Hades' Cursed Luna

Chapter 160 - 160: Fire Alarm

Hades

Jules lay panting on the ground, her hand around her neck trying to soothe her bruisd throat. She hacked cough after after cough but her gaze never strayed from mine. Tears welled in her eyes, the wildness that mirrored my rage gleaming in them. She looked broken.

Slowly, unnervingly, that feral rage dulled, receding behind a curtain of cold calculation. Her expression smoothed into something unreadable, a blank canvas void of fury or pain.

And then, finally she moved.

Deliberate and slow, Jules pushed herself up from the ground, the tremble in her limbs barely noticeable. Her movements were steady now, precise, as though every action had been rehearsed a thousand times in her mind.

Kael's hand still hovered near his gun filled with silver bullets, his body taut with coiled energy, ready to strike if she made a single wrong move. His sharp gaze pinned her, yet Jules didn't flinch.

Instead, she turned toward him.

And bowed.

Low. Deep.

It was no mockery. No sarcastic show of deference.

It was genuine.

The air tightened further, suffocating the room with its weight.

"I…" Jules' voice was hoarse, the remnants of her scream and strangled cries scraping against her words. She kept her head bowed low, her posture unnervingly submissive. "I was wrong."

Kael didn't respond, his body still a wire stretched to the brink.

Jules slowly straightened, her eyes flickering briefly toward me—but gone was the fire. In its place was something colder. More detached.

"I misread the situation," she said quietly, her words carefully chosen. "My outburst was… unacceptable."

I didn't speak.

Didn't move.

I only watched.

Her gaze returned to Kael, softer now. "I apologize, Beta. For the accusation. For the disrespect."

Kael's jaw tightened, his silence far louder than anything she could have said.

Then, Jules turned back to me. Her eyes met mine, steady but not challenging. Something flickered deep within them—a flicker of something that could have been regret or something far darker, better hidden.

"And to you, my King." Her voice was softer now, with a strange, chilling calm. "Forgive me for doubting your judgment."

The room felt colder. Heavy. The walls seemed to close in, trapping the tension between us.

I said nothing. The corruption beneath my skin still seethed, but it simmered now, waiting.

Jules straightened fully, her chin tilting just slightly upward. Not in defiance, but finality.

"I will leave," she said simply, her tone quiet but resolute. "And I will not return."

Her words hung in the air, settling like dust.

Kael remained still, waiting for my command.

But I didn't give one.

Because in that moment, Jules wasn't a threat.

Not in the way she had been before.

No.

Her surrender was too calculated, too precise.

But I let her go.

"Then go," I said, the words low, edged with steel. "Before I change my mind."

For the first time, Jules hesitated—but only for a breath.

Then, without another word, she turned and moved toward the door, her steps slow, as if waiting for something.

The door creaked open, spilling a sliver of cold air into the suffocating room and unexpectedly another person pushed the door the outside.

The air in the room turned razor-sharp the moment Ellen stepped through the door.

Her presence cut through the suffocating tension like a blade, but instead of easing it, it twisted tighter.

Kael stiffened, his eyes flicking to me briefly, then back to Jules. His hand inched away from his gun, but his stance remained taut, as if ready to spring at the slightest sign of danger.

Jules, mid-step toward the door, froze in place.

Ellen's brows drew together in confusion as her eyes shifted between us, lingering on Jules' bruised throat.

"Good afternoon..." Her voice faltered, trailing off as the weight of the room pressed against her.

Her gaze sharpened. "Jules?" Concern laced her tone, but there was something else there too—wariness. "What happened to your neck?"

Jules didn't move.

For a heartbeat, the room was utterly still.

Then Jules blinked, a subtle shift washing over her face as she smoothed the tension in her features.

"Oh, this?" Jules' voice came out softer, surprisingly steady. Her fingers lightly brushed the darkening bruises at her throat, wincing just enough to sell the lie. "I was attacked."

Ellen's eyes widened, alarm flashing across her face. "Attacked? By who?"

Jules hesitated, only for a second.

Then she let out a breathy, bitter laugh. "One of the guards. Got a little too bold, thought he could push his luck." She shook her head, offering a tight, brittle smile. "But it's handled now."

Ellen's eyes narrowed. "Let me see."

Jules tensed.

Ellen took a step forward, her eyes locked on the bruises. "Let me see it, Jules."

Jules' hand instinctively shot up to cover her throat better, but the damage was already visible. Her skin was mottled, angry and purple, a cruel imprint of force.

"I'm fine," Jules said quickly, her voice brittle but controlled. "It's nothing."

Ellen didn't look convinced. Her gaze darted to Kael, then to me. Suspicion flared in her eyes.

"Who did this?" she demanded, her voice sharper now. "Tell me the truth."

Jules faltered.

I stepped forward, voice as smooth and cold as steel. "It's been dealt with, Ellen. There's no need for concern."

But Ellen didn't back down. She stared at me,

Something worse than rage.

I gave a slow, deliberate nod and grin. "You are welcome,"

My voice was cool. Controlled.

But my hands curled into fists behind my back.

Ellen turned, her steps light but hesitant, as though some part of her wanted to say more. Wanted to stay.

But she didn't.

She walked away.

And I let her.

I watched until the door clicked softly behind her.

Then the silence pressed in again.

My jaw clenched, the corrosion of the bond simmering under my skin. Tight, suffocating.

Mate.

I exhaled slowly, forcing it back.

Not now.

Not yet.

But the beast inside me smiled.

I lit a cigarette and look down at the report just as the shrill, deafening sound of alarms tore through the silent stillness of my office.