Chapter 233 Unveiled Truth

Chapter 233 Unveiled Truth
Lily's POV

The casual familiarity made my skin crawl, but before I could respond, Gabriel's voice cut through the air like a blade.

"Who the fuck do you think you are?" Gabriel's tone was deadly quiet, more dangerous than any shout. "You think you can walk into my territory and address my Luna like some old buddy? Like you have any right to speak her name?"

Silas's smile never wavered, but something cold flickered in his eyes before being quickly masked with concern.

"Oh, but we've met before, Alpha Gabriel. Just over a year ago, we were both part of the same pack—Silver Ridge. We even shared some... memorable moments at Blake's tavern." His voice took on a tone of deep concern. "That poor girl went through such an ordeal that night."

My blood turned to ice. Dark Moon. That night.

Silas's expression became one of pained sympathy. "I'll never forget how you looked standing there on that makeshift stage, drenched in that red liquid. Midnight, wasn't it? The way it dripped from your hair, stained your clothes..." He shook his head with apparent regret. "Such a cruel humiliation for any young woman to endure."

He was talking about it like he'd been horrified, like he'd wanted to help.

"The way Blake made you close your eyes, making you trust him before..." Silas's voice caught slightly, as if the memory still pained him. "I wanted to intervene, truly I did. My heart broke watching you stand there, so vulnerable, so hopeful, only to be publicly shamed like that."

Gabriel's hands clenched into fists, but Silas continued before he could speak.

"As Beta, I felt helpless. You understand how pack hierarchy works—I couldn't directly challenge an Alpha's actions, no matter how despicable they seemed. But I followed you out that night, hoping to offer some comfort, some assistance."

He sighed deeply. "You disappeared so quickly into the night. I've often wondered what might have happened if I'd been braver, if I'd spoken up when you needed someone most."

The words made my skin crawl. This twisted sympathy was somehow worse than the original humiliation. He was painting himself as some tragic bystander who'd agonized over my suffering.

"Of course, look how beautifully everything worked out," Silas added with a warm smile toward Gabriel. "You found your true protector, escaped that toxic environment... Perhaps the Moon Goddess had her reasons for putting you through such a trial."

He was making my trauma sound like some kind of divine test.

Gabriel's voice was deadly quiet. "You talk about that night like you cared. But you were just another face in the crowd, weren't you? Another spectator enjoying the show."

"Oh, Alpha Gabriel, how could you think such a thing?" Silas looked genuinely hurt. "I may have failed to act, but I certainly never enjoyed watching an innocent girl suffer. That memory has haunted me ever since."

Gabriel took a step forward, his whole body radiating lethal intent. "Cut the bullshit. Who are you really? Because no Beta from some backwater pack talks to an Alpha like that unless he's got a death wish."

For a moment, something flickered across Silas's face—a crack in the perfect mask of concern. Then he straightened, and suddenly his entire presence changed from sympathetic observer to something far more dangerous.

"I'm Throne's Beta, Your Highness," Silas said, his voice dropping the false warmth. "Surely you remember me? Seven years ago, at the annual Alpha summit, I was already serving in that capacity. Only back then..."

He paused, his smile turning predatory.

"My name was Blade."

The words hit the room like a physical blow. I felt the air leave my lungs, my hands instinctively gripping the arms of my chair as the world tilted sideways.

Blade. The name meant nothing to me, but Gabriel's reaction was immediate and violent.

"That's impossible," Gabriel snarled, his eyes flashing with recognition and fury. "Blade died seven years ago. There was a funeral, witnesses—"

"All carefully orchestrated," Silas—Blade—said calmly. "Sometimes the most effective way to serve is to disappear first. Silas was a pathetic Beta from a failing pack, perfect for infiltration. All it took was one night, one body left for the wolves to find..."

My vision started to blur at the edges. Seven years ago. I would have been eleven. Silas had arrived in Silver Ridge not long after that, a refugee Beta looking for a new pack after his Alpha died. Alpha Ron had taken pity on him, welcomed him...

"You killed him," I whispered, my voice barely audible. "You killed the real Silas and took his place."

"Smart girl," Blade said with genuine approval. "Though it took you long enough to figure it out. Alpha Ron never suspected a thing, even when I was slowly poisoning his pack from the inside."

Gabriel's growl was inhuman. "You destroyed Silver Ridge. You killed Ron. You orchestrated everything that happened to Lily's family."

"Guilty as charged," Blade said with theatrical satisfaction. "Though I must say, watching little Lily trust me so completely while I dismantled everything she loved... it was almost too easy."

The room started spinning. Every memory I had of Silas—his sympathy that night at the tavern, his guidance during Silver Ridge's decline, the way he'd seemed to genuinely care about our struggling pack—all of it was a lie. He had been the enemy from the very beginning.

And he'd been there that night, watching Blake humiliate me, probably orchestrating it all along.

"The man I thought felt sorry for me..." The words came out broken, barely coherent. "The man I trusted..."

"Was your enemy from the very first day I set foot in Silver Ridge," Blade finished with cruel satisfaction. "Every kind word, every show of sympathy, every piece of advice—all designed to bring your family to ruin."

Vince had remained silent through this exchange, but now he spoke for the first time, his voice rough with barely contained violence. "Enough games, Silas. Tell them what we want."

Blade's smile widened. "Ah yes, our peace negotiations. You see, Alpha Gabriel, isolation doesn't suit us. And we have a proposition that might interest you."