CHAPTER 224: CUCKODLED

At Kade’s bold declaration, Jared’s jaw dropped.

Literally.

For a good moment, he just sat like that, staring at Kade with his mouth agape. He wanted to argue with it...

But what if it was the truth? Back when he had broken into Felix’s house in Silverfall, he had argued with Felix about the pup’s age, confidently claiming that the girl was over five months old, but he actually couldn’t tell. He had no experience with children, and never paid any attention to the little pups born in the Moonhill Pack, so how was he supposed to know how big a five-month-old infant should be? He had only said it because he was convinced that Felix was lying to him... But with Kade Blackstone claiming paternity...

Hmm?

Jared’s brows furrowed, as he realized that something didn’t quite add up. He glanced at Felix, the corner of his lips rising again in a hint of a smirk.

"With all due respect, Young Master Kade," he said, speaking slowly, in the most polite tone he could muster. "But are you absolutely certain that the pup is yours?"

That couldn’t possibly be. If it was, then why hadn’t Felix said so on that night in Silverfall? Obviously, because it was nothing but a blatant lie!

The ’liar’ here was, of course, Felix. In Jared’s mind, there was no other possible explanation. If Kade Blackstone had known that he wasn’t the father of the pup, then he would have no reason to claim her, right? It must have been that Felix had fooled him somehow...

"What do you mean?" Kade’s purple black eyes narrowed dangerously, turning even darker as he glared at Jared, but Jared wasn’t deterred by it at all. It was just a misunderstanding, after all. Once the truth was revealed, Kade would surely thank him for his help. So, he put on a regretful and embarrassed expression (or attempted to, but as he wasn’t the best actor, it looked jarringly fake), and said,

"You might not be aware, Young Master Kade, but Felix Embermane had slept with multiple Alphas before. Even at the pack, his reputation was..." He paused, letting out a sigh. "And after he left the pack, it got even worse. Right after leaving, he slept with a lot of random people... He told me that himself."

...Felix was speechless.

Indeed, he had said it. He had to explain the origins of the pup somehow, after all. But it was obviously a lie! And now that lie was repeated right in front of the leader and the Luna of the Bloodmoon Pack... He gulped loudly, and forced himself to lift his head a bit, throwing a surreptitious glance at Einar and Lorelei...

And as expected, they were both looking at him.

That was all, though. They were just looking. Not judging or despising him or anything like that. It was obvious that Jared was trying to cause him harm, to damage his reputation and do whatever it took to drag him back to the Moonhill Pack, so his words couldn’t be taken at face value.

Einar and Lorelei were no idiots. They wouldn’t be fooled by such petty remarks.

Felix exhaled softly with relief, and was about to speak up to defend himself, but before he could, the silence was interrupted by Kade’s cold laughter.

"So what are you trying to suggest? That Felix has made a fool out of me, tricking me into accepting someone else’s pup?"

"Y... I-I mean, well..." Jared bit his tongue, not knowing what to say. Yes, that was indeed what he had meant... But he knew that saying it out loud wouldn’t do him any good. Alphas had their pride. Who would tolerate being called a cuckold?

Kade just scoffed in response to Jared’s stuttering. He knew exactly what Jared was trying to say, but he wasn’t offended in the slightest. First of all, because Jared’s guess was partially right: Vivi wasn’t his biological daughter. The man must have figured it out based on everything he knew, including that encounter with Felix he had not long ago. Kade didn’t know exactly what had happened back then, but perhaps this future cute little mate of his had said something that clearly contradicted Kade’s current claims. If so, it was understandable that Jared would be so confident in his conclusion. It was still foolish of him to actually say it right to his face, but Kade didn’t have a high opinion of Jared to begin with, so he wasn’t exactly surprised.

And second of all... Jared was partially wrong. Kade hadn’t been tricked by Felix. He knew from the start that the pup wasn’t his (of course she wasn’t. How could she when they hadn’t even had sex yet?), but he simply chose to claim her regardless of the truth. So, his pride couldn’t possibly be hurt because of Jared’s words.

As for how to deal with Jared’s suspicions...

"Who do you think I am?" he asked, lifting his brows as he looked at Jared with mockery. "Do you think I’m some kind of idiot that would be fooled by a beautiful Omega’s lies? Naturally, since I’ve claimed Vivi, that means I have no doubt about the paternity."

It wasn’t even a lie. Kade indeed had no doubt... that he wasn’t the father. However, Jared understood it differently - Kade must have done the paternity test, and it came out positive. Still,

"Then why didn’t you say anything?" He glanced at Felix. The more they talked about it, the more he could recall from that night. And he was quite certain that back then... "You said that she was some rogue’s pup?"

Felix’s face remained unmoved. Although inside he was in turmoil, he managed to keep his emotions contained, and calmly returned Jared’s gaze. "At that point, it hasn’t been officially announced yet. Since we were keeping it a secret, naturally I couldn’t have told you the truth."

This... kind of made sense? Jared furrowed his brows, trying to think, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t find any hole in the story that he could poke at.

Was the pup really not his, then? It was hard for him to accept, but...

"Alright. So the pup is Young Master Kade’s," he finally said with a sigh. "However, that doesn’t change the fact that Felix is a member of my pack and my fated mate..."