Chapter 47 The Truth I Didn’t Want to See
Chapter 47 The Truth I Didn’t Want to See
Kyle’s POV
The moment the throne room doors slammed shut behind us, Lyria’s grip on my arm tightened like a vice. She stumbled beside me as I guided her down the long hallway, her breath coming out in shaky gasps.
“Kyle, please…you have to listen to me.”
“Not here.” My voice echoed against the stone walls, sharper than I intended.
The guards stationed near the hallway stepped aside immediately. Everyone knew not to approach me right now—not when my wolf was pacing so violently under my skin.
I kept walking until we reached an empty council chamber. The moment I closed the door behind us, the silence hit like a blade.
Lyria turned toward me quickly, eyes already teary. “I didn’t lie! I swear I didn’t…”
“Stop.” My voice was low, dangerous. “Stop talking until you think carefully.”
Her lips trembled. “Kyle…”
“You told the king and queen that I sent you to show the trainees the barracks the night a rogue appeared.” I stepped closer. “Why?”
She shook her head. “I… I thought you did…”
“Lyria.” I rarely used her name like that. The way she flinched told me she knew exactly what it meant.
I didn’t give her space to recover.
“You lied. And you lied in the throne room. About something that serious. Why?”
She opened and closed her mouth, words trapped behind panic.
“I didn’t think it mattered—”
“It mattered.” I cut in. “Because that lie almost got Arya sentenced by the king. It made her look guilty.”
The color drained from her face.
“I-I wasn’t trying to hurt Arya—”
I scoffed. “Weren’t you?”
She froze. I could practically see her thoughts stumbling, scrambling for a believable excuse. But I wasn’t looking for a lie. I wanted the truth.
“Lyria,” I said quietly, “were you near the south courtyard that night because you were following Arya?”
Her eyes widened in fear, then something else. Something calculating.
“Kyle, I… I thought she was acting strange. I was worried.”
“Worried.” I repeated the word like it tasted rotten. “So worried that you followed her into the restricted gardens? Worried enough to tell the queen she’d been hiding something?”
She took a step toward me, reaching for my hand like she always did when she wanted to shut down a difficult conversation. I stepped back.
Her face fell. Hard. “Kyle…”
“Tell me the truth,” I said again, voice low. “Did you know the rogue was coming that night?”
She shook her head violently. “No! Of course not. I didn’t even know who he was!”
“Then why were you out there?” I pressed. “No excuses. No fear. The truth.”
She looked at the floor. Her fingers twisted the red silk of her dress.
“I went because…” Her voice broke. “I didn’t want Arya to ruin things.”
“What things?”
She finally looked up at me.
“You,” she said quietly. “Us. Everything we’ve worked for.”
My jaw clenched. She moved again, closer this time—her voice softer, trembling just enough to seem innocent.
“Arya has always caused problems, Kyle. She’s reckless. She puts herself in danger. She disobeys orders. She challenges you in front of the pack. And now she’s been caught with a man from Shadow Vale. What if she’s working with him? What if she’s putting Whitestone at risk?”
I stared at her, stunned. She took my silence as an opening.
“Kyle… I’ve spent years by your side. Supporting you. Helping you. Loving you.” Her hand reached out. “I only wanted to protect you from someone who clearly doesn’t respect you.”
I grabbed her wrist gently, but firmly enough to stop her from touching my face.
“Lyria,” I said quietly. “You’re not protecting me. You’re trying to control the narrative.”
She stiffened.
“I know you care about me,” I continued. “I won’t pretend I haven’t leaned on you these past months. But you crossed a line.”
She blinked rapidly. “I didn’t…”
“You lied to the king.” My voice rose, finally breaking through the restraint.
“You lied about Arya. And you did it knowing it could destroy her. What kind of person does that?”
Her tears spilled over. “Someone who doesn’t want to lose you!”
My chest tightened with a mixture of anger and disbelief.
“You were never going to lose me,” I said quietly. “But this—this changes things.”
She shook her head, stepping closer. “Kyle, I was scared. Everyone sees the way you look at her. How protective you are. I just wanted you to choose me.”
“I did choose you,” I said, more bitterly than I intended. “I gave you every chance. I tried to build something with you.”
Her breath hitched.
“But you don’t build trust by tearing someone else down.”
Her shoulders crumpled.
“So what now?” she whispered. “You’re defending Arya over me?”
“I’m defending the truth,” I said sharply. “Something you should have done in the throne room.”
She covered her mouth, sobbing. “I didn’t mean for this to happen.”
“But it did.” I turned away from her, needing space. “And now the king is questioning you. And you have no idea how dangerous that is.”
“Kyle…” Her voice cracked. “Are you going to leave me for her?”
The question sliced through me. I forced myself to answer carefully.
“This isn’t about choosing anyone,” I said. “This is about loyalty. And you broke it.”
She let out a wounded, desperate sound.
“I can fix this,” she whispered. “Just tell me what to do—please, Kyle, I’ll do anything.”
“You’re going to tell the king the truth,” I said firmly. “Everything. Every detail.”
She went still. A cold, eerie stillness.
“Kyle…” she said slowly, almost fearfully, “if I confess… the queen will punish me. I could be removed from my position. The council could exile me.”
“Then you shouldn’t have lied,” I said.
Her breathing grew shallow. Too shallow. She wasn’t crying anymore. She was thinking, calculating.
And for the first time, I saw something I had never allowed myself to see before. Lyria wasn’t just jealous. She was dangerous.
“Kyle,” she whispered slowly, “if I tell the truth… it won’t just destroy me.”
I frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
She lifted her chin, meeting my eyes with a steady, frightening clarity.
“It will destroy you too.”
My blood ran cold.
“What did you do, Lyria?”
She swallowed hard.
“I didn’t act alone.”
Silence slammed into the room.
I stepped toward her. “Who helped you?”
She looked away.
“That,” she whispered, “is the real problem.”
Before I could push her further, a heavy knock echoed against the door.
“Kyle?”
It was Kaden’s voice. Urgent. Hard.
“The king wants you. Now.”
I glanced back at Lyria. She stared at me with wide frightened eyes, hiding a secret big enough to threaten the kingdom. A secret she wasn’t ready to reveal. Not yet.