Chapter 74 SCANDAL

Chapter 74 SCANDAL
(Luca's POV)

I knew something was wrong the moment I saw the third flash.

“Hold that—perfect,” the photographer said from across the ballroom, adjusting his angle again.

I stood near the security panel by the side wall, arms crossed, watching everything play out. Not as a guest, not as a council member either.

As someone who knew a setup when he saw one.

“That’s not random,” I muttered under my breath.

The photographer shifted again, crouching slightly to capture a shot of Aria sitting alone at the lowest table. Then he turned, barely a second later, snapping a close frame of Caden and Vivienne standing together like a painted picture.

Isolated versus united.

I pulled out my phone and typed fast.

Luca: Photos being staged. Check who hired the photographer.

The reply came quicker than expected.

Ryker: Already did. Vivienne’s personal account. Paid triple standard rate.

I exhaled slowly, my jaw tightening. “Of course she did.”

This wasn’t just petty humiliation.

This was calculated.

I looked back up, scanning the room again. The positioning, the timing, the angles—it all lined up too perfectly. Aria alone. Caden and Vivienne together. Over and over again.

“They’re building a narrative,” I muttered.

And the pack was eating it up.

A group of wolves near the center laughed quietly, eyes flicking between Aria and the dance floor. Whispering. Judging.

Exactly what Vivienne wanted.

My gaze shifted again—and landed on Thorne.

He was moving toward Aria’s table.

I straightened slightly, my focus sharpening.

“What are you doing?” I muttered as I pushed off the wall, starting in that direction.

Thorne reached her just as I took a few steps forward. I watched him pick up a drink from a passing tray and place it in front of her, his movements smooth, deliberate.

I noticed Sera had joined Aria but I couldn’t hear her response from here, but I saw it in her body language. The way she stilled. The way her shoulders tightened.

Thorne smiled.

Not kindly.

Calculated.

I quickened my pace.

But before I could reach them—

A sudden commotion erupted near the main entrance.

Voices rose. Doors opened wide.

“What the hell—” I turned sharply.

Cameras.

More cameras.

At least a dozen photographers pushed their way inside, flashes already going off before they even fully entered the room.

“Werewolf media,” someone whispered nearby.

“Invited,” another voice said.

“Of course they were,” I muttered.

The room shifted instantly. Wolves straightened. Conversations changed tone. Everyone suddenly more aware, more performative.

And Aria—

She froze.

Right in the center of it.

Another flash went off, this time closer, harsher. One of the new photographers had already locked onto her, snapping rapid shots.

“Perfect,” he said under his breath. “This is gold.”

I clenched my fists.

“This isn’t a gala,” I said quietly. “This is a public execution.”

I moved again, faster this time, cutting through the crowd toward her table. But the media had already spread out, positioning themselves strategically.

Every angle covered.

Every moment captured.

Aria stood slowly, like she didn’t know whether to stay or run. Either way, it wouldn’t matter.

They’d spin it.

They’d always spin it.

“Stay calm,” I muttered, though she couldn’t hear me. “Don’t give them anything.”

Across the room, Caden and Vivienne had already adjusted. Vivienne leaned into him again, her hand on his chest, her smile flawless. Caden stood stiff beside her.

The perfect image.

Another flash.

Then another.

I stopped a few feet short of Aria’s table, assessing quickly. Guards were already shifting near the exits. Not blocking yet—but watching.

Waiting.

“For what?” I muttered.

I stepped back slightly, blending into the edge of the crowd again. I needed to see the full picture.

And then I heard it.

Marcus.

He stood near one of the elder groups, speaking low but not low enough.

“By tomorrow,” he said, his tone calm, confident, “pack pressure will be so strong, Caden won’t have a choice but to exile her.”

My stomach dropped.

One of the elders shifted uneasily. “That’s… aggressive.”

“It’s necessary,” Marcus replied smoothly. “The alliance must remain stable. The rogue’s presence is already causing unrest.”

“And the media?” another elder asked.

Marcus’s lips curved slightly. “They’ll do what they always do. Amplify the truth.”

I clenched my jaw.

“Truth,” I repeated under my breath. “Right.”

This wasn’t just humiliation.

It was a trap.

A forced outcome.

I pulled out my phone again, typing quickly.

Luca: We need to get Aria out. Now. This is setup for forced exile.

The reply came almost immediately.

Ryker: How? Marcus controls exits.

I looked up again, scanning the room. Ryker was right. Guards had shifted positions. Not obvious enough to cause panic—but enough to make leaving difficult.

“Damn it,” I muttered.

I started calculating quickly. Distraction? Too risky. Force? Not here, not with media watching.

“Think,” I said under my breath. “Think.”

Another flash went off, this time catching Aria mid-step as she tried to move away from her table. The photographer moved with her, relentless.

“Over here!” someone called. “Look this way!”

She didn’t.

Good.

But it didn’t matter. They were still getting what they wanted.

I typed again.

Luca: Create distraction. Anything. Pull security away from main exits.

There was a pause.

Then—

Ryker: On it. Give me two minutes.

I exhaled slowly, sliding my phone back into my pocket. “Two minutes,” I murmured. “Just hold on, Aria.”

Across the room, Thorne had disappeared again.

That didn’t sit right.

I scanned for him, my instincts on edge, but he was gone. Melted into the crowd like he was never there.

“Where did you go?” I muttered.

Another flash. Another burst of laughter from the media cluster.

Caden hadn’t moved.

He still stood with Vivienne, still playing his part.

“Come on, Caden,” I said under my breath. “Wake up.”

Aria turned slightly, her eyes scanning the room like she was trying to find an exit, a break, anything.

But there wasn’t one.

“Hold on,” I repeated quietly, already moving toward her again. “Just hold on a little longer.”

Because if we didn’t get her out soon—

This wouldn’t just ruin her reputation.

It would seal her fate.