CHAPTER 135: THE TRUTH

Hailee’s POV

The hall froze. Not a single breath moved. My words hung there, sharp and heavy.

Gasps erupted, whispers broke out like sparks catching dry leaves. Elders shifted uncomfortably in their seats, their eyes wide with shock. My brother stiffened beside Father, disbelief hardening his features.

Robert’s smile vanished. His jaw clenched as he stared at me, his brows drawn in deep, dark lines. His voice came low, edged with disbelief.

"What... did you just say?"

I stood taller, though my heart hammered like a war drum. "You heard me." My eyes swept across every face in the hall, daring them to meet mine. "I am not untouched. I am not your perfect little virgin bride."

Gasps deepened. The Queen of the West brought her hand to her lips, her eyes sharp with disdain. Murmurs thickened around the hall like a rising storm.

Father shot to his feet; his aura filled the air. His voice boomed.

"Hailee! Enough!"

But I didn’t falter. I turned my eyes back to Robert, holding his furious gaze. "You said it yourself—your law demands purity. Well then, I’ve broken it. I’ve been with men. Three different men."

The words tasted like fire on my tongue, and I spat them out without regret.

Robert’s face hardened further, his hands curling into fists. He looked betrayed, humiliated. The Western King rose slowly beside him, his silver crown gleaming harshly under the light. His aura pressed down heavy, like the judgment of a god.

"You humiliate my son in such a way?" His voice was deep, resonant, shaking the room.

I lifted my chin higher, my throat dry but my voice unshaken. "I speak the truth."

More whispers arose in the hall, but I didn’t care. I was ready for any punishment they would give to me.

Mother rose to her feet, shaking her head in disbelief. She looked so heartbroken, shattered, as if my words had cut her deeper than any blade. But instead of pity, instead of guilt, something dark and sharp twisted inside me.

I liked it.

For once, it wasn’t me on the floor begging for her approval. It was her who looked weak, broken, powerless.

A small, bitter smile tugged at my lips. Seeing that heartbreak in her eyes... it gave me a strange sense of satisfaction. She deserved it. She deserved to feel even a fraction of the pain I had carried for years.

I straightened my shoulders, refusing to look away. I didn’t regret a single thing. Not my words. Not the shame I had brought to her perfect little image. Not the way I had just shattered her dream of trading me like a prize.

If this moment ruined me forever, then so be it. At least I had ruined myself on my own terms.

Robert’s father turned towards mine, his glare hardening. "What is the meaning of this, King Stone?" he spat.

Father didn’t respond or react; after all, I had rendered him speechless.

Mother shook her head. "She might be lying. We should... we should get her checked." Her eyes darted to the healers at the far end of the hall, signaling them to come forward.

A bitter laugh escaped my lips before I could stop it. "You want to strip me bare in front of them all, Mother? To prove your daughter isn’t pure enough for your precious alliance?" I spat. "Do it. Test me. And when you see I’m telling the truth, will you finally look at me and see the disgrace you’ve created?"

Her face fell, stricken, but I didn’t stop.

Robert’s face was thundercloud-dark, his teeth clenched so tight I thought they might break. His father’s aura pressed harder, suffocating the room with power. "King Stone," he spat at my father, each word sharp. "This is an insult. An outrage! Was this your plan? To humiliate us? To mock the West?"

All eyes turned to my father. For once, the great Lycan King—the man who never faltered, never bent—stood frozen. His jaw twitched, his fists tightening at his sides, but no words came.

He was speechless.

The silence that followed was heavy and poisonous. My own heart thudded painfully, but inside... inside I felt satisfied. For the first time, it wasn’t me who was small, silenced, or shamed. It was them.

"I told you," I said, my voice loud, "I will not be your pawn. If that means you see me as ruined, so be it. At least I ruined myself—before you could."

The gasps rose again, sharper now, elders rising to their feet, some shouting for order. Robert stood too, his aura bursting outward, anger radiating from him in waves.

"Enough!" Father’s angry voice boomed in the walls of the hall.

His eyes blazed as they turned on me, cold and full of rage. "If you claim this so boldly, then you will be tested."

My heart lurched, but I kept my chin high. The murmur of the hall turned into a storm—some gasping in disbelief, others nodding grimly in agreement.

Father’s hand snapped toward the healers standing at the far end of the room. "Take her. Confirm the truth with your own hands. I will not allow this insult to stain this house unless it is proven."

Mother’s face drained of color. She stumbled forward, clutching my wrist. "Come, Hailee," she whispered urgently, her eyes shining with tears she tried to hide.

The healers moved swiftly, their robes brushing against the marble floor as they approached. Their expressions were tight, professional, though I could see the weight of Father’s command pressing down on them.

The crowd parted as they stepped forward, the whispers chasing me like daggers. "Can she really do that... Disgraceful... Three men..."

My stomach twisted, but I walked with my head high. If this was punishment, I would endure it.

Mother kept her hand on my arm as the healers led us away, down the long hall and out of sight.

When we reached my room, my chest tightened. The air inside felt colder, heavier.

One of the healers stepped forward, her eyes narrowed, her voice steady. "You will undress."

I froze, my throat going dry.

Mother squeezed my arm, her face pale. "Hailee... please," she whispered. "Just... do as they ask."

My hands trembled, but I forced them to move. I slipped off the beads, the bangles, the weight of gold that felt like chains. Piece by piece, the gown slid from my body until I was standing there, naked under their judging eyes.

The eldest healer stepped closer, her hands glowing faintly with the soft shimmer of her power. Her eyes narrowed as she examined me. Then she let out a long, heavy breath.

"It’s true."

Mother’s eyes widened, her lips parting as though she couldn’t breathe. The healer’s face stayed stern as she turned back to the others.

"She’s been touched by men. More than once. The mark of their presence is still on her body."

My stomach twisted, but I lifted my chin. I refused to let them think I regretted my actions.

Mother, however, swayed as if struck. Her hand flew to her chest, her sea-blue eyes filling with horror and shame. "Hailee..." she whispered, her voice breaking. "How could you?"

I ignored her, not bothering to slip back into the ceremonial gown. There was no need. Instead, I crossed to my closet and pulled on a simple jumpsuit. When I turned back, she was still staring at me, frozen.

"We’ll deliver the report," the eldest healer said.

The three of them left silently, their robes brushing against the floor as the door closed behind them.

For a heartbeat, the room was still. Too still. Then my mother’s voice cut through it, sharp and breaking.

"Hailee!" she cried, spinning toward me, her eyes blazing with rage and pain. "Do you understand what you’ve done? Do you understand the shame you’ve dragged onto this family?"

I pulled the zipper of my jumpsuit higher and met her glare without flinching. "Don’t you dare put this all on me. You’re part of the reason this happened."

Her lips parted in shock, but I pressed on, my voice trembling with rage. "You let them send me away. You turned your back when I needed you most. You wanted a perfect daughter to trade like a jewel—well, congratulations. You got this instead."

Her face went pale, then red, her sea-blue eyes flashing like a storm. "How dare you speak to me that way—"

I stepped closer, my chest heaving. "How dare I? How dare you! You call yourself my mother, but where were you when I cried? Where were you when he punished me? Where were you when I—"

Slap!

The sound echoed through the room. My head snapped to the side, my cheek stinging, burning.

Silence fell again, heavier than before.

I turned slowly back to her, my eyes glassy but hard. A bitter laugh escaped my lips. "There it is. The only thing you’ve ever given me freely—pain."

Her hand trembled in the air, her chest rising and falling as tears welled in her eyes.

Then—

Bang!

The door slammed open, shaking the walls.