Chapter 112: Betrayed by Blood
Kane’s POV
Adam cleared his throat. “So we’ll act like last night never happened. Put on a show of playing dumb about what happened in his private rooms, that we don’t even recall the confrontation. Char and the rest of us will offer to leave, so it appears we harbor no suspicions or grudges.”
“Exactly,” Chase confirmed. “We’ll act grateful for his hospitality--thank him for allowing us to stay in his territory, even though he’s essentially our captor.” He rolled his eyes, his tone dripping with irony. “He’ll be worried the second we set foot off his land, we’ll gather reinforcements.”
I pressed my lips together, forcing myself not to glance at Charlotte, even though her presence tugged at my every sense. Part of me wanted to check how she was handling the plan--whether she felt as uneasy as I did about pretending to trust my father. But if I reached out to her mentally, I knew she’d likely slam that door in my face again.
“He’ll try to manipulate us into staying,” Adam went on. “Maybe propose an alliance, or insist he’s misunderstood. We all pretend to believe him, while in reality we’re biding time.”
"You good. Bro?" Knox’s voice brushed my mind.
"No! You see? They’re basically rewriting last night’s fiasco into some comedic farce. We’ll pretend we have zero clue he’s plotting to kill us." I snorted inwardly, shooting back,
"He’s not the only one who can scheme." Knox replied as he sent me a flicker of agreement, though both of us felt the tension coiling tighter with every passing second.
“I can’t exactly say I enjoy this,” I spoke up at last, earning a few nods around the circle. “But we need my father and Sebastian to think we’re none the wiser. That’s our best chance to strike at the right moment.”
A hush fell across the group. I felt Charlotte's tension spike--like a sharp tug on my insides. She stood to the side, arms folded beneath her swollen belly, face oddly blank. Yet I sensed an undercurrent of sadness and determination swirling through the faint bond that connected us all. More than once, I’d tried to slip her a reassuring thought, just to remind her I was here. But she’d cut me out so forcefully last time, I didn’t dare try again.
“We can’t just walk up to him or Bash and claim they’re traitors; we need a strategy." Charlotte rubbed her belly absently. "That’s why we’re playing along.”
“Seb might slip up if he thinks we’re in the dark. He’s more arrogant than Leigh, less controlled.” Liam nodded, picking up her thread.
Her anguish brushed the edge of my awareness--pain, guilt, and frustration at the idea of punishing two people who had once been family. My wolf, Rolo, whined softly in my head, wanting to comfort her. But I didn’t move. Didn’t speak. If I so much as nudged the bond, she’d likely shove me away again.
We hammered out more details of the plan: letting word “slip” that Charlotte and her brothers planned to leave in a day’s time, thanking my father with forced politeness. We’d gather our belongings, move to the boundary line, all while lying through our teeth. Meanwhile, Connie’s Luna Ball would be the perfect moment for the final blow--revealing her treachery, humiliating her. If my father or Sebastian tried something beforehand, we’d be ready. The goal was to lull them into complacency.
Out of the corner of my eye, I watched Charlotte’s reaction to the more violent aspects--like what we’d do if my father panicked or if Sebastian launched a sneak attack. She’d stiffen, her lips thinning as she wrestled with thoughts of carrying out lethal justice. My chest ached, aware that she despised the necessity of it. But we had no choice.
"She’s drifting. We have to do something." Knox’s voice rippled through my mind again.
"I know." I swallowed hard.
"We can’t lose her," he added, a note of panic threading through his mental tone.
"So… what do we do? We let her rest? Let her walk away?" My thoughts spun in circles. "Look how closed-off she is. She’d rather talk to Sage than us."
"We’re losing her if we don’t try…" Rolo stirred inside me, echoing Knox’s frustration.
But I had no answer. Knox, sensing my uncertainty, responded with a reluctant acceptance: "But pushing her might push her right out of our reach. She’s on the brink, Kane."
"We can’t do nothing… but I can’t force her to open up, either." I clenched my fists at my sides.
"Then we find some middle ground." Knox let out a low mental sigh.
Conversation in the room began winding down. Adam and Liam discussed finalizing tasks--Adam would handle the official “thank you” channels to keep up the façade, while Liam would ensure all our gear was ready to “depart.” Chase made a show of brainstorming illusions we could spread to further convince Leigh we had no memory or clue about his betrayal.
Through it all, Charlotte stayed near the corridor entrance, posture rigid, gaze distant. She parted her lips like she might speak, but she caught herself, pressing them shut again. My heart twisted at the sight. She was so close, yet the gulf between us felt immeasurable.
Lottie POV
I felt it the moment their worry surged—a ripple of raw, anxious energy stirring the air around me, licking across my skin in urgent waves. My mates. Knox and Kane. Even locked out of my mind, they wore their hearts on their sleeves, their distress an unmistakable pulse against the bond that refused to die between us. Guilt gnawed at me for keeping them at bay, but a quiet part of me insisted I needed the distance.
Six months. That was how long I’d navigated my emotions alone, finding my footing without them after we’d parted so abruptly. It wasn’t that I wanted them shut out—no, the opposite was true. I’d yearned for them, missed them so desperately. But I’d learned to survive without their calming presence, without their voices in my head. In truth, we’d only spent a handful of days together before everything fell apart. In that single, dizzying week, I’d met them, gotten tipsy, slept with them, woken up mated and whisked into some whirlwind of passion and chaos. Then Havoc tore through the ball, a demon deal was struck, and suddenly… they were gone. Along with my happiness, our future, and any promise of stability. I discovered I was pregnant not long after, which meant losing them also meant losing the father(s) of my unborn children.
I wasn’t angry with them. Goddess, no. I carried my share of the blame. Yet the truth was that I’d spent more time dealing with the fallout on my own than I ever had with them by my side. When I let my love for them steer me, it was like throwing a lit torch into an oil spill—fiery, unpredictable, and oh-so-tempting to dive into again. But right now, I needed to think logically.
Shame curled in my chest because I sensed their panic, their frantic attempt to chip away at my barriers. So, I forced myself to reach out through the mind link, letting my walls drop just enough for them to hear my voice.
“I’m okay, I reassured them. I’m not angry—I love you both. Please don’t worry.”
“If you need anything, I can handle it. I’ll fix it, Lottie.” Knox’s response was immediate, laced with desperation. “Just let me help.” His urgency tugged at my heart, but I held firm.
“Exactly…” Kane sighed softly. “That's what she means. We’d take on the world for her, but we’d forget everyone else in the process. That isn’t right—”
“It’s sweet,” I cut in gently, “but dangerous. Right now, I need space to think. If I let you in, you’ll want to protect me. And I can’t let your devotion blind me. I’m supposed to lead the Lycans one day, and I can’t let jealousy, hate, ambition, or even love sway me unnecessarily.”