Hades' Cursed Luna novel Chapter 74

Hades~

Rook’s mouth hung open. "What?"

I lit a cigarette and took a relaxing puff. "She wanted me to spare you."

Rook’s expression was one of pure, stunned disbelief. His mouth opened slightly, the shock freezing him in place. He looked at me, a dawning horror in his eyes as he grappled with the reality of what I’d just said.

His hands fell limply to his sides, the gun slipping from his grasp and landing on the cold floor with a hollow clatter. He blinked, shaking his head slightly, as if hoping the movement would dispel the words that still hung in the air.

"The… princess?" he whispered, barely able to form the words. "She… she wanted me spared?"

I took a long drag of my cigarette, letting the smoke curl upward, obscuring my expression as I watched him. "Did you think I would spare you out of kindness?" I asked, my voice low and edged with disdain. "No, Rook. If it were up to me, you’d have been dead before you ever set foot back here."

He stared at me, his expression shattering into something desperate and fragile, like a man whose last anchor had just been severed. He had thought he understood me—thought he understood the nature of my justice, my ruthlessness. And now, in one moment, he was faced with a truth that tore all of that apart.

"But… why?" His voice cracked, barely above a whisper. "After what I did… why would she…" His voice trailed off as he stared at the floor, his face twisting with the weight of the realization.

"Because she is foolishly compassionate," I replied, a sneer tugging at my lips. "She’s naive enough to believe in mercy and forgiveness." I leaned in closer, my gaze hard and unyielding. "If she had left this decision to me, I would have been the devil you deserved."

I unlocked the barrel of the gun and showed its contents to him. "Fate might have also saved you," I said, revealing two bullets in the barrel—for the number of times he had crossed me. "I could not leave it solely to her mercy, now could I?"

The room seemed to close in around him as he absorbed the words, each one hammering against him with the weight of shattered illusions. I knew this because a part of me had had the same reaction to her words last night.

His shoulders slumped, his entire body sagging as he struggled to reconcile what he thought he knew with the reality that stood before him.

"You look surprised, Rook." I let out a short, mirthless laugh. "Did you really think I’d risk my pack’s integrity, my own rule, for sentiment? No." I exhaled, watching the smoke twist in the dim light. "It was her decision, her foolish plea that stayed my hand. But don’t think for one second that I share her weakness."

He stared at me, his eyes hollow as he finally began to understand the depth of his reprieve. This wasn’t my mercy—this was the princess’ intervention, her misplaced compassion. And if it hadn’t been for her… he would have already been dead.

"So," I continued, my voice dropping to a dangerous whisper, "take that second chance she’s so kindly granted you, and make it worthwhile. Because next time…" I let the silence linger, my gaze burning into him, "next time, there will be no one left to save you."

Rook’s head bowed, a fresh wave of shock and grief contorting his features. The very foundation of his beliefs had been ripped out from under him, leaving him shaken and raw. His lip quivered as he whispered, "She is a werewolf."

"Thanks for pointing that out," I said dryly.

I tossed a piece of paper at him. "Here is the location of the bomb I had planted here. If you still have the will to leave, get rid of it."

Rook paled further, his hands shaking as he looked down at the paper and around the room.

With that, I turned around and left him kneeling, weeping quietly.

---

Eve~

Mrs. Miller redressed my wounds and changed my bandages. I tried not to wince at every touch, but it was hard not to hiss every once in a while.

"You have to eat so you can take your medicine," she told me. "And I am under strict orders from His Majesty not to allow you to eat on your own." She said this as I reached for the spoon.

I paused and took my hand back, nodding.

She began to feed me. Each time I unhinged my jaw to eat, my head throbbed harder. The silence was tense, as if there was something unspoken hovering between us.

I cringed when a particular pulse made me clutch my head.