Chapter 128: The Shocking Discovery
Zoriana’s heart turned over at the thought of Tristan, but now was not the time. She still had tasks to finish before she could finally complete her mission. Leaving her family at the restaurant, she made a brief stop at the rogue camp—an unpleasant but entirely necessary pit stop.
“One more unpleasant task,” she muttered, dialling Gael’s number.
He picked up on the very first ring. “I knew you’d come to your senses. We are fated mates, after all, and in the end, that's all that matters.”
“Yeah, you’re right,” she replied softly, detesting the bitter taste of the lie in her mouth. “I have good news—I finally got the proof we need to pin Tristan down. We can finally be together openly, just like you promised.”
She heard Gael take a sharp, ragged breath over the line. A month ago, his betrayal would have cut her to the bone. Now, after everything she had witnessed, she felt absolutely nothing. Gael had never planned to break his engagement with Princess Flavia; he simply wanted to keep Zoriana as a side piece to enjoy the bond and strengthen his wolf. But now that she knew how truly rotten he was, she didn't want him anyway. Still, until the final curtain fell, the show had to go on.
“My love, call for a meeting the day after tomorrow,” Zoriana instructed smoothly. “I want Tristan publicly disgraced. The King, the Queen, Princess Flavia, and Beta Karel all need to be present.”
“I need to review the evidence first,” Gael replied, his tone turning stern.
“Don’t you trust me?” Zoriana pouted, pitching her voice perfectly. “I am your fated mate and quite competent at my job. I promised you I’d bring the traitor to his knees, and I will. Don’t you have faith in me? Don't you love me?”
Gael’s defences crumbled instantly. “As you wish, my love. We will hold the meeting in the afternoon, and by nightfall, we will finally consummate our bond.”
Zoriana suppressed a bitter laugh, her voice turning seductive. “Deal. I promise you, I will make it a day you'll never forget.”
“I’m already thrilled, mate.”
She hung up, her lips curving into a cold smile. Soon, the farce would be over.
Though it was time for bed, Zoriana couldn't relax. She spent hours reviewing and organizing her files. Doubt and fear gnawed at her chest. What if Tristan never forgives me? What if, even after I clear his name and beg for his forgiveness, he still rejects me? Her fingers trembled as she flipped through the documents. She couldn't bear the thought of a life without him. In such a short amount of time, he had occupied her every thought and stolen her breath. Tristan was the most impossible person she had ever known—cold yet warm, ruthless yet gentle, brilliantly intelligent yet occasionally so foolish. And handsome. He was the most magnificent wolf she had ever laid eyes on.
“His body, his eyes, the passion... the way he looks at us when he thrusts deeper and—” Kalina purred.
Zoriana’s face flushed a deep crimson. “Stop it, Kalina! You’re only making things worse. Soon enough, we’ll know if he’ll take us back or not. Now, stop drooling over a wolf who doesn't belong to us yet.”
Kalina merely giggled and began flashing vivid mental projections of their steamy moments in the hospital room.
“You!” Zoriana warned as a sudden wave of heat curled in her lower belly. She pressed her palms over her face and slammed her mental blocks up, shutting Kalina out.
With sleep remaining a distant dream and having reviewed the evidence for a fifth time, Zoriana stepped out of the trailer to clear her head. The cool night air made her shiver as she walked around the perimeter. The construction site was bustling again. They were starting from zero. So much time lost, so much money turned to ash in the fire—and all because of one jealous, pathetic she-wolf.
“Sis!” a familiar voice called out. Igor jogged over to her, grinning from ear to ear.
“Why are you strolling around in the middle of the night?” Zoriana scolded gently. “Please, little brother, don’t upset your pregnant mate.”
“I was looking for you to show you something,” Igor said.
“In the middle of the night?” Zoriana laughed. “It must be something epic.”
“Now that you’ve announced me as your Gamma, I have to work twice as hard to prove myself,” he smiled. “And you know hacking is an addiction for guys like me. Katie understands. Tonight, I was cracking some codes and managed to bypass the Crown Prince’s confidential data.”
Zoriana’s eyes widened. Igor gestured toward his laptop, and the two of them hurried back into her trailer.
The moment Igor opened his laptop and let Zoriana scroll through the decrypted files, she froze. The breath trapped itself in her throat, her jaw dropping in absolute disbelief as the glowing screen reflected in her widened eyes. It wasn't just a ledger of bribes or a list of rogue payouts; it was a digital graveyard of royal secrets. There were financial records, forged medical documents from the pack's highest doctors, and a hidden decree signed by the Queen herself.
“Holy shit,” she whispered, her voice trembling as the sheer gravity of the discovery hit her. She looked from the screen to her younger brother, who was watching her with a proud, anxious grin. “Igor... you aren’t just a genius. You just handed me the weapon to tear the monarchy apart from its very roots.”