Chapter 101 101
Venessa’s POV
I watched in silence as the guards dragged the culprits out of the dining hall.
Fear hung thick in the air. Conversations died on people’s lips, and Queen Rochelle no, former Queen Rochelle was visibly trembling.
“I swear, darling, I had no idea,” she said to my father, her voice breaking as she wiped her tears. “I truly believed you had a brain disease.”
Elder Craig looked between my father and me, his expression heavy with concern.
“Thank you for saving his life, young lady,” he said solemnly. “The Lycan Kingdom owes you a great debt. Had he died, a terrible war would have followed. You have spared us that fate.”
I inclined my head, offering him a small smile.
“It was my honour to serve my king,” I replied.
He nodded thoughtfully, then studied my face more closely.
“If I may say so, Your Majesty,” Elder Craig continued, “Alpha Denzel’s Luna bears a striking resemblance to your mother. She has her eyes.”
He hesitated. “Is that why you are so fond of her?”
My father laughed.
“You are far too curious for your own good, Craig,” he said. “But I’m glad you noticed the resemblance, because that observation brings us to the true reason I called this dinner.”
He reached for my hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.
I noticed the looks then the narrowed eyes, the curled lips. Disgust. Suspicion. I realised they believed I was sleeping with the King.
The thought was revolting… and yet, in a twisted way, almost amusing.
“Venessa is Danisha Gordon’s daughter,” my father said calmly. “Danisha was my fated mate. Venessa is my child the rightful heir to the Lycan throne.”
The hall fell into stunned silence.
“What?!” Rochelle shrieked. “That’s a lie! She isn’t even half Lycan. She’s a tiny white wolf an omega! Jahlil said he saw it with his own eyes. Danisha adopted her!”
Her anger made her forget herself.
“It appears you keep forgetting your place, Rochelle,” my father said coldly. “You are no longer Queen. The only reason you are seated here is because I believed you might be the mastermind behind my poisoning.”
She stared at him in disbelief.
“How can you say that?” she sobbed. “I love you too much to ever do such a thing. What would I gain from your death? I cannot rule if you die, and I have no child.”
Her tears flowed freely.
“I said goodbye to you so many times,” she continued. “I truly believed you were dying. My only crime was loving you loving a man whose heart already belonged to his fated.”
My father laughed, sharp and humourless.
“If you loved me,” he said, “you would not have murdered my fated mate. And you would not have tried to kill my daughter.”
She shook her head violently.
“She’s lying, Jamar! She is not your child,” Rochelle insisted, then turned on me.
“Where does your social climbing end?” she spat. “You chased Jalisa from her home and stole her husband. She took pity on you a refugee servant and you repaid her by taking her mate and her pack. And now you’re setting your sights on the Lycan throne!”
Her gaze shifted to Denzel.
“I thought you were stronger than this, Denzel,” she sneered. “I thought you were the most powerful Alpha alive stronger even than King Fabian. Yet you let this woman manipulate you, steal you from your wife, and now use you to deceive the King simply because he favours you.”
She looked back at me, her voice trembling with forced righteousness.
“I am grateful for what you did for my husband,” she said. “But I cannot stand by and allow you to lie to him.”
My father burst out laughing.
“Are you finished, Rochelle?” he asked.
She looked around the table desperately, searching for support. No one spoke.
“I can’t believe you are all silent,” she said, her voice rising. “Yes, we need an heir to prevent war but does that mean we accept anyone who claims to be his child?”
Still, no one answered.
“Enough,” Gamma Lennox said firmly. “You are fortunate you are not already in a cell.”
He stepped forward.
“You usurped power from Kareem and me. You crowned yourself Queen. You changed laws that were never yours to change. Do not pretend to be noble now.”
Her face drained of colour.
“The only reason you are not imprisoned for killing a rogue is because His Majesty chose restraint,” Lennox continued. “But you will be punished for murdering the mother of the Crowned Princess.”
Her eyes widened in horror.
“She isn’t a Lycan!” Rochelle screamed. “She has no Lycan blood. She’s a white omega barely a wolf at all. Jahlil has seen her wolf. Make her shift! If she is Danisha’s daughter, then Danisha must have cheated on you, Jamar.”
I felt it then the nerve she struck.
“Enough!” my father roared.
The authority in his voice crushed everyone else… yet it washed over me like a soft breeze. Not heavy. Not threatening. Just familiar.
“Do not ever speak of Danisha that way again,” he snarled. “Do you think she was a whore like you?”
Rochelle recoiled.
“I know about you and Wright,” my father continued. “I have known for a long time. You stopped hiding it once I fell ill. I wouldn’t be surprised if he tried to kill me for your sake.”
She shook her head frantically.
“That isn’t true we are just friends!”
My father laughed.
“I have eyewitness accounts and video evidence,” he said coldly. “Do not push me, Rochelle.”
She fell silent as tears streamed down her face.
I could see the humiliation burning through her but the truth was simple.
She had done this to herself.