Raelyn’s POV “Well said.” I arched a brow and smiled. “Your reward is drinking with me tonight.” Jackson nearly dropped his phone. “Raelyn, please don’t drag me into drinking with you. I seriously don’t have the stamina.” “What, you don’t want to?” I narrowed my eyes and stared at him. He quickly waved his hands in panic. “No, of course not! I’m honored! Really!” “Good. Then let’s go now.” Without giving him a chance to argue, I dragged Jackson to a bar. To avoid running into Aiden, I deliberately avoided Midnight Bar and picked somewhere else. “Raelyn, you really don’t have to do this. Madam Regina’s in the hospital. There’s no way Aiden would be out drinking right now.” I downed a shot. “Exactly. And yet he still thinks I’m the one who caused all this.” Jackson’s eyes widened, outrage written all over his face. “Aiden’s supposed to be smart—how is he so clueless when it matters? How could he think you’d do something like that? I mean seriously, does he even really like you? Why is he always doubting you?” I swirled the glass in my hand and gave a bitter smile. “But Aiden doesn’t see it that way. To him, I caused it. Even if it was an accident, I caused it.” “Then what’s the point of calling you afterward? Fake sympathy?” I tilted my head, thinking. “Maybe… he’s afraid I’ll run away?” “Pfft…” Jackson choked and sprayed his drink. I shot him a glare. “You dare spit it out? Two more shots as punishment.” Grimacing, Jackson dared not argue and downed two more. “So what’s your plan now?” Jackson slurred slightly as he looked at me. “You can’t just leave with a reputation like that. It’ll look like you’re running from guilt.” I chuckled. “Of course not. Like hell I’m taking the fall for this. Right now, my top priority is to find proof that Taylor pushed her.” Jackson tilted his head, thinking. “How do you plan to do that?” “There’s no surveillance in the villa, so no direct evidence. At the time, it was just the three of us on the second floor. No witnesses. But Taylor said ‘go to hell’ right before pushing Madam Regina. I’m sure she heard it, so…” Jackson’s eyes lit up. “So we just wait for the Luna to wake up and testify against Taylor?” “Half right.” I smiled and shook my head. “What we need now is for Taylor to admit it herself. We secretly record it—because there’s no telling if Taylor might try to silence Madam Regina before she wakes up.” Jackson frowned. “That Taylor is vicious. Framing even the aunt who raised her?” “When it comes to love, we all turn into stupid fools. Taylor just went too far.” Jackson gave me a thumbs-up. “Classic Raelyn. Your analysis is spot-on. But what about Aiden? You don’t seem all that happy—you’re drinking like someone nursing heartbreak.” I paused for a second. What about my feelings? Disappointment. And hurt. I took another sip of liquor, swallowing down the bitterness that had built up in my chest. “Don’t worry about that. I need you to help me with something.” Jackson immediately perked up. “Just say the word.” “Find someone to keep an eye on Madam Regina. Don’t let anyone close to her, especially Taylor’s people. If Taylor does anything shady, the Luna might never wake up again.” Taylor was absolutely capable of something like that. I didn’t like Madam Regina, but she was still the Luna of Midnight Pack. If anything happened to her, Aiden would be devastated. I knew what it felt like to lose a parent. I didn’t want him to go through that pain. “Aiden still doubts you. Why do you even care? You’re doing all this for him—I think it’s not worth it,” Jackson muttered with a dramatic eye-roll. I cleared my throat. “Madam Regina is the mother of the five heirs of Midnight Pack. A few of them are close to me. I don’t want to let them down.” Jackson clearly didn’t buy it, but he didn’t argue. He just nodded. “Alright, I got it.” After a few more drinks, I started feeling dizzy and nauseous. I stood up and headed for the restroom.But as soon as I reached the doorway, I saw a familiar figure. Was that Aiden? Why was he here? I was about to call out when the man turned around. No—it wasn’t him. Just someone with a similar build. This guy was definitely a high-level werewolf. His presence was intense. As soon as he saw me, a lustful glint sparked in his eyes. “Well, well, whose little sweetheart are you? Drinking like this… breaks my heart.” He looked familiar, but I couldn’t quite place him. He started walking toward me, face flushed from the alcohol. I didn’t want to engage, so I slowly began backing toward the door.