Chapter 204: 204

Auren POV

“Clear the room,” I ordered, my voice cutting through the air like a blade.

The guards exchanged wary glances but obeyed without hesitation, their boots echoing against the concrete floor as they exited. I knew where they’d end up on the other side of the mirrored glass wall, where Ardyn, Rion, and Olyssia were almost certainly watching. Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if half the pack gathered to witness this interrogation. Word traveled fast when the Alpha’s Beta was accused of betrayal.

Even my mother was probably there.

The thought twisted something in my chest. The last thing I wanted was for her to see me lose control to see me kill someone. Again. But if it came to that, so be it. I wasn’t the boy she’d once known. I was an Alpha now, and I would do whatever it took to protect what was mine.

I wanted answers. I wanted them now. And if blood was the price, I was willing to pay it.

They were a threat to me, to Lorien, and to the pup that might already be growing inside her. That thought alone made my rage burn hotter.

“Were you?” I asked, my voice low, steady, but seething beneath the surface. “Were you planning to kill my mate?”

Lorien looked up at me then, guilt flickering in her eyes, as if she bore the blame for all of this for my friends’ betrayal. But this went far deeper than her. This had started before her, before even Sylira.

They’d been planning to trap me for years. Manipulating, maneuvering, tightening the noose without me realizing. For what purpose? I still didn’t know. Lucen already held power as my Beta. Helping Lysandra bind me to her wouldn’t earn him more authority it would only weaken the pack. None of it made sense.

I’d forgiven him for attacking Lorien during the full moon, blaming the curse for his actions. But now… it was clear he’d wanted her gone since the moment she arrived. Not because she was Fae but because she threatened Lysandra’s delusional fantasy.

“No!” Lucen shouted, his voice cracking with something between fear and frustration just as Lysandra began sobbing, the sound shrill and insincere.

“I was trying to convince her to leave!” he protested.

“It was all him!” Lysandra screamed over him, tears streaming as she clutched her chains dramatically. “He wanted her dead! Lucen said he’d never submit to a Fae and if I didn’t do what he wanted, he’d kill me!”

Her wailing grated on my nerves. I stepped forward, my jaw tight, releasing Lorien’s hand as anger surged through me.

“That’s not true!” Lucen shouted back, but there was irritation in his tone instead of fear. He sounded like a man tired of rehearsing the same lies.

Lysandra shifted between fear and manipulation so fluidly it was nauseating. One moment she was trembling; the next, she was glaring with defiance. I didn’t believe a word that came out of her mouth.

“Why are you lying?” she sobbed, stepping toward me, her voice trembling just right to sound pitiful. “Auren, you have to believe me! He’s a monster!”

“Cut the act,” Lorien snapped, her tone sharp and unwavering. I nearly smiled despite myself pride swelling in my chest. “We all know you’re lying. You’re an awful actress. What was the plan this time, huh? Having me killed during the full moon didn’t work out for you, did it?”

Lysandra’s mask cracked. “I don’t answer to you, bitch!” she spat.

I moved before I could think closing the distance in a heartbeat, my hand wrapping around her throat as I slammed her back against the wall. Her chains clattered violently, her feet kicking helplessly against the stone.

“Do not talk to my mate like that,” I snarled, my voice vibrating with restrained fury. “Now answer her question.”

Lysandra clawed weakly at my wrist, her face reddening. “I can’t believe you’re choosing her over me,” she rasped, tears pooling in her eyes. “After everything I’ve done for you everything we’ve been through. I was there for you when no one else was. I stayed through the worst of it.”

“Lorien is my soulmate,” I said evenly, tightening my grip just enough to make her choke out a gasp. “She will always come first.”

“She’s trapping you!” Lysandra screamed, her voice breaking as I finally released her. She crumpled to the ground, clutching her throat and gasping for breath. “She’s using her Fae powers to control you to take over our pack! She probably has control over Lucen, too!”

The moment Lorien moved, I caught it from the corner of my eye. I stepped between them, forcing her back with a hand to her shoulder. She was trembling, not with fear, but with fury.

We’d talked about this earlier how she would stay back, let me handle it. But of course, she couldn’t. Lorien was stubborn and brave and reckless all at once and I loved her for it. Even if it scared the hell out of me.

“For the Goddess’s sake, Lysandra,” Lucen muttered, his voice thick with exhaustion. “The only person who’s ever tried to control me was you. Cut the act already.” He looked up then, meeting my eyes. “I’m done lying, Auren. She has nothing on me anymore nothing I’m not willing to tell you myself.”

The silence that followed was heavy, dangerous.

I could feel the storm building inside me, ready to break.