I scanned the crowd, noting who was present and who was missing. My mother sat in the front row, having surprised everyone by staying to help. Her presence alone had most of the pack on edge. Serena Raven didn’t attend pack meetings unless something monumental was happening.
“Pack,” I began, letting my Alpha voice carry through the hall. The whispers died instantly. “Many of you have heard rumors over the past weeks. Mary Thorne claims to carry my heir. The council pushes for marriage. Questions swirl about the future of our pack.”
I paused, letting the words sink in. “It’s time for truth.”
The screen behind me lit up with the first piece of evidence. Bank statements. “These are financial records from Alderic Thorne’s private accounts. Note the transfers. Twenty thousand here. Fifteen thousand there. All paid to unnamed recipients over the past seven years.”
Murmurs rippled through the crowd. Alderic’s face remained impassive, but I caught the slight tightening around his eyes.
“Now observe the dates,” I continued, clicking to the next slide. “Each payment corresponds with a rogue attack on our territory. Including this one.” I highlighted a specific transfer. “Dated three days before the attack that killed Blake Raven.”
The murmurs turned to gasps. Several wolves growled. Blake had been loved by everyone, the perpetual youngest brother of the pack who could make anyone smile.
“Lies!” Alderic stood, indignant. “Those documents could be forged! Fabricated evidence from a jealous Alpha who can’t accept his responsibilities!”
“Is it?” I asked calmly. “Then explain these.”
More evidence filled the screen. Letters in Alderic’s own handwriting. References to targets, payments, coordination.
“Alderic Thorne has betrayed this pack,” I said, my voice carrying over the growing noise. “He hired rogues to attack us. Funded their coordination. Planned their strategies.”
“You can’t prove anything!” Alderic snarled, but fear had crept into his scent.
“Can’t I?” The main doors opened right on cue. Noah and my father entered, dragging a chained man between them. Blade looked exactly like what he was - a rogue who’d figured out how to monetize chaos. Scarred, weathered, with eyes that had seen too much violence.
“Pack, meet Blade,” I said conversationally. “The man Alderic hired to coordinate rogue attacks on our territory. Tell them what you told my father.”
Blade looked around the room, taking in the hundreds of wolves who wanted his blood. My father’s hand on his shoulder wasn’t gentle.
“Alderic Thorne paid me to organize attacks,” Blade said, his voice rough from lack of use. “Gave me targets, dates, patrol schedules. Paid extra for specific kills.”
“He’s lying!” Mary stood now too, playing her part. “This is all fabrication to avoid your duties, Knox!”
“Is it?” I asked. “Then let me share some more truth. I never touched Mary Thorne. Never kissed her, never dated her, certainly never fucked her. Her child isn’t mine.”
The hall erupted. Wolves shouting, demanding answers, some calling for blood. I let it build for a moment before raising my hand for silence.
“You want proof? Here’s proof.” I nodded to Hunt.
The side door opened, and Lina walked in carrying Thea while Rowan held her hand. My mate, my children, my everything. The shouting stopped dead as every wolf in the room caught their scent. My scent all over them, their scent carrying my markers.
“Pack,” I said, my voice carrying clearly in the sudden silence. “This is my mate, Basilinna. These are my heirs, Rowan andThea Raven. They carry my blood, my scent, my claiming marks. They are the future of this pack.”
Lina stood tall despite being surrounded by hundreds of predators, meeting every stare with quiet strength. The twins pressed close to her but watched everything with curious eyes. My family. Finally where they belonged.
“Lies!” Mary shrieked, her composure cracking. “I carry your child! You can’t deny your own blood!”
“You’re right,” I said calmly. “I would never deny my own blood. Which is why I’m not denying your child. Because it isn’t mine.”
I turned to my beta, who stepped forward despite everything. The bruise on his jaw had darkened to purple, a visible reminder of his confession. “Cole, tell them whose child Mary carries.”
Cole faced the pack, shoulders back despite the shame I could feel radiating from him. The hall went silent again, everyone sensing something monumental was about to be revealed.
“The child is mine,” Cole said clearly, each word dropping into the silence like a stone into water. “Mary Thorne carries my pup, not Knox’s.”
The explosion of noise was immediate. Wolves shouting, some in disbelief, others in anger. Mary’s face went white, then red with rage.
“Tell them how it happened,” I commanded, letting my Alpha voice cut through the chaos.
