Chapter 181: The Night Swanly Lost Her Innocence

Chapter 181: Chapter 181: The Night Swanly Lost Her Innocence

Kael went completely still.

Swanly’s breath caught.

The former Sunmane survivors began whispering immediately.

"What?"

"That night?"

"What does Nerin have to do with that?"

Selka watched the confusion spread.

Enjoyed it.

Nerin stepped forward.

"She is lying."

Selka turned her head.

"Oh?"

His breathing quickened.

"You are lying."

"Am I?"

"Yes!"

His voice cracked louder than anyone had ever heard it.

That shocked the crowd into silence again.

Selka’s smile widened.

"Then tell them."

Nerin froze.

"Tell them what you carried to her that night."

Swanly’s brows pulled together.

"What?"

Nerin looked at her.

Immediately.

"Swanly, I didn’t know."

Those four words landed horribly.

Kael’s golden eyes sharpened.

"Didn’t know what?"

Nerin opened his mouth.

Selka answered first.

"The food."

Nerin’s face twisted.

"Stop."

"The food you brought Swanly."

"STOP!"

Selka laughed.

Actually laughed.

Bound on her knees.

Surrounded by people who wanted her punished.

And still laughing because she had finally made Nerin afraid.

"You remember now?"

Swanly’s pulse started pounding.

She did not remember that night.

Not truly.

Those memories belonged to the old Swanly.

But she knew enough about what had happened afterward.

Kael.

The mating.

The cubs.

The way everyone had spoken around pieces of the past as though she was supposed to understand them.

Selka looked directly at Swanly.

"He drugged you."

Gasps exploded.

Nerin staggered backward.

"No!"

Kael moved so quickly Swanly caught his wrist.

His claws were already out.

"Nerin."

The deer male’s eyes widened.

"No. No, Kael, I swear."

Soren’s voice cut across everything.

"Explain."

Cold.

Quiet.

Terrifying.

Nerin looked like he could barely breathe.

Selka leaned forward.

"He brought her food that had been mixed with mating herb."

Swanly’s face went blank.

Mating herb.

Drugged.

Her stomach turned.

Selka continued sweetly:

"He wanted Swanly."

"N-no."

"He had always wanted her."

"That part is true," Selka said, almost laughing. "Everyone with eyes knew."

Nerin’s face went red with humiliation.

Then white again.

"But wanting her was not enough."

"You’re lying!"

"So he took her something that would make her body burn for a male."

Several females gasped.

Maela’s proud expression cracked.

Arion stared at Selka.

Then at Swanly.

Then Nerin.

"You actually drugged her?"

Nerin looked horrified.

"No!"

Selka twisted toward him.

"You carried it."

"I DIDN’T KNOW WHAT IT WAS!"

Swanly flinched.

Everyone heard that.

Selka’s eyes gleamed.

There.

Exactly what she wanted.

"You admit it."

"I admit I brought her food!"

Nerin’s breathing became ragged.

"You gave it to me!"

Selka shrugged.

"And?"

"You told me she would like it!"

A few people began whispering again.

Nerin looked toward Swanly desperately.

"She told me you had been upset with me."

Selka laughed.

"You were always upset with him."

"She said if I brought it to you, you would be happy."

Nerin swallowed hard.

His voice began shaking.

"She said you would finally see that I cared about you."

Swanly stared.

Selka cut in immediately.

"He thought you would love him."

Nerin looked at her in disbelief.

"You told me that!"

"Yes."

"You said if I trusted you..."

His voice broke.

"...you said she would be happy with me."

Selka’s smile became vicious.

"And you believed me."

That shut him up.

Swanly’s chest tightened.

Because that was the cruelest part.

Selka did not even deny manipulating him.

She simply made his trust sound like guilt.

Nerin’s green eyes filled.

"I didn’t know it was drugged."

Selka looked toward Swanly.

"Convenient."

"I didn’t!"

"You wanted her."

"Yes!"

The word tore out of him.

Everyone froze.

Nerin seemed shocked by his own admission.

His throat moved.

"Yes."

He looked at Swanly.

"I wanted you."

His eyes were wet now.

"I liked you."

His voice dropped.

"I loved you."

Kael’s jaw tightened.

Soren’s expression became unreadable.

"But I would never..."

Nerin shook his head violently.

"I would never do that to you."

Selka scoffed.

"You carried the food."

"Because YOU gave it to me!"

"You still carried it."

"I DIDN’T KNOW!"

His voice cracked so badly Swanly’s heart hurt.

Selka turned toward everyone.

"You see?"

Her tone became almost innocent.

"He knew he wanted her."

"He knew the food was supposed to make her happy with him."

"He brought it directly to her."

"And afterward?"

She tilted her head.

"Kael ended up with her instead."

Kael’s face darkened.

Swanly’s fingers tightened around his wrist.

Selka smiled.

"Poor Nerin."

Nerin stared at her.

"You drugged her."

Selka’s smile faded.

"You did."

"No."

"You prepared it."

"You carried it."

"You knew what it was!"

"Can you prove that?"

Nerin went silent.

Selka looked pleased.

Too pleased.

Arion stepped forward.

His amber eyes were furious.

"Enough games."

Selka looked at him.

"Did you drug Swanly?"

Silence.

Everyone waited.

Even Brea looked toward Selka.

Selka’s russet ears twitched.

Then she shrugged.

"I prepared what Nerin carried."

Another wave of gasps.

Arion stared at her.

"So you did."

Selka rolled her eyes.

"She was pathetic back then."

Kael growled.

Soren’s tail struck the ground.

Selka continued anyway.

"She spent all her time whining over males who barely looked at her."

Nerin’s face twisted.

"Shut up."

She ignored him.

"I thought perhaps a little push would finally make something happen."

Swanly’s skin crawled.

"A little push?"

Selka looked at her.

"You survived."

That sentence nearly made Kael move.

Swanly caught him again.

"Don’t."

His chest was heaving.

Soren looked ready to kill her with his bare hands.

Selka merely smiled.

But Swanly was watching Nerin.

Not Selka.

Nerin looked destroyed.

He had stopped trying to defend himself to everyone else.

Now he only looked at her.

"Swanly."

His voice was tiny.

"I swear."

She said nothing.

"I brought it to you."

A tear slipped down his cheek.

"I did."

His hands shook.

"But I didn’t know."

Swanly’s chest tightened.

Selka laughed softly.

"Of course he says that now."

Nerin flinched.

Swanly finally looked at Selka.

Then back at Nerin.

Something still did not fit.

Selka was telling the truth about enough pieces to make every lie more dangerous.

That was what made her terrifying.

Swanly stepped forward.

Kael stayed beside her.

Nerin looked at her as though her next words might destroy him.

She stopped directly in front of him.

His broken antler trembled slightly.

"Nerin."

He swallowed.

"Yes?"

Swanly held his gaze.

"I’m going to ask you once."

The clearing went silent.

"Did you know what was in that food when you gave it to me?"

Nerin’s lips parted.

Before he could answer, Selka smiled from behind them.

"Go on, Nerin."

Her voice was sickly sweet.

"Tell her exactly what you thought would happen after she ate it."