Chapter 225 It Was All A Lie

Chapter 225 It Was All A Lie
Jason's POV

The questioning continued for about an hour. Most questions were directed at Alpha Richard and Victoria, with occasional ones for Isabella about her motivations. The questions began to repeat and circle back, everyone trying to make sense of what had happened, though the truth was almost too horrific to process.

I stood at the edge of the stage, watching as people continued lining up to ask questions. Hours had passed, and yet they kept coming. Some looked angry, others tearful, but all of them shared the same desperate look in their eyes—the need to understand why.

I get it. I really do. When faced with pure evil, humans and werewolves alike scramble to make sense of it. We want motives, explanations, a logical sequence of events that explains how someone could traffic women, torture a child, or betray their own family. We want to believe there's some deeper reason that would make it all comprehensible.

But sometimes evil is just evil—chaotic, selfish, and contradictory. Sometimes there is no satisfying explanation that makes the pain easier to bear.

Still, I hoped the final two questions might bring some closure, if not understanding.

A young woman with copper-colored hair approached the microphone.

"My name is Chloe Jenkins. I'm 23 years old," she began. "When I was 16, I was abducted and raped."

The room, which had begun to grow restless after hours of testimony, fell silent again.

"My ex-boyfriend had been harassing me, so I'd installed cameras inside and outside my bedroom," Chloe continued. "The footage showed Victoria entering my room and injecting me with something. I passed out, and she carried me away."

She paused, swallowing hard. "I woke up the next morning in my bed, in pain... down there. My parents checked the cameras and took me to Dr. Moore, who confirmed I'd been sexually assaulted."

Chloe's eyes locked on Richard. "We showed you the evidence and the doctor's report. You told me I should only discuss this with Victoria privately. You tried to use an alpha command to forbid me from telling anyone else."

Her voice grew stronger. "We forced you to watch the video of Victoria injecting me. You said that since Victoria doesn't have the body parts to commit rape, the video only proved the injection. You suggested it might have been rough sex with my ex-boyfriend. You blamed me for dating before meeting my mate."

A tear slid down her cheek. "Then you gave an alpha command and threatened that if I went to the Supernatural Council, I'd lose my home."

"Three months later, I discovered I was pregnant." Chloe's voice cracked. "I went to your office with the pregnancy test. You gave me $500 and told me to 'take care of it.'"

She glared at Richard. "Why did you do nothing when you knew what was happening? Today you pretend you just had your head in the sand, but you knew. You knew."

Richard's jaw worked under the alpha command. "Abortion was best for you. The child would be an unwanted bastard," he finally said. "I love Isabella more than the pack. Her being threatened was the only thing I cared about. I ignored everything else. I even lied to myself so I could sleep at night."

"You don't know the whole truth," Chloe responded, her voice suddenly softer. "I kept the baby. He's a little boy named Jayden now. He's wonderful and so loved."

She set down the microphone and walked away. The silence in the room was absolute.

Then Luna Isabella stood.

"I, Isabella Sterling," she said, her voice clear and strong, "hereby reject you, Richard Sterling, as my mate."

Richard's face contorted with shock and pain. "No. You can't—"

"I don't care," Isabella cut him off. "I will do everything in my power to sever our connection."

She stared at him, her face hard as stone. "I don't need your kind of love."

She gestured to the guards. "Take me to the pack prison."

As the guards moved forward, Noah stepped up, blocking Isabella's path.

"Before you go," he said, turning toward Victoria, "I have one last question." He took the microphone. "Victoria, did Isabella really cause you to miscarry Tobias?"

Victoria struggled, looking like she might be sick. "Yes... and no."

"Explain," Damian commanded, his voice laced with alpha power.

Victoria's words came out like they were being ripped from her throat. "A week and a half before the miscarriage, I went to see a doctor in another pack. I didn't trust Dr. Moore, so I sought out another doctor." Her hands trembled. "The routine ultrasound showed Tobias already had no heartbeat."

A collective gasp filled the room.

"The doctor said it likely wasn't a question of 'if' I would miscarry, but 'when,'" Victoria continued. "He suggested surgically removing the fetus, but I refused. I still had a tiny bit of hope."

Her eyes filled with tears. "I was waiting for a miracle. But after I ate Isabella's raspberries, all hope was gone."

I watched as Isabella's face went slack with shock. She staggered backward, bumping into a guard who steadied her.

"It was all a lie," she whispered, her voice carrying in the silent room. "All of it."