All Chapters of His Rejected Mate, His Greatest Regret : Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

My heart tightened and Gabriel’s expression hardened, but he remained silent. Lyra continued carefully, as though she were choosing each word. “I’m not saying I know exactly what she’s hiding. I’m saying there are things about her that don’t add up.”Damon stared at me and I held his gaze. There was something unsettling in his eyes, but I couldn’t tell whether it was suspicion, confusion, or the old resentment that had never completely disappeared between us. “I am not hiding anything,” I said.Lyra gave a small, sad smile. “That is what you always say.” Before the tension could grow any further, Elder Tomas struck his hand against the table. “Enough.”Everyone fell silent and he looked at Lyra with clear disapproval. “This council is investigating Rowan’s administration. We will not allow personal accusations to turn this hearing into a spectacle.” He gestured toward the document. “Your evidence will be examined, until then your accusation against Samanth

The following morning, I found myself thinking about Peter again. His name had appeared in my mind so many times since the council hearing that I could no longer dismiss the feeling that his story was connected to everything we had been uncovering. He had first appeared before the council as a witness against me, claiming that he had seen me near the western warehouse where the weapons had been found. He had even identified the clothing I supposedly wore and described the wooden box he claimed I had been carrying.But his story had fallen apart under questioning. Peter had not been the simple servant Rowan and Vivianne claimed he was. Someone had recruited him, dressed another person to resemble me, and used him to create a false accusation against me. After his deception was exposed, Peter disappeared before we could learn who had sent him.We eventually found him again, but by then he was already frightened and unwilling to speak openly about the people behind th

I thought of Peter, his false accusation against me had not been random. He had been recruited, another person had been dressed to resemble me, and Peter had been sent before the council with a story designed to destroy my credibility. When that plan failed, Peter had become a liability, he disappeared, was eventually found and imprisoned, and now the guard assigned to watch him had vanished too.I looked back at the records. “Find everyone who had access to Peter during his imprisonment. Guards, officials, council representatives, anyone who could enter his holding area.”Gabriel nodded. “I will.”“And find out who approved the guard’s supposed reassignment also check whether the guard had any connection to my mother.” I said.Gabriel paused, and Amara looked at me. “You think he might have known her?” Amara asked.“I don’t know,” I admitted. “But my mother was investigating people who were moving resources through private merchants. She

Once doubt entered his mind, every truth about me could be made to look like a lie, and as I walked away from Damon, I realized I was tired of fighting battles I had never chosen.I returned to my room and closed the door behind me, hoping the quiet would help me settle the anger twisting inside my chest. For years, I had endured Damon’s affairs, his humiliating indifference, and the way he treated our marriage as though it were an obligation he could escape whenever he pleased. I had survived it because I believed there was something worth preserving, even when I was no longer certain he felt the same.Now, after everything I had endured, he was questioning whether I had been honest about being wolfless. I sat on the edge of the bed and pressed my hands together, trying to steady myself. There was nothing I could tell him that he did not already know. I had never awakened a wolf, never felt one inside me, and never pretended otherwise. Yet Lyra had managed to turn

A few warriors shifted uneasily, but no one answered him and I stepped forward until I stood several feet away from him. “If you have something to say about my decisions, say it to me directly. There is no need to gather the warriors and make accusations behind my back.” Rowan gave a humorless laugh. “You speak as though you have earned the right to command them. Your mother built this pack, but you have spent most of your life away from its responsibilities. Now you return and expect everyone to accept you as their leader.” “I have never claimed that my mother’s name alone makes me worthy of leadership,” I replied. “I have asked for the opportunity to repair what was damaged under your rule, and I have supported an investigation into the records that explain how Silvercrest reached this point.” “You have encouraged the council to turn against me,” he countered. “You have allowed old accusations to be dragged into public view, and you hav