She stands dramatically illuminated by the crystal chandelier, her face streaked with tears. Her posture is carefully calculated, her hands protectively cradling her stomach.
A chill creeps down my spine.
No.
“I can’t remain silent any longer,” she declares, her voice trembling as she projects vulnerability.
The room falls into hushed silence.
“I carry the Alpha King’s child.”
The air leaves my lungs.
975
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Chapter 69
What?
A stunned gasp ripples through the hall.
No.
༥ཊཱི,73Ë
“His true heir,” Lila adds, her voice quivering with practiced emotion, “conceived through our fated mate bond.”
A deafening silence follows.
I can’t breathe.
This isn’t happening.
Lila’s tear–filled eyes lock onto mine, her expression one of sorrow and innocence. But I know better.
My mind races, trying to process her words.
Fated mate bond?
Horace’s reaction is instantaneous–violent rejection. A snarl bubbles up, barely contained beneath the surface.
She’s lying.
But the damage is already done.
The crowd murmurs, questions flying as eyes dart between me, Lila, and Siena.
And then-
Lila pulls out photographs.
My stomach drops.
The images show me and Lila… together. Intimate.
No.
“I thought you might want copies. For your personal collection. They really captured something… special between us, don’t you think?”
My blood turns to ice as I stare at the images.
This is impossible. I never touched her. Never would have.
But there we are–my face, her body, positions suggesting things that make bile rise in my throat. The shadows, the angles- it’s a masterful deception.
“You look surprised, Raiden. Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten our little encounter already?” She trails a finger along one photograph “Though I suppose you were quite… intoxicated.”
The whiskey. That night in my study. I remember feeling strange, my head spinning after just two drinks. But I also remember leaving–alone. These are fabricated.
They have to be.
“I especially like this one.” She pushes forward a photo where her body is pressed against mine, my hand seemingly on her waist “You were so passionate. So… unlike your usual controlled self.”
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Chapter 69
My skin crawls
1 can almost see the digital manipulation now that I look closer the slightly off lighting on my hand, the unnatural shadow beneath her arm
But who would believe me over these? Over her?
I remain silent, assessing my options, calculating the damage
Siena… The pack council. My position. Everything I’ve built. But more than that the thought of Siena believing I would do this makes something primal and desperate claw at my chest.
“You’re very quiet, Raiden. Is something wrong? I thought you’d be pleased to have a memento of our time together. Her voice drops to a whisper “Unless you’d prefer to create some new memories instead?”
Horace snarls within me, urging me to bare teeth, to threaten, to tear the photos and silence the threat. But that’s exactly what she wants–a reaction that confirms guilt. I need to be smarter than my instincts right now.
“No response? Raidne,” she chokes tears back, looking as if she’d ready to thrash on teh ground in her emotional turmoil.
The photos are strategically angled, carefully framed to suggest an intimaey I don’t remember.
Because it never happened.
But the evidence…
The proof is right there, displayed for everyone to see.
My mind flashes back to that night–the whiskey, the loneliness, the crushing weight of my regrets. I remember Lila entering my study, her voice soft with sympathy, her hands guiding me to bed when I could barely stand.
But nothing happened.
I would know.
Horace howls in protest, snarling at the deception unfolding before us.
“Siena…”
Her name leaves my lips in a broken whisper.
My gaze snaps to her.
The moment our eyes meet, my world shatters.
The devastation in her expression is a blade to my chest. Her amber eyes, always so filled with fire and strength, now reflect raw, unfiltered pain.
No.
“This… isn’t true.” I barely recognize my own voice, rough and hoarse with disbelief.
But Siena doesn’t move.
Doesn’t speak.
Her composure is impeccable, her spine straight, her chin lifted in the same dignified grace she’s always carried. But I see it -the cracks beneath the surface.
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Chapter 69
Don’t believe her.
Please.
Lila’s voice cuts through the silence again.
73%
“I didn’t want to cause a scene,” she murmurs, her lower lip trembling, “but I couldn’t hide the truth. I had to protect our child.”
Our child.
A violent rejection surges through me.
It’s a lie.
But the room…
The room believes her.
Siena’s face remains unreadable, but I see the moment the walls come down–the moment she shuts me out completely.
“Is this true?”
Her voice is steady, but I can feel the fragile thread holding her together.
No.
I step toward her, desperate to explain, to make her see the truth.
“Siena, I-”
But she steps
back.
One step.
Two.
Gone.