Chapter 188

Chapter 188
Lucas's POV:
Marcus slowly nodded. "From everything I've observed... yes, Michael is most likely the father."
Before I could even begin to process this devastating confirmation, the office door burst open without warning.
My mother Elena stormed in, her face flushed with rage and her eyes blazing with fury.
"Where is Sophia?" Elena demanded, her voice cutting through the air like a blade. "Where is that lowly Omega who dared to harm your fated mate? "
I looked up slowly, feeling a fresh wave of exhaustion wash over me. "Mother, what are you—"
"Don't try to defend her!" Elena interrupted, pointing an accusatory finger at me. "That greedy she-wolf has caused enough damage to our family. Does she still think she hasn't harmed our Pack enough?!"
The bitter irony of her words hit me like a physical blow.
"Elena, you need to calm down," I said quietly, but my mother was beyond reason.
"Calm down?" she screeched. "My son, you are the Alpha of this pack! You are the leader of this territory! Yet you allowed that nobody to manipulate you, to come between you and your destiny!" Her eyes were wild with indignation. "Only your fated mate Aria can make your wolf soul stronger, help you become the Alpha you were meant to be!"
Something inside me snapped.
"Enough! " I rorared.
"You want to know where Sophia is?" I said, my voice low and dangerous. "Fine. Sophia has already left me. She's no longer our Luna, and our marriage is over."
Instead of showing concern or sympathy, Elena's face immediately lit up with obvious joy and relief. Her eyes sparkled with triumph as she clapped her hands together.
"Well, thank the Moon Goddess!" she exclaimed, practically bouncing with excitement. "Finally, you can return to your true destiny! You can go back to Aria, claiming your rightful mate. The pack will be so much stronger with the proper Luna by your side!"
"Stop." My voice was deadly quiet now.
The joy on Elena's face made me sick to my stomach. "Before you celebrate another second, let me tell you exactly who you've been insulting all this time."
Elena paused, sensing the dangerous shift in my tone, but the smile was still plastered on her face.
"Sophia," I said slowly, watching the color drain from my mother's face, "is the daughter of the Lycan King. She is the Princess of the Anderson Kingdom."
The silence that followed was deafening. Elena's mouth opened and closed like a fish gasping for air, no sound emerging. Her eyes went wide with shock and disbelief.
I leaned forward, my voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "And if you continue to run your mouth with insults about the princess of our kingdom, if you dare to speak one more disrespectful word about her, I will personally deliver you to the royal family for punishment."
Elena staggered backward, her hand flying to her throat as if she could already feel the consequences of her actions closing around her neck.
Elena shook her head violently, as if trying to physically shake away my words. "No, no, this is ridiculous! Sophia is just a helpless Omega with no background, no family support! "
She whispered. "A Lycan Princess wouldn't... she wouldn't be in our pack, suffering such treatment..."
"Because she loved me," I said, my voice breaking with the weight of that truth. "She loved me so much that she was willing to hide her identity, to endure the unfair treatment from our family and our entire pack. And now I have completely lost her."
For a long moment, Elena stood frozen, processing this earth-shattering revelation.
I could see the fear creeping into her eyes as she realized the full scope of what she had done - the insults, the disrespect, the cruel treatment she had inflicted upon a princess.
But then, as the initial shock began to fade, I watched something else flicker across Elena's features. Her eyes suddenly lit up with a different kind of intensity - not fear, but excitement.
Raw, calculating excitement.
"Wait," she said, her voice gaining strength as her mind began to race. "Lucas, do you understand what this means?"
"Princess Sophia!" she breathed, clasping her hands together with newfound reverence. "Oh my, I always knew there was something special about her royal bearing! Her grace, her elegance - it all makes sense now!"
"Mother—" I started, but she cut me off.
"Lucas, you must pursue her back at any cost!" Elena exclaimed, her eyes gleaming with ambition. "As a princess, she would make the most powerful Luna imaginable! Think of the connections, the influence, the glory she could bring to Starlight Pack! We would be the most prestigious pack in the entire kingdom!"
I stared at my mother with complete disgust and disappointment. The speed with which she had switched from hatred to fawning praise made me sick to my stomach.
My voice dripping with sarcasm as I looked at Elena. "Five minutes ago, you were calling her a 'lowly Omega' and a 'greedy she-wolf.' Now that you know she's a princess, suddenly she's worthy of praise?"
I stepped closer to her, my eyes cold and merciless. "You know what, Mother? I've finally seen you for exactly what you are. A shallow, manipulative woman who only values people based on what they can do for her."
Elena's face went pale at the venom in my voice, but I wasn't finished.
"So let me give you some advice," I continued, my tone dropping to a deadly whisper. "If you want to spend the rest of your life in peace and comfort, you'd better stay out of my personal affairs from now on. Keep your opinions about my choices to yourself, and keep your mouth shut about Sophia."
Elena's eyes widened in shock and disbelief. "Are you... are you threatening me?" she gasped, her voice rising in outrage. "Your mother?"
"I'm giving you a warning," I replied coldly.
"You monster!" Elena suddenly exploded, her face twisting with fury. "What kind of son have I raised? First, you exile your father from the pack, then you torment your poor sister Isabelle until she's broken, and now you're threatening your mother!"
Her voice became shrill with hysteria. "Is there no limit to your cruelty, Lucas? Is there no family member you won't destroy in your twisted pursuit of that woman?"
I looked at her with complete indifference, unmoved by her accusations. "I did what needed to be done, and I'll continue to do what needs to be done."