Chapter Twenty Four

The Confession

Lucien

The room went completely silent after Irene spoke.

“I have something to confess,” she said again, her voice louder this time, steady but strained.

My heart dropped hard inside my chest.

For a moment, I could not move. My thoughts rushed ahead of me, faster than I could control. Was she about to expose everything? Was she about to tell them where she came from? About the agreement? About the truth I had tried so hard to keep hidden?

“Irene,” I said sharply, stepping forward, “what is this?”

She did not turn toward me. Her eyes stayed fixed on my father.

“I asked for permission to speak,” she said.

My brother laughed loudly.

“What a performance,” Darius said, his voice echoing through the hall. “First dancing, now confessions. Brother, are you certain you did not bring madness into the palace?”

A few elders shifted in their seats. I could feel their eyes moving between Irene and me.

I reached out and grabbed Irene’s wrist. “Enough. You will leave this hall now.”

I tried to pull her back toward the doors.

She resisted immediately.

“No!” she shouted, pulling her arm free. “Do not touch me!”

Gasps spread through the room. A few servants stepped back in shock.

Darius clapped his hands slowly. “Look at them. One drags, the other screams. Are we meant to applaud?”

“Silence!” my father roared.

The hall went still at once.

The Alpha rose from his throne, his expression dark and displeased. “What nonsense is this in my presence?”

I released Irene’s arm and bowed my head slightly. “Father, forgive this interruption. I will remove her at once.”

I reached for her again.

She dropped to her knees before the throne.

“Please,” Irene said loudly. “Please let me speak.”

My father stared down at her, his face filled with clear dislike. Then he turned his gaze toward me.

“You bring disorder wherever you go,” he said coldly. “First a woman bought in secret. Now a scene before the council.”

My throat tightened.

“Speak,” the Alpha said to Irene. “But know this. If your words waste my time, you will regret them.”

Irene lifted her head. Her eyes were wet, but her back straightened.

“I am tired,” she said. “I am tired of being treated as if I do not matter.”

A murmur spread across the elders.

She gestured toward my brother and the woman beside him. “She was welcomed with music. With gifts. With celebration.”

My chest tightened.

“She was given fine rooms,” Irene continued. “Servants. Jewelry. Gold.”

Darius smiled, clearly pleased.

Irene turned back toward my father. “Yet I am the bride of your eldest son. I am meant to be Luna.”

My breath caught.

Please stop, I begged silently. Please stop now.

“I was brought here quietly,” she said. “No welcome. No honor. I was placed in a small room and forgotten.”

The hall was silent.

“She complains,” one elder muttered.

I swallowed hard and glanced at my father’s face. His expression gave nothing away.

“Is this how the future Luna is treated?” Irene asked. “Is this how my place is respected?”

My hands clenched at my sides. I could feel the tension tightening around my chest.

The Alpha stared at her for a long moment.

Then he laughed.

It was loud. Sharp.

Several elders joined him.

The sound cut deeper than any insult.

My stomach twisted painfully.

The Alpha stepped down from the throne and stood directly in front of Irene. “You dare compare yourself to a woman carrying an heir?”

Irene flinched but lifted her chin. “I dare to ask for respect.”

The Alpha scoffed. “Respect is earned, not demanded.”

He turned toward the elders. “This is what my eldest son brings before us. Complaints. Noise. Shame.”

The words struck hard.

I stood frozen, my jaw clenched so tightly it hurt. I said nothing. Any word would only make it worse.

The Alpha looked back at Irene. “You should be grateful you were allowed inside these walls at all.”

He spat on the floor in front of her.

The room erupted in shocked gasps.

Irene stared at the spot on the floor, then slowly rose to her feet. Her hands trembled, but her eyes burned with anger.

“You insult me,” she said. “You humiliate me.”

The Alpha waved his hand. “Enough. Take her away.”

“No,” Irene shouted.

She turned toward me.

“I cannot take this anymore,” she said, her voice breaking. “I will not be your Luna, Lucien.”

My chest tightened sharply.

The hall fell silent again.

Darius laughed openly. “Well, brother. It seems even bought loyalty has limits.”

I looked at Irene, my voice low. “Irene, stop. You do not understand what you are doing.”

She shook her head. “I understand very well. I will not stay where I am laughed at and spat on.”

She faced the Alpha once more. “You may keep your throne. I will not kneel for it.”

Guards stepped forward.

She backed away from me, her expression filled with hurt and fury.

“I am done,” she said.

I stared at Irene, and for a long moment, I forgot how to speak.

The hall felt too quiet. Too many eyes were on us. I could hear my own breathing, slow and heavy, like it no longer belonged to me. Irene stood there with her head high, not looking at me, not looking afraid. Her words still hung in the air, bold and careless.

My brother was the first to move.

He laughed.

The sound echoed through the hall and made my chest tighten.

“What a performance,” Darius said, shaking his head. “Did you all see that? I didn’t know we had actors among us.”

Some elders murmured. Others exchanged looks. No one stopped him.

My father leaned forward on his seat. His voice was calm, but it carried weight. “Lucien,” he said, “remove this woman from my sight.”

He paused, then added, “You embarrass this pack enough already.”

I still did not speak.

I reached for Irene’s arm. My grip was firm, not gentle, not cruel. Just controlled. She looked at my hand, then at my face. Her lips curved into a small smile that made my stomach turn.

I bowed stiffly toward the Alpha, then turned and pulled her with me.

The doors opened. Cold air hit my face as we stepped into the corridor.

I did not stop walking.

“Slow down,” Irene said behind me. “People are staring.”

“Be quiet,” I said, my voice low.

She laughed softly. “Now you find your voice?”

I ignored her and kept moving. Past the guards. Past the servants who quickly lowered their heads. Down the stone steps and through the outer archway.

I walked until the noise of the castle faded.

Trees surrounded us. The ground was uneven, but I did not care. My leg protested, sharp pain running up my side, but I pushed through it. I needed space. I needed silence.

Finally, I stopped.

I turned around fast.

“What was that?” I demanded. “What do you think you were doing in there?”

Irene crossed her arms. She looked calm. Too calm. “I told the truth.”

“You humiliated me,” I said. “In front of my father. In front of the council.”

She shrugged. “You put me there.”

“I brought you here to protect myself,” I snapped. “Not to destroy what little ground I had left.”

She stepped closer. “And I was supposed to smile and bow while your family laughed at me?”

“You agreed to this,” I said. “You knew what this was.”

“I knew you were weak,” she replied. “I did not know you were stupid.”

My hand curled into a fist.

“Watch your mouth,” I warned.

“Why?” she shot back. “What will you do? Drag me back and beg them to forgive you?”

My chest burned. “You threatened everything.”

She smiled again. “Good.”

I stared at her. “You don’t care.”

“No,” she said plainly. “I don’t.”

I took a step toward her. “You were given shelter. Food. Protection.”

“And humiliation,” she said. “Your brother’s woman was praised. Showered with gifts. I was ignored. Treated like dirt.”

“You were brought here as my wife,” I said. “You had position.”

“Empty position,” she replied. “You have no power. They laugh at you. And now they laugh at me.”

“You should have spoken to me,” I said.

She shook her head. “You wouldn’t have listened.”

“That is not true,” I said.

She stepped back. “I am done, Lucien. I will not be your Luna. Find another shield.”

She turned away.

“Don’t walk away from me,” I said sharply.

She stopped but did not turn back. “You don’t own me.”

“You will regret this,” I said.

She glanced over her shoulder. Her eyes were cold. “I already regret agreeing to help you.”

Then she walked away.

I stood there, breathing hard.

My hands trembled. My vision blurred. Anger filled my chest, thick and loud. I could feel my wolf pushing, restless and furious. Everything around me felt wrong. Too bright. Too loud.

I turned and walked back toward the castle.

I did not think. I did not slow down.

I reached Irene’s quarters and pushed the door open without knocking.

She was there.

She turned in surprise, her eyes widening.

“What are you—”

I crossed the room in two steps and shoved her onto the bed. She gasped, falling back against the sheets. I stood over her, breathing hard, my chest rising and falling fast.