The Silent Luna's Trial (Maple and Finn) novel Chapter 56

Chapter 2

What Chloe despised most was Tessa’s indifferent expression—the way she seemed utterly detached, as if nothing mattered to her at all.

“You’ve never cared about me,” Chloe snapped sharply, her voice trembling with years of pent-up frustration. “Since we were kids, it’s always been like this.”

“But how can you not respect Mom and Dad?” Tessa retorted, her tone calm but defensive, as if she were standing up for Liam and Audrey.

Before Tessa could say another word, Ryan, who had been sitting quietly nearby, interjected gently.

“Don’t be upset, Chloe. Tessa didn’t mean it,” he said softly, trying to ease the tension in the room.

“Please, don’t hold it against her,” he added, his voice warm and soothing.

Ryan’s words weren’t really about defending Tessa—they were meant to comfort Chloe, to calm her stormy emotions.

This wasn’t the first time he had done this. He knew exactly what to say to soothe Chloe’s hurt feelings.

His phone was filled with thousands of messages, all expressing his love and devotion to Chloe. Tessa felt foolish, stupid even, for not realizing sooner that he had a secret account dedicated to her.

Everything on that hidden Instagram—his finsta—was about Chloe.

His public Instagram, his phone’s lock screen, every visible corner of his digital life was strangely devoid of her presence.

It was as if they had never loved each other at all.

Ryan didn’t just know how to calm Chloe; he also knew how to win over Alpha Liam and Luna Audrey.

Not simply because he was tall, handsome, and had been top of his class in Alpha training for years, but because he was the Alpha of the Silvermoon Pack—a perfect son-in-law to strengthen the ties between packs.

Soon, Liam and Audrey’s cold expressions softened into smiles as they turned toward Tessa.

“Alright, sit down,” they said, their voices lighter now. “Alpha Ryan is your mate. You’re very lucky.”

Ryan beamed at Tessa after the compliment, but what he didn’t realize was that Tessa loathed his ingratiating smile more than anything.

She didn’t dare meet his eyes, but out of the corner of her vision, she caught sight of his hand subtly intertwined with Chloe’s beneath the table.

Her head snapped up instantly, a lump forming painfully in her throat. Words failed her; all she could feel was a sharp ache deep in her chest.

Mechanically, she continued eating, pretending everything was fine, though inside she was crumbling.

She fought hard to keep her emotions in check, not wanting anyone to glimpse the hurt she was hiding.

Her thoughts briefly drifted to the cruise ship’s arrival date—a beacon of hope.

Soon, she would be able to leave this man, this suffocating home, and the pack that never truly cared for her.

Early the next morning, Ryan woke her gently. As he leaned in to kiss her, she quickly turned her face away, avoiding him.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, his voice full of excitement.

With a bright smile, he pulled her into a tight embrace.

“Don’t you remember? Today, we’re going to try on wedding dresses!”

Tessa froze, overwhelmed by the past few days’ events, unable to immediately process his words.

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