Chapter 224 Forbidden Mate

Chapter 224 Forbidden Mate
Lord Blackwood's heavy footsteps echoed down the hallway as he walked away, leaving the room in suffocating silence. I watched as Alexander's jaw tightened, his eyes following his father's retreating figure. Even Ethan, still breathing hard from the fight, seemed deflated.

Victoria was the first to break the silence, her voice trembling with barely contained rage. "This is a disaster. The guests are waiting for an announcement."

"I'll go check on Father," Alexander said, his tone clipped as he moved toward the door.

Noah glared at me, wiping blood from his split lip. "You manipulative bitch. You planned this whole thing."

I didn't bother denying it. What was the point? Everything he'd said had been his own words, his own true feelings. I'd just made sure people heard them.

We all followed Alexander out of the room, the tension so thick I could barely breathe. Victoria kept shooting daggers at me with her eyes as we walked down the corridor toward Lord Blackwood's chambers.

Alexander knocked once before entering his father's room. We all filed in behind him, an uncomfortable procession of shattered plans and exposed lies.

Lord Blackwood stood by the window, his shoulders slumped in a way I'd never seen before. Without turning, he spoke in a voice that sounded decades older than it had just minutes ago.

"Tell everyone the gathering is over. There will be no engagement ceremony today."

Alexander nodded and left to dismiss the guests. Noah stepped forward, his voice pleading.

"Father, please, I can explain—"

"Explain what?" Lord Blackwood finally turned, his eyes hollow. "That you were willing to marry someone you clearly despise just to gain power? That you've been spreading lies about me? That you hate your brothers enough to want to steal everything from them?"

Victoria moved to stand beside her son. "Richard, he's just a boy. He made a mistake."

Noah stared at his mother, then at me, fury radiating from him in waves. I could feel Ethan shifting uncomfortably beside me, his anger at Noah still palpable but now mixed with something like pity.

Alexander returned, his face grim. "The guests are leaving."

"Good," Lord Blackwood whispered, lowering his head.

Victoria looked at her son, then back at Lord Blackwood. "He's only a child, Richard."

Noah glared at me, hatred burning in his eyes. I stared back, refusing to look away.

Alexander sighed and placed a hand on Ethan's shoulder. "Come on. Let's go down and say goodbye to everyone properly."

As Ethan followed his brother out, Victoria continued to stare at me, her eyes wet with unshed tears. "Why would you do this? My son finally had a chance at happiness, and you destroyed it."

Noah clenched his fists but stayed silent, letting his mother fight his battle.

Lord Blackwood looked up, his expression pained. "Victoria, take your son and go. I need time with my family."

"But Noah is your—"

"Go!" His voice cracked like a whip, making Victoria flinch.

She grabbed Noah's arm, tugging him toward the door. As they passed me, Noah paused, leaning in so close I could feel his breath on my ear.

"This isn't over," he whispered.

Victoria shot me one last venomous look before they disappeared down the hallway. I could hear her hushed, angry whispers to Noah growing fainter as they walked away.

I started to follow them out, feeling I should give the Blackwood family privacy, when Lucas stepped into the doorway. He looked exhausted, his eyes finding mine for a brief moment before shifting to his father.

"The guests are gone," he said quietly.

Lord Blackwood nodded, not meeting his son's gaze. "Good."

Lucas turned to me again, hesitating. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

I followed him into the hallway, away from Lord Blackwood's room. Lucas ran a hand through his hair, looking uncomfortable.

"I... I don't know what to say, but... thank you." The words seemed difficult for him. "What you did in there..."

"I just wanted the truth to come out," I said simply.

Lucas shook his head, shame flickering across his features. "And I'm sorry. For everything."

I knew what he was referring to—that night when I'd been forced to go to Noah to save Lucas's life.

"It's okay. I've erased that night from my life."

"No!" Lucas's voice was suddenly fierce. "It's not okay. I'm at fault because I didn't understand then." He looked away, his jaw tight. "I wish I could go back and change things, but I can't. I just... I need time to process all this."

He seemed genuinely troubled, his usual confidence nowhere to be seen. Before I could respond, he turned and walked quickly away, his shoulders hunched.

I stood alone in the hallway, unsure what to do next. The mansion felt eerily quiet after the chaos of the party. As I hesitated, I heard voices coming from Lord Blackwood's room—his and a woman's. Curious, I moved closer to the partially open door.

"You killed our son for that boy." It was Lydia's voice, raw with pain. "Our Dominic!"

I froze, my heart pounding. Lydia was confronting Lord Blackwood about Dominic's death.

"We fought dragons for our son," she continued, her voice rising. "Why couldn't you fight his demons for him?"

Her words and the mention of the weredragons got me worried. What do the weredragons have to do with the brothers?

"Please, Lydia..." Lord Blackwood's voice was barely audible.

"Can you at least tell me where my son's body is?" Lydia's question came out as a desperate plea.

My breath caught in my throat. Even I didn't know where Dominic's body was. Without thinking, I pushed the door open and stepped inside.

"Where is his body?" I demanded, startling both of them.

Lord Blackwood's head snapped up, his eyes widening at my intrusion. Lydia looked equally shocked, though something in her expression suggested she wasn't entirely displeased by my intervention.

"You can't hide the body of a former Alpha King like that," I pressed, anger rising in my chest. Lydia's eyes widened at my words, as if surprised by my boldness.

Lord Blackwood slowly stood, rage building in his posture. "I can do whatever I want. He was my son, not yours. You have no right to question me or judge me." His body trembled, whether from anger or grief, I couldn't tell.

Lydia looked like she wanted to speak, but Lord Blackwood cut her off with a sharp gesture.

He pointed at me, his finger shaking. "You! This is all your fault. If you hadn't befriended that weredragon boy, my son would never have helped him. He would never have died." His voice rose to a shout. "Everything is your fault! You are forbidden from ever setting a foot on my property."