Chapter 63 Emma's First Betrayal
LISA'S POV
I stared at Emma and my best friend who had been there through everything. The woman who held me while I cried after Ryan's rejection. Who helped me build confidence as Alpha. Who researched my mother's journal for months. She stood in front of me now with guilt written across every feature and I felt something cold settle in my chest.
"What secret?" My voice came out flat.
Emma's hands twisted together and she could not meet my eyes. "When I was researching your mother's journal, I found more than just the prophecy entries. There were pages about Marcus Krane's pack. About an alliance your mother was trying to broker before she died. One that would unite packs under silver wolf guidance."
Nathan moved closer to me and I felt his presence like an anchor. "What kind of alliance?"
"A marriage contract," Emma whispered. "Between Lisa and Marcus Krane's son. Arranged when Lisa was five years old. Your mother wanted to create a coalition of powerful packs with the silver wolf bloodline at the center."
My knees went weak. "I was promised to someone as a child?"
"The contract was never finalized because your mother died," Emma continued quickly. "But the documentation exists. The preliminary agreements, the terms, everything. And here is the betrayal."
She finally looked at me and tears were streaming down her face. "I told Sophia about this research months ago before we knew what she really was. She asked to see it and claimed she wanted to help you prepare for the Council hearing. I trusted her."
The room tilted slightly. "You gave Sophia ammunition to use against me?"
"I thought I was helping," Emma sobbed. "She was still with Ryan then and I thought she genuinely cared about pack unity. Now Sophia has given Marcus Krane everything he needs to legally claim you. The contract specifies that if Marcus Krane's son is deceased or unable to fulfill the terms, Marcus himself can invoke the agreement as Alpha of his bloodline."
Nathan swore under his breath. "That is why he is here. Not just to support Sophia but to claim Lisa through an ancient contract."
But Emma was not finished. Her whole body was shaking now. "There is more. Sophia asked me to keep her updated on your emotional state. Your relationships with Ryan and Nathan and Adrian. She wanted to know when you were vulnerable and when you were strong. I thought she was trying to help mend things with Ryan so I told her things. For months I told her things."
My best friend had been feeding information to my enemy. Every private conversation, every moment of weakness, every confession about my feelings for the three men in my life. Sophia knew it all because Emma had told her.
"How could you?" The words came out broken.
"I was trying to help," Emma repeated and reached for me. "Lisa, please. I thought Sophia cared about you. About the pack. I did not know she was manipulating everything until it was too late."
I stepped back from her touch. "You told her about my feelings for Nathan. For Adrian. About Ryan's letters and grand gestures. You gave her a roadmap of how to hurt me."
"I am so sorry," Emma collapsed to her knees. "I will do anything to make this right. Anything."
The Alpha power rose in me swift and cold. "Get out."
"Lisa, please let me explain more."
"I said get out." The command rolled through the room with undeniable force. Emma had no choice but to obey. She stumbled to her feet and ran from the office with her sobs echoing down the hallway.
Nathan moved to comfort me but I held up a hand. "Do not. I cannot process this right now. Marcus Krane is waiting and if I fall apart now he wins."
"You are allowed to be hurt," Nathan said gently.
"I will be hurt later," I told him and forced steel into my spine. "Right now I need to be Alpha. If Marcus Krane wants to invoke an ancient marriage contract he is about to learn why you do not mess with a silver wolf."
Nathan nodded with respect clear in his eyes. "What do you need from me?"
"Stand with me in that meeting. Let him see that I have powerful allies who will not let him bully me into submission." I moved toward the door and felt my phone buzz in my pocket.
Unknown number. I almost ignored it but something made me look. A photo was attached and my blood ran cold. It was me and Adrian at Western Pack. We were laughing together outside his pack house. The photo was recent from my last visit just days ago.
The message below the photo made my stomach drop. "He has been courting you for your power, not your heart. Ask him about the Continental Alpha Coalition. Ask him who really benefits from a silver wolf under their influence. A concerned friend."
I stared at the phone and my hands started shaking. Nathan saw my expression change. "What is it?"
I showed him the message without speaking. He read it and his face darkened. "This could be Sophia trying to manipulate you. Trying to make you doubt Adrian before the meeting."
"Or it could be true," I said quietly. "What is the Continental Alpha Coalition?"
"It is a network of powerful Alphas who coordinate on territorial disputes and resource allocation," Nathan explained. "Adrian is part of it. So am I actually. It is not sinister but it is political."
"Does a silver wolf give them more power?" I asked.
Nathan hesitated and that hesitation told me everything. "In theory yes. A silver wolf Alpha aligned with the Coalition would give the entire network more influence in continental pack politics. But that does not mean Adrian is using you."
"Doesn’t it?" I looked at the photo again. We looked happy together. Easy. But what if it was all calculated? What if every kind word and patient gesture was manipulation of a different kind? Not Ryan's guilt or Nathan's quiet devotion but cold political strategy.