Chapter 185 CHAPTER 185

Chapter 185 CHAPTER 185
The room fell into a heavy silence after Victor's confession.

Daniel remained seated, his eyes fixed on his younger brother as he tried to piece together what Victor had just admitted. Beside him, Leonard leaned back slightly, his expression thoughtful, though the sharpness in his eyes never faded. 

Daniel was the first to speak.

"He?"

His voice was calm, but the confusion behind it was unmistakable.

Victor slowly lifted his head, meeting Daniel's eyes for only a brief moment before looking away again. His gaze drifted toward the rain-speckled window, though he wasn't looking at the trees swaying outside. His mind had already slipped back ten years, to a day he had spent every waking moment trying to forget.

Daniel frowned, watching the change in his brother's expression.

"Who are you talking about, Victor?" he asked quietly. "Who wanted Lucien brought back?"

Victor's throat tightened.

His fingers curled against his knees as memories he had buried for a decade clawed their way back to the surface. 

His eyes shifted from Daniel to Leonard, studying both men more carefully than he had since they arrived. As he replayed every question they had asked since walking into the house, something suddenly occurred to him.

They didn't know who that person was, not even the reports in his study would reveal that name. If he played his cards right…

The realization settled over him, and for the first time since Daniel had arrived, Victor felt as though the ground beneath him wasn't completely gone. Dangerous as it was, he still possessed something the two men desperately needed.

If he gave them that name, there would be no taking it back.

The person he had protected for ten years would know exactly who had betrayed them.

Victor slowly exhaled before straightening in his seat.

"Before I answer another question," he said, his voice steadier than before, "I need to know something."

Daniel's expression hardened almost immediately.

"What?"

Victor looked directly at Leonard this time.

"What happens to me if I tell you the truth?"

Leonard was the first to break the silence.

"That depends on what you're about to tell us."

Victor gave a slow shake of his head.

"No," he said quietly. "That isn't good enough."

Daniel let out a frustrated breath and leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees.

"Victor," he said, his patience beginning to wear thin, "you are not in a position to negotiate."

A faint smile crossed Victor's face, but there was no amusement behind it. It was the weary smile of a man who had spent years surviving by calculating every possible outcome.

"Actually," he replied, "I think I'm in exactly the position to negotiate."

Daniel opened his mouth to argue, but Victor continued before he could.

"The moment I tell you who received that report, my fate is sealed. The person I've been protecting for the last ten years won't need another witness to know who betrayed them."

He paused, rubbing a tired hand over his face before looking back at his brother.

"If I stay silent, I might die."

His eyes shifted to Leonard.

"If I talk, I might still die... In prison."

He let out a hollow laugh that carried no trace of humor.

"So from where I'm sitting, neither option looks particularly appealing."

The room grew quiet again.

Victor spread his hands helplessly.

"If I'm expected to choose between those two deaths, then give me something that makes your side the better bargain. Otherwise..." He shrugged weakly. "I'll take my chances with the devil I've already been protecting."

Daniel stared at him in disbelief.

"So that's it?" he asked. "After everything that's happened, you're still trying to bargain?"

"I'm just trying to survive and protect what’s left of my family."

Victor's answer came without hesitation.

Leonard slowly rose from his chair and walked a few steps toward Victor before stopping beside the window. For several moments, he remained silent, watching the rain streak down the glass.

When he finally turned back, his voice had softened.

"Would you do it for your son?"

Victor frowned, his forehead creased in confusion as he stared from Leonard to Daniel.

"What does Marcus have to do with any of this?"

Leonard's expression remained unreadable.

"Everything."

He paused just long enough for Victor's unease to grow before delivering the words that brought the room to another standstill.

"We have Marcus."

Victor's eyes widened.

His breathing hitched as he shot to his feet so quickly that the chair scraped loudly across the wooden floor.

"What... did you say?"

Daniel slowly stood as well, watching every emotion flicker across his brother's face.

"We found Marcus," he said quietly. "He's in Ashwood custody."

"You found him?" His voice cracked. "Marcus is alive?"

Daniel nodded once.

Relief washed over Victor's face so suddenly that his knees almost gave way beneath him. It lasted only a heartbeat before another emotion took its place.

"You found my son..." he whispered, his voice trembling. "And you never told me?"

Daniel lowered his eyes for a brief moment before looking back at his brother. There was regret in his expression, but he made no attempt to hide behind excuses.

"I was going to tell you," he admitted quietly. "But before I did, I needed to know whether you were finally willing to tell us the truth."

Victor stared at him in disbelief.

"You used your own nephew to force my hand?"

Before Daniel could respond, Leonard stepped forward, calmly drawing the conversation back to where it needed to go.

"Marcus is alive, Victor, but he's far from alright."

He paused, allowing those words to settle before continuing.

"When Marcus was declared a rogue, his pack bond was severed." He let out a quiet sigh. "The separation has taken a toll on his mind."

Victor's face slowly drained of color.

"No..."

His voice was barely audible.

"No, that can't be..."

"It can," Leonard replied gently. "We've seen it happen before. Wolves aren't meant to exist without a pack.”

For several moments, no one spoke.

The silence inside the room felt painfully heavy, broken only by Victor's uneven breathing.

"I should have found him sooner," he whispered.

His shoulders sagged beneath the weight of a father's guilt.

Daniel watched him quietly.

"You failed him once, when you helped him escape. You have to make it right."

Leonard allowed him a moment before speaking again.

"Marcus also knows what happened ten years ago."

Victor slowly looked up.

“How..?”

“He found the records.” Leonard responded calmly.

For years Victor had convinced himself that keeping the secret protected everyone. Now Marcus had become part of that secret anyway. The realization twisted painfully inside his chest.

Leonard took another step closer.

"The man you've protected all these years..." His voice remained calm, but every word landed with deliberate weight. "He's the same man whose actions destroyed your son's life."

Victor's head lifted sharply.

"What?"

“Marcus was already a fugitive after what he'd done to Princess Ariel before. The real mastermind," Leonard continued. "The real mastermind used your son’s past grudges to frame him for the attack on the Princess, while they remained hidden."

The room fell silent once again.

Victor's breathing grew shallow.

Daniel finally stepped forward.

His voice softened.

"You've spent ten years protecting someone who wouldn't even protect your son."

Victor lowered his head.

"If that attack last night had succeeded," Daniel said quietly, "do you honestly believe the person you're protecting would have cared?"

Victor couldn't answer.

Daniel took another step closer.

"They're not just coming after you anymore." His voice remained calm, but there was steel beneath it. "They'll go after your wife and son too."

Those words finally broke something inside him.

Victor closed his eyes.

A long, exhausted breath escaped him as years of loyalty, fear and guilt seemed to crumble all at once.

When he finally spoke, his voice sounded older than either man had ever heard it. His pleading gaze fell on Leonard.

"Can you save my son?"

Leonard answered without hesitation.

"I can't promise Marcus will walk free. He attacked Princess Ariel, and he'll answer for that."

Then Leonard's tone softened.

"But I can promise you this. If your confession helps us uncover the man truly responsible for everything that's happened, I'll personally see to it that Marcus's rogue declaration is reversed."

Victor slowly turned toward Daniel.

Daniel gave him a single nod.

"You have my word."

The room became still.

Victor sat there for what felt like an eternity, staring at the floor as though weighing the last ten years of his life against the next few minutes.

When he finally lifted his head, the resistance that had carried him this far was gone.

"Alright."

His voice was quiet.

"So be it."

He drew one long breath before looking at both men.

"I'll tell you everything. But it’s more complicated than just a single man’s order."