Rebirth Of The Rejected Luna Chapter 138: Challenging The Alpha

**Erika's POV**

Slowly we moved towards the room and there, the Luna lay, a white sheet draped over her. Her skin was so pale and lifeless that it almost blended seamlessly with the sheets that covered her.

She was dead... The same Luna I had sat with at the dinner table a few minutes ago.

Elara's scream ripped through the infirmary, shattering the heavy tension that had been suffocating us all. It was a raw, gut-wrenching sound like she was being torn apart from the inside out.

She stumbled towards the physician, her hands shaking wildly as she grasped at his robes. Her fingers were like claws, desperate to hold on to something, anything. "No! No, you're wrong!" she sobbed, her entire body convulsing with grief. It was like her bones couldn't carry the weight of her pain.

"Check again! You're a healer - you're supposed to fix this!" she begged, her voice cracking with desperation. But the physician just stood there, frozen in silence. He looked helpless like he didn't know what to do.

Alpha Corvin didn't move, either. He just stood there, his eyes fixed on my mother, his face a mask of calmness. But I could sense the tension in him like he was coiled and ready to strike.

Lady Althea had collapsed to her knees, her hands covering her mouth as silent tears streamed down her face. She was rocking back and forth like she was trying to process what had just happened. But she didn't say a word. She just kept crying, her body shaking with sobs.

But my attention wasn't on Elara's breakdown or the physician's helplessness. My eyes were fixed on Alpha Corvin. At first, he seemed frozen in shock, his expression unreadable. But then, I caught a glimpse of something else. A tiny flicker of emotion. A twitch of his lips.

It wasn't grief or anger, though. It was something entirely different. Satisfaction. My breath caught in my throat. It was a subtle movement, almost imperceptible, but I was certain I'd seen it. The corners of his mouth barely curled up before smoothing out into a neutral mask.

A shiver ran down my spine. Something about this whole scene felt off. Alpha Corvin's reaction seemed... calculated. Like he was hiding something behind that calm exterior.

And then, in a voice that was detached and eerily calm, Alpha Corvin finally spoke.

"Guards," he said. "Take Lady Althea to the dungeons."

The room went silent.

Elara’s sobs stopped. My mother’s breath hitched, and she lifted her tear-streaked face, stunned.

I turned to him sharply. "What?"

Alpha Corvin met my gaze, one brow raised as if he was mildly amused by my reaction.

"She is accused of treason," he said simply, "and until further notice, she will be held in the dungeons while we investigate."

The guards hesitated, clearly unsure, but they obeyed his command. Two of them stepped toward my mother, reaching for her arms.

"No!" I snapped, stepping in front of her, my hands forming fists. "Are you serious right now? Your wife just died, your daughter is breaking apart, and all you can think about is dragging my mother to a damn cell?"

His gaze darkened, but I pushed on.

"You’re so eager to accuse her of treason that you’re not even bothering to mourn your mate." I narrowed my eyes, my heart hammering. "Why?"

Alpha Corvin exhaled sharply. "You should watch your tongue, Erika."

But I refused to back down.

"No, I think I’ll speak my mind." I tilted my head slightly. "Because it’s awfully suspicious, don’t you think? Your wife just died, your daughter is screaming for her mother, my mother is falling apart, and yet—you? You are fine."

My voice dropped to a whisper.

"Why aren’t you mourning her, Alpha?"

His eyes locked onto mine, cold and unwavering. "I am a man. I do not grieve like a child."

A scoff slipped from my lips before I could stop it. "Right. Because grief is a weakness, huh? Because mourning your mate would make you less of an Alpha?"

A sharp inhale. A shifting weight. And then—

"Father?"

Elara’s voice was broken and strained.

She was still on the floor, tears soaking the front of her dress, but she was no longer looking at the body of her mother.

She was staring at her father.

"Do you even love my mother?" she asked, her voice cracking. "Or are you just hungry for revenge?"

Alpha Corvin’s jaw tightened. "Elara, you do not understand—"

"No!" she screamed, slamming her fists onto the floor. "I do understand! I want to find out who did this, too, but you’re being too extreme, Father! You’re not even acting like a man who just lost his wife—you’re acting like someone who was waiting for this to happen!"

The room fell silent.

Then, Alpha Corvin's gaze locked onto mine, and I felt a chill run down my spine. I saw the blame in his eyes, the accusation. He wasn't just angry at Elara for her outburst; he was angry at me.

At that moment, I knew that he believed I was the one who had put those doubts in Elara's mind. That I was the one who had encouraged her to question him. And to Alpha Corvin, that was a betrayal. He saw me as a threat, a corrupting influence that needed to be eliminated.

I felt a surge of fear, but I tried to keep my expression neutral. I didn't want to give Alpha Corvin any reason to think that I was intimidated. But inside, I was trembling. I knew that I had just become a target and that Alpha Corvin would stop at nothing to silence me.

He clenched his fists. "You are out of line, Elara."

But she didn’t back down.

And neither did I.

He turned on his heel, heading for the door, but before he could leave, I took a step forward.

"Whatever this is," I called after him, my voice steady, "I will get to the bottom of it. I will prove my mother is innocent. And when I do—you will have no choice but to face the real culprit.”