53 The Blow

53 The Blow

Mara

“We havews in our world,” Alpha Vander said, his voice taking a formal, almost judicial tone. “And we have a body that

ensures thosews are upheld.”

My stomach tightened. Something in his phrasing told me this wasn’t just a reminder-it was a warning.

“Tiffany is here today because of thosews, Lucian,” he continued, his gaze sharp.

“When Tina demanded her rights a few days after the border incident, I asked her to wait. I told her-as her Alpha-to be

patient. To wait until you and Mara returned.”

He looked directly at Lucian now, his expression hardening.

“Now you’re home. And I’m going to speak inly.”

Martha smiled-too smug, too satisfied. Whatever was about to be said, she was enjoying it already.

“I’m not pleased with how you’ve handled the situation,” Vander said tly. “Tina’s condition is serious. And unlike your

brother, you haven’t denied the pregnancy.”

A sharp gasp cut through the room-Tiffany’s. Darian’s expression shifted to smug disbelief, the I-told-you-so written

across his face made my skin crawl.

I knew this moment woulde eventually, but I hadn’t expected to feel so… exposed.

“I suppose Darian’s not the only lost one,” Martha snapped. “And here we thought you were the responsible one.”

Lucian’s head dropped slightly, shame weighing him down.

“Lucian,” Vander said, voice low but burning with disappointment, “you knew you were to be joined with Mara. Yet you

continued your rtionship with Tina. You got her pregnant. And now, just like Darian, you will face the consequences.”

I swallowed hard, trying not to flinch at the sting of those words. The air felt thick. Cold. Lucian stayed silent, jaw

clenched.

“If you hadn’t already been imed by Mara-and if she hadn’t imed you-I would have annulled the marriage myself,”

Vander continued, “and allowed you to choose Tina if that’s where your heart truly was.”

He paused, his tone softening just enough to feel honest.

“I didn’t choose Mara for you because Martha objected to her being with Darian. I chose her because I knew you needed

someone like her. She reminded me of your mother-Natasha. Strong. Humble. Content. Loyal.”

My breath caught. I hadn’t expected to be spoken of that way. Not here. Not now.

“I wanted you to have a good life, Lucian,” he said. “And you’re tasting that life now. A wife who supports you. A mate who would go to war beside you and still find peace in your arms.”

He exhaled, then added, with steel in his voice, “The painful part is… you didn’t trust my judgment. You let Tina stay in your life far too long. And now, it’se to this.”

Lucian finally looked up, but Vander wasn’t finished.

“Yes, Lucian. I know about the money,” he said, voice razor-sharp. “All the credits you’ve sent her. The apartment. The gifts. I didn’t hand you Steel Corp back then because I saw exactly what was happening-Tina sinking her fangs into your pocket and bleeding you dry. She was never in love with you, only what you could give her.”

53 The Blow

His eyes narrowed.

“I am your father. And I am your Alpha. I know these things.”

The room fell into thick silence.

* Poet

You could feel Vander’s anger-controlled, measured, but real. And beneath it… pain. This wasn’t just about power orws. It was about a father trying to fix a legacy that kept slipping through his hands.

“You insulted Mara and me by continuing your rtionship with Tina,” Alpha Vander said, his voice grave. “Breaking up with her a week before your wedding doesn’t count, Lucian. You were still sleeping with her after your engagement was

announced.”

Lucian said nothing. His jaw was tight, his whole body tense.

“Mara didn’t want the joining either,” Vander continued. “But she respected it. She stayed away from Darian. You, on the

other hand, kept seeing Tina.”

He sighed, and something in his expression shifted-from anger to resignation.

“Tina filed a formal report,” he said. “She’s asked for justice. And she will get her justice.”

He looked directly at Lucian.

“She’ll be moving into your wing of the house today.”

The words hit like a hammer.

Lucian mmed his hand against the table and stood so fast his chair screeched backward. His hands were trembling with fury.

I didn’t move.

I couldn’t.

I was frozen-hurt so deeply I couldn’t even breathe. The pain was sharp, but quiet. It burned through my chest like fire

behind ss.

I gripped the edge of the table, nails digging into the wood, trying to keep myself from falling apart in front of them.

“And if you choose to move out,” Vander said, “you’ll take her with you.”

Lucian’s chest rose and fell with barely contained rage.

“You know thew,” Vander went on, his voice cracking. “It’ll be near impossible for her to find a mate after bearing

another man’s child…”

He didn’t finish. He couldn’t.

And I couldn’t stay.

“May I be excused?” I asked, voice barely above a whisper.

Vander looked at me, the regret clear in his eyes.

“I’m sorry to put you through this, Mara. Truly. If you and Lucian hadn’t imed each other, I would have released you from the bond. But it’s toote now. Please… be strong.”

He nodded once.

I stood and walked out as fast as I could without breaking into a run.

The moment I cleared the lounge, the tears came.

53 The Blow

They streamed freely, hot and silent, until I reached the left wing. My chest heaved with every step. I tried to catch my breath, tried to quiet the sobs that rose uncontrobly.

When I reached our room, I shut the door, dropped to the floor, and curled into myself-back against the wall, knees pulled to my chest.

And I cried.

For the future I had started to believe in.

For the love I thought was mine.

And for whatever it was Lucian had just done to us.

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