I wake up to the sound of machines whirring in the background. There's a beeping sound from across the room and I have to blink a few times to adjust to the bright white lights. 

I'm in the medical centre, in one of the private wards. General Lyra is seated on a chair across from me, her foot tapping on the floor. I push myself up with my elbows and lean against the headboard. My body is filled with exhaustion, it feels like I've just run for miles. 

"General." I murmur, trying my best to get out of this groggy state. Her eyes shoot up to meet mine and I notice they are bloodshot. 

She stands up immediately and walks over to me. I notice she grips the edge of my bed, her knuckles going white. 

"When you came to see me last night, before my husband left..." She trails off, her face grief stricken. 

It all comes rushing back to me then. The memory devices, the explosives, me trying to get to them and Lazarus's commander stopping me. I just don't know how I ended up here.

"What happened?" I croak. My throat is so dry, I look at the pitcher of water on the table next to me but turn back to the general. I don't feel like eating or drinking till I know what happened to those devices. 

"My husband is dead." She says it so quickly, so emotionlessly like it is a mere fact. "So are General Aldric and Xia. Their ship exploded two hours ago. We are tracing the remnants for any signs of explosives." 

I want to crawl under the sheets and disappear because of the way she is looking at me right now. It takes a moment to hit me. The realisation that General Aldric is now dead. He can never blackmail me or hurt Lazarus again. 

I thought I would feel horrible about him being gone but I don't. Even Mondric who punishes Lucian to this day. The only one I feel sad about is General Xia. She was always nice to me, always gentle and friendly. She's the only one who seemed to mind her own business. 

But General Lyra looks broken. I realise what this loss means to her and it makes me feel like the worst Plutonian on the planet. 

She walks to my side and leans down to whisper. "But you knew that already, didn't you?" 

My chest caves, like an invisible force is wearing me down. Tears pool at the corners of my eyes and she looks at me with disgust. I quickly wipe them away but it's hard because they keep forming. 

"I only meant for the memory devices to be used like we discussed. Not this." I grip the sheets around me tighter like the material can somehow cover up my sins. 

"It was not ready. I told you. I don't know why you always do this. Now look at what you've done." 

My mind is whirring. I did not do this! The general knows that, it's only reason why I'm sitting here and not a prison cell. 

"General Aldric was blackmailing me, I had to make him forget! I needed those memory devices for that reason alone." I answer defensively. "The ones we took had traces of explosives, I found out too late." 

She wipes her face, looking tired and miserable. "Lazarus was behind this, obviously. This is why you need to stop acting alone, Luna." 

I try to swallow but it's hard to do so because my throat is so dry. I feel sick. Something threatens to come out so I crawl out of bed and rush to the wash room. Nothing comes out except some liquid but I still feel so sick. 

I'm dry heaving and it takes a few minutes for me to stop. I sit on the cold tiled floor and lean against the door, having less energy than I did before. 

The general walks over and looks down at me with disdain. "Consider this a warning, Luna. This is the last time you will act alone without my knowledge. We cannot be responsible for your mistakes, especially if they are as big as these." 

I nod incoherently, even though this isn't my doing. She's right, I never should have kept things from her. My problems have only multiplied since. 

"You're lucky we haven't removed you from our ranks." She's talking about the Sympathizers and all I can do is look up at her helplessly. 

My actions have led to her husband's death. I'm surprised she didn't demote me. 

"How is Lucian?" It pains me to ask but I have to know. 

"As sad as one can be after losing a parent." She answers in a clipped tone. "Now get up, I trained you better than this." 

I push myself up and stand on wobbly feet. If I don't drink I will probably pass out again so I make my way to the bed and get some water. 

Once I've had some, I start to think a little more clearly. "Lazarus's commander stopped me from getting to the ship." I tell the general. "But how did I end up here?" 

"Once we learned of your location, we had to get you away from there to avoid suspicion." She shakes her head in disappointment. 

"I'm sorry for your loss, General Lyra. I truly am." Her eyes meet mine when I say that and I don't know why but her expression is off. 

Just then a hospital attendant comes in to check my vitals. Once she is done, she tells me my fiancé is here to take me home. 

"Lucian?" I ask and the nurse stares at me in confusion. She checks my pupils once again to be sure and then nods in satisfaction. 

"Everything looks good." 

"I shall make my move then. Remember what I told you." General Lyra nods at me. "Trust that I have your best interests at heart. All you ever needed was patience." 

All I can do is stare after her as she exits the room with the nurse. 

Something feels off. Something about the general. I sit down on the bed and drink more water. Axis told me the traces of explosive were found in the glider BEFORE he handed them to Lazarus's men. 

I remember last night when the General and I had gone to the bathroom to talk. She told me I was interrupting her farewell to her husband. Why would she use the word 'farewell' when it was supposed to be a short trip?

Unless she knew...

Lazarus walks inside, followed by his entourage of guards. My eyes widen, noticing he is in uniform. 

"Luna, my darling. You are finally awake." He comes up to me and holds my shoulders, inspecting me. "I was so worried." 

"Lazarus?" I stutter in confusion. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in a holding cell?" 

He laughs out loud but his grip tightens around my shoulders. "My darling fiancé. I forgot you've been out for awhile. Due to the dire situation with half our leaders gone, General Grievous and I have been called back for duty. The trial is on hold but I must resume my position for the Plutonians. They need all their leaders now more than ever." 

His soldiers nod in agreement behind him and I can't help but notice he brought so many with him just to escort me out of the hospital. There must be at least twelve of them.

"Come, let's get you home." He proceeds to lift me up but I quickly resist. 

"Lazarus, I'm not your fiancé. Lucian will come and get me." I push against him but he doesn't release me. 

"Let's not make a scene here. Unless you want him to know the truth." He whispers in my ear and his guards smile coyly. They must think he's giving me a kiss. 

To my horror, I'm taken back to his mansion. Instead of heading to his bedroom, he takes me to another room just down the hall from his. 

I recognise my bed from my parents house and a few boxes of my stuff lying on the floor. I stare at the interior that has been designed to look exactly like mine.

"Your mother helped me with all of this." Lazarus gestures around us. "She was more than happy to learn that our engagement is still on." 

"Lazarus," I say in frustration. "I'm with Lucian now." 

His face changes, eyes going dark and his mouth twists with distaste. "Do you think Lucian will want anything to do with the female who murdered his father?" 

I take a step back, feeling the ground shake beneath me. But it's just me, I'm shaking so much I have to take a seat by the small table near the door. 

"You did this. Your commander stopped me." 

He walks up to me and presses the screen on his communicator. A holographic projection lights up before us and I can only watch in horror as I see myself run past the gates to the private hangar. I look frantic and desperate but most of all guilty. 

Lazarus smiles. "The cameras say otherwise." 

I bring my hands to my face and press my eyes. There's a headache threatening to form and tears now run down my face. I grab his shirt and look up at him in desperation. 

"Lazarus, please don't do this. If you blackmail me, you're just the same as your father." 

He kneels down so that he's eye level with me. "I did not do anything, Luna. You did." 

He cups my chin roughly, making it impossible to look away. Up close he looks borderline deranged. "You chose to act behind my back and get me arrested. You then broke off our engagement and hopped on to another like it was nothing. You told me you would be mine forever but it was all a lie. And then you come running to me, asking for help when my father tries to sleep with you? Did you expect me to spare him for that?"

His grip is becoming painful, I can feel his fingers pressing into my skin. I wince and pull at his hand but he doesn't stop. 

"You cost me my shot at leadership and now you will fix it by becoming my docile fiancé. Play your part and no one else will get hurt." He finally releases me and then he strokes my face lovingly. 

"After all you've done to me, I still want you more than anything." He chuckles and shakes his head, like he can't comprehend it. 

"Lucian will understand. He will when I explain," I say weakly but even I know that is a lie. 

Even though he had a tumultuous relationship with his father, Lucian loved and respected him. Not only would he hate me for getting involved, he would also blame me for hiding it from him. I sink back against the seat, knowing that I'm stuck. 

"I'm the only one who has this." He waves his communicator at me. "It's not just Lucian who will think you are guilty. Any Commander who sees this will. I'm all you have now, Luna." 

The glee on his face is evident as he gets up. He strokes the sheets on my bed and turns my way. "I suggest you get used to your new life here. You made your bed, now it's time to lie in it."