Chapter 3

Silence engulfed the room.

The only sound was the manic clicking of cameras.

The flash froze the moment: the fearsome Bloodmoon Wolf King, his billion-dollar face inches from mine, demanding to know why I offered a mere three thousand bucks.

I glanced at the line of professional cameras outside the security cordon.

Streaming live for the world to see.

I felt the impending doom. That was going to be bad.

"Talk." Frederick's grip on my chin was firm, his calloused fingers rough against my skin, sending a jolt through me.

He did not care about the onlookers.

To him, it was just me and that ridiculous sum of money.

"You weren't so tight-fisted last night in bed, begging me to speed up."

His voice was a low murmur, meant for my ears only. "Ms. Jameson, so you're into getting things for free, huh?"

My cheeks burned with a sudden flush.

It had to be the intense cedar scent coming off him!

"Release her!" Arthur's voice boomed as he knocked Frederick's hand away, standing over me like a protective lion. "Ignore this beast's lies!"

He stared down the camera, his voice shaking but determined. "This is defamation! A shameless insult!! My sister's been groomed in the finest aristocratic traditions since she was a kid; she's never even held a man's hand!"

I hid behind him, my guilt overwhelming.

Brother, stop. Please. You're only making it worse, I thought.

Arthur gestured at the cash on the table, his sneer cutting. "You claim she paid for you? That's a laugh!

"She's high society, you're just an animal! Why would she even look your way?

"This money, this note, you made it all up! You spun a dirty lie to clear your name, tarnishing my sister's reputation!"

The chatter of the live stream audience buzzed in the background.

"Good heavens, Mr. Jameson is spot on! How could someone like Miss Rosalie ever fall for a werewolf?"

"The Alpha King has no shame. Rape is one thing, but spreading filthy rumors is another level!"

"Yet, if you look at the Wolf King's build, those legs, I might be tempted to shell out three grand myself."

The tide of public opinion was turning in favor of the "victim."

Frederick did not offer any excuses.

He simply took his time adjusting his cuffs, eyeing me with a mocking gaze.

His eyes bore into me like a hunter watching a rabbit in its final throes.

"Innocent?" he chuckled with amusement, taking a step closer.

His presence was so intense that it made the cops around us instinctively back away.

"If you're all so convinced she's a victim," he gestured to the love bite on my neck, his voice dripping with nonchalance:

"Perhaps you'd like to weigh in.

"The marks of coercion and the signs of desire are worlds apart.

"The scratches her nails left on my back last night haven't even begun to heal."

The room erupted into chaos!

Reporters swarmed us, microphones thrust in our direction.

"Mr. Wolf King! Are you suggesting this was a mutual affair?"

"Miss Rosalie! How do you respond?"

Arthur was visibly trembling with rage, his eyes filled with a mix of pain and hope as he looked at me. "Rosalie! Tell them! Did he force you?!"

I parted my lips.

If I spoke the truth, Arthur would be devastated, our family's stocks would nosedive, and I would be the world's biggest joke.

Lie?

I locked eyes with Frederick.

His golden irises were a tempest, silently threatening: if I lied, he would spill every last detail.

I was trapped, with no good way out.

In the end, I chose the most cowardly and contemptible response.

I hung my head, biting my lip fiercely, silent.

By default.

To Arthur, my silence was the quiet of a victim.

To Frederick, it was the ultimate betrayal.

"Alright then," The light in Frederick's eyes extinguished.

He turned away, his voice as icy as the grave. "Since you won't confess.

"Then we'll just have to prove it."

He gestured to the nearby hospital, "We'll do the injury check right now.

"Let the doctor declare to the world whether she was 'coerced'."

Arthur was momentarily taken aback, then ecstatic.

To him, the Alpha King was on a path to self-destruction!

"Alright! Let's do the check!" Arthur clutched my hand and declared to the cameras:

"Let the media be our witness! If the exam shows my sister was assaulted, the Alpha King of Bloodmoon Wolf Kingdom will step down!"

Frederick's lips twisted into a chilling smirk.

That smile sent a jolt through my heart.

"If it turns out-" he locked eyes with me, emphasizing every syllable. "That she was willing, even took pleasure in it.

"Then Arthur, you'll have to present your sister as a peace offering, and she'll marry me."

Arthur was resolute: "You have my word!"

I was speechless.

I just wanted to disappear.

Seriously.

Didn't anyone care what I thought?

Arthur dragged me along like I was heading to the gallows, toward the examination room.