directly at me. “The people funding the operation.”

Nobody moved. Nobody even seemed to breathe.

Mara’s hands trembled visibly. “They never believed the danger ended.”

A chill moved down my spine. “What danger?”

Mara laughed bitterly. “The same one that’s been following you since childhood.”

Conrad’s expression darkened immediately. My heartbeat quickened.

Not from fear, but from anger and exhaustion. I was so close to answers again that I could almost taste them.

Mara wiped her eyes before continuing. “They paid me to monitor you.”

The words hung heavily in the room. Then came the part that changed everything.

Her voice cracked completely. “They believed you would eventually become the surviving heir they failed to eliminate.”

The room exploded into stunned silence. Nobody spoke or moved.

I stared at her as the meaning settled in. For the first time, the betrayal wasn’t the most frightening part of her confession. It was the fact that someone out there still believed I was supposed to be dead.

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