KILLIAN’S POV

I stood there for a second, just watching the bathroom door, knowing damn well that Liana wouldn’te out no matter how long I waited, no matter how many times I called her name, and no matter how many fucking times I begged her to just open the door and let me exin, she wasn’t going to do it. She was done listening. Her silence screamed louder than her tears did, and I hated that I was the one who caused them. I clenched my jaw, hard, the muscles twitching as I turned and

walked out of the hotel room.

I headed straight for the car garage, not wasting a second. I started the engine, my fingers tight around the steering wheel, my mind spinning with everything that just happened, everything she saw, everything she now believes, and I knew I had to fix it. bNow/b. I didn’t care who got dragged into it. I didn’t care if it made me look bad. I was done with secrets. Done with dys. Done with letting anyone think Cynthia still had a fucking ce in my life.

I tapped her number on the screen. She picked it up before the first ring ended.

“Killian!” she chirped like she’d been waiting all week for this. Her voice was too eager, fake as hell, and I had no patience forolliit./li/ol

“I’ll send you an address. Meet me there,” I said tly and hung up without waiting for her reply.

I sent the address. Somewhere public, upscale, neutral. A restaurant we’d used before for pack meetings and political dinners. I knew she’de. I parked, tossed the keys to the valet without a word, and walked straight in.

“Alpha Killian,” the receptionist greeted quickly, bowing slightly. He was one of ours. Trusted. Discreet.

b“/bbI /bneed a private room,” I said, and he nodded immediately, guiding me to the top floor, a VVIP room with full soundproofing and security.

“Would byou /blike to order anything now, Alpha?”

“bNot /byet.”

He nodded again and left.

I barely had five minutes to breathe before the door opened and Cynthia strolled in, her perfume choking the air. She was dressed like she was trying to seduce a king, all tight dress and fake elegance, with her little bump poking through her silk bgown/bb, /bas if that alone bwould /bkeep her relevant in my world. She walked straight up to me with a fake–ass smile and tried to

kiss my cheek.

I leaned back instantly. “Sit.”

Her smile wavered, band /bshe satb, /bstill trying to act like everything was fine.

“Why the sudden call, baby?” she askedb, /bleaning forward just enough to make her already low neckline drop even lower, putting her cleavage right in bmy /bline of sight.

bA /bwaiter knocked and came in. I ordered water. Cynthia ordered red grape wine like we were on some kind of fucking date.

*Someone else isingb, /bbyou’ll /bbhave /bbto /bwait.”

She frowned but then started making small talk, about the campaign, about how bI /bwas leading the pollsb, /babout the scandal with Alpha Darion, trying to act like she cared, while I clearly knew exactly what she was after.

“They’re blowing that video up,” she said, pulling out her phone, sliding closer to me like she was trying to create some false

bintimacy /b

“They’re using it to tear down everything we worked for. Everything we’ve built, Killian.”

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I scoffed the second she said that. “We?”

She looked confused for a second. “Yes, Killian. We. You think you got this far alone?”

“There is no fucking ‘we‘, Cynthia. There never was. Don’t ever say that again.”

Her smile vanished. She leaned forward slightly, lowering her voice. “Oh, right. I forgot. You’re busy ying house with your precious little sister. The one you’ve been screwing behind closed doors. That skanky desperate bitch?b” /b

My eyes snapped to hers, and my hand mmed the table. “Don’t you dare call her that.”

“But that’s what she is! She’s a desperate little bitch who knows nothing than to fuck her married brother!”

“Cynthia, I’m warning you!” I growled but she didn’t stop.

“Everyone will see it when I expose her. When I tell the world what you are doing with your own fucking sister!”

Before I even realized it, my hand was around her throat. Her eyes widened, but she didn’t stop talking.

“I. am. Warning. You. Cynthia!”

She scoffed. “You think I’m going to sit back and let you throw me away? Let you parade around with her after everything

I’ve done for you? I made you, Killian. Without me you’d be nothing

Without this baby I’m carrying for you, you wouldn’t

even be among the top list of campaigners!”

I dropped my hand and chuckled bitterly. “Did you just say baby…

b“/bYes, Killian. Our baby.”

Iughed bitterly. “bYou /breally have the guts to say that?”

She went stiff.

“What are you talking about?b” /b

b“/bbYou /bthink I bdon’t /bknow about your little stunts? You trying to pin that bastard on me?”

“W–what are byou /btalking about Killian?b” /b

I chuckled coldly. “Oh. ying oblivious now right?b” /b

Jumat

I leaned in, my elbows on the table as I stared right into her beyes/b. “Does my silence give byou /bthe impression that I’m cluelessb? /b

“I–I don’t know what byou’re /btalking about Killian.”

“Ofcourse.” I nodded chuckling. b“/bbYou must /breally think I’m such a fool that I wouldn’t find out about the human you were bso /b

obsessed with? That byour /bmarried human mate…”

I leaned back on my chair and crossed my arms.

“You know… It’s bone /bthing bto /bfind your human mate and fuck him, but it’s another thing to drug him when he clearly rejected you and told you he was happily married with his wife.b” /b

Colour drained from her bface/bbi. /i/b

b“/bbK/b–killian I–I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

I sighed. b“/bStill trying to deny bit/b? Drugging your married human mateb, /bluring him bto /bbsleep /bwith you, recording it and sending it to his lovely pregnant wife so she could leave him for byou/b? I see…b” /b

She trembled

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“Or what about when you nned an ident to kill her just so you could have him all for yourself?”

“Ki–killian-”

“And when that blew up in your face, when byou /bfound out you were pregnant for him and he straight up denied you, you thought crawling back to me with a ‘baby‘ would cover all of your crimes?” I hand–quoted the word ‘baby‘ and chuckled. ” Then you must be fucking delusional.”

“I–I don’t know where you’re getting your fake news from-b” /b

I shook my headughing. “It’s alright. I won’t push. But I’m sure you remember sending that girl to the hotel to lure me the other night? And when she failed, you edited a picture. Sent it to me this morning like some amateur trying to catch a cheating husband. Thinking you could use it against me someday? Well I’m so fucking sorry. That damn n of yours fell through the drain. And you know what? I’m fucking done with you.”

She was shaking now. “You don’t get it, Killian. I’m doing all this for you!”

“How so?”

“This pregnancy. It… It’s your ticket to winning the campaign. Alpha Dorian and Alpha Cassian’s mates aren’t pregnant. You’ve got an edge. If you divorce me now, you’ll lose that. You’ll lose the polls. You’ll lose everything.”

I leaned back in my chairb, /bcrossing my arms.

“So that’s what this is? A trade? My life for your delusion?b” /b

“I’m byour /bLuna, Killian! You need me! You want to be alpha King? Then St

Smile for the cameras. Pretend we’re

?????????????????????

happy. And maybe, just maybe, I won’t post that video of you and your precious sister.”

I didn’t move.

b“/bYes,” she continued. “That video. The one where you’re fucking her like a feral beast. The council will love that. An Alpha, sleeping with his sister. That’s instant disqualification.”

I stared at her for a long second.

Then Iughed.

She blinked.

“That’s all you got? Really? That’s your grand y? ckmail?b” /b

She swallowed.

I shook my head slowly. b“/bbGo /bahead, Cynthia. Leak whatever you want. But don’t think it’s only you who knows how to y dirty. You’re not the only one with footage. With witnesses. You try to drag me down, and I will ruin you in ways you bhaven’t /b

even imaginedb” /b

“You bcan’t /bget rid of me that easily. bI’m /bbyour /bbLuna/b. I’m carrying byour /bheir whether you like it or not. You need me. Without me, you’re just a candidate with banger /bissues. bYou /bwant that crown? You bwon’t /bget it without me.”

“Oh dear…” I stood upb, /bcircling her. “Whatever fantasy you’re living in where I give a fuck about you or this fake–ass bbaby /bperformance you’re putting bon/bb–/bwake the hell bup/b. This is reality. And you’re not in bmy /bfutureb./bb” /b

“Y–You can’t be seriousb, /bKillianb./b”

“Dead serious,” I said “I’m divorcing youb. /bAnd nothingb–/bnot your bastard pregnancyb, /bbnot /bbyour /bempty threatsb, /bnot your dirty blittle /brecordingsb, /bbwill /bstop me.”

Her eyes filled with tears, but I didn’t care

“You can’t ruin my name, Cynthia But I’ll ruin yours so badly your own damn reflection will reject you. Don’t fucking test my

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patience.”

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