The lost mate

Chapter 119: The confusion increases

Fred hesitated, his gaze darting nervously to Blaze again, and Damien felt his own fury begin to rise.

Blaze’s posture had grown rigid, and his face was now a mask of cold anger. He realised his control was slipping.

"By Blaze," Fred finally choked out, his voice barely above a whisper. "It was Blaze. He—he threatened me. She told me to lie about what I found. He wanted Anne to be blamed, saying it was part of a bigger plan."

A gasp rippled through the room, and the council members exchanged shocked and outraged glances. Blaze’s expression darkened, and for the first time, the veneer of control he had always maintained cracked. He clenched his fists, his jaw tightening, but he didn’t deny it.

Damien’s eyes flared with fury as he turned to face Blaze fully. His wolf was practically roaring inside him, and it took everything in him to keep his composure. "So, this was your plan all along, uncle ?" Damien said, his voice laced with venom. "To use the council and manipulate them into tearing apart my family? To turn Anne into a scapegoat while you schemed in the shadows?"

Blaze straightened, his own wolf stirring behind his eyes. Why wasn’t Jackson here ? He was supposed to come in and turn the situation around.

"Damien continued. " I wonder how you knew that I was trying to persuade my mate in Alaska ? Perhaps that’s because you sent people to attack her ?"

The room fell silent, all eyes turning to Blaze. The council, already shocked by the revelation of Blaze’s manipulation of Fred, now stared at him in utter disbelief. They didn’t know about Anne being attacked in Alaska.

Blaze’s sneer faltered, just for a moment, but it was enough. His wolf stirred, his posture rigid as if preparing for a fight, but he still didn’t deny the accusation. His silence was as damning as any confession.

The council elder stood, his eyes dark with fury. "Blaze," he began, his voice shaking with barely controlled anger, "you have betrayed not only your family but also this council. Your actions have endangered the future of the royal line and the stability of the entire kingdom."

Blaze scoffed, his defiance flickering once more. "You’re all fools," he hissed. "Do you really think Damien is fit to lead? He’s blinded by his bond with that woman. She weakens him, making him vulnerable."

Damien’s wolf surged forward at Blaze’s words, the primal rage nearly overwhelming him, but he kept his stance firm. "The only one blinded here is you, Blaze. You’ve been so obsessed with power, with trying to tear me down."

Blaze’s face twisted into a snarl, but before he could retort, the council elder slammed his hand down on the table, silencing the room once more. "Enough!" he thundered. "Blaze, your treachery ends here. You will be stripped of your rank and your title. Guards, take him into custody. He will face trial for his crimes."

Blaze’s eyes widened, his wolf flaring in defiance, but there was no escape now. The guards moved in swiftly, surrounding him, and despite the tension in his body, he knew he couldn’t fight them all.

"You’ll regret this," Blaze spat, his eyes locking on Damien with pure hatred. "This isn’t over, Damien. You and your precious mate will pay for this."

Damien met his gaze with cold fury. "No, uncle. You’re the one who’s finished."

The large wooden doors to the council chamber swung open, and Alpha Jackson strode inimmediately,y catching the attention of everyone present. Behind him, a familiar figure followe: —Jessica. Damien’s jaw clenched, andbesidese him, he could feel Anne stiffen at the sight of her. The scent he had been trying to avoid—the one that had clung to his clothes, the one that had driven a wedge between him and Anne—was now filling the room again.

Blaze, who had been trying to compose himself while restrained by the guards, turned sharply at the sound of Jackson’s entrance. His face twisted into a mixture of fury and desperation.

"Jackson!" Blaze shouted, his voice echoing in the chamber. "Tell them! Tell them the truth—that you’ve been working with me from the start! We had a deal!"

Jackson stopped in the middle of the room, his cold gaze shifting to Blaze, but there was no sign of camaraderie in his expression. In fact, his eyes narrowed, and his lips curled into a sneer.

"Blaze, you’re delusional," Jackson replied, his deep voice filled with disdain. "I have nothing to do with you. Whatever schemes you’ve been cooking up, leave me out of it."

Blaze’s face contorted with rage, his wolf stirring just beneath the surface. "Don’t you dare turn your back on me now! You were supposed to stand by me. You know Fred was manipulated by Damien to cover up the evidence. You brought Fred here to help expose that!"

Jackson’s expression remained unreadable as he shook his head. "You’re wrong," he said with chilling calm. "I brought Fred here because I thought you had something legitimate. I had no idea you were pulling the strings and forcing him to lie." His eyes briefly flicked to Fred, who still looked pale and shaken from his earlier confession. "And now, I can see you’ve been grasping at straws."

Damien’s eyes narrowed as he watched the exchange.

But Jackson wasn’t finished.

"I’m here," Jackson said, his gaze shifting away from Blaze and landing squarely on Damien, "for a much bigger issue." His voice fell ominously, and the air in the chamber grew colder. "One that involves my family and your betrayal, Damien."

Damien’s eyes narrowed further, his wolf stirring with warning.

Jackson stepped forward, his posture stiff with anger. "I’m talking about my daughter. Jessica." He gestured behind him, and Jessica stepped forward; her chin lifted arrogantly as her eyes locked on Damien.

"For years," Jackson continued, his voice shaking with the anger he had kept pent up, "Jessica was promised to you. She was supposed to be your Luna. Your mate. But you threw her aside the moment you found Anne, abandoning the engagement like it meant nothing."

Damien’s pulse quickened. "That engagement was never my choice. You know that. We were never true mates."

Jackson’s eyes flashed dangerously. "That didn’t stop you from taking what you wanted, did it?"

Before Damien could respond, Jessica stepped forward, her voice sickly sweet. "Tell them, Damien. Tell them about Chicago."

A wave of nausea washed over Damien. His mind raced back to that night—the night that had been hazy and confusing, filled with Jessica’s manipulations. His blood boiled at the memory of waking up next to her, the scent of deceit still lingering on his skin.

"We spent the night together," Jessica continued, her voice filled with false innocence. "And I marked you, Damien."

The council members shifted in their seats, murmuring amongst themselves. Damien could feel their gazes on him, judging and questioning. His mind raced for a response, but nothing could erase the truth that hung in the air.

Anne, who had been standing besides him in silent support, took a step back. He could feel her withdraw, her body language screaming with the pain of betrayal.

Damien turned to her, his heart aching. "Anne, it’s not what you think," he pleaded, his voice low and desperate. "Jessica, set me up. I was drugged—trapped."

Jessica’s mocking laugh echoed through the chamber. "Is that what you’re telling her? That I somehow forced you into bed? That you had no choice in any of this?"

Damien’s fists clenched. "You manipulated everything. You’re lying."

Jackson stepped between them, his voice booming. "The fact remains, Damien, that you were engaged to my daughter, and you’ve disgraced her. Whether you found your so-called mate or not, you still owe Jessica. You left her humiliated, and now you’ve further shamed her by pretending it was all a mistake."

Damien stood tall, his wolf raging inside him, but he forced himself to remain calm. "I don’t owe you anything, Jackson. I don’t owe Jessica. I chose my true mate, and that’s Anne. Whatever happened in Chicago—whatever Jessica did—it doesn’t change that."

Jackson’s lips curled into a snarl. "Then explain the mark, Damien. Explain how your wolf could’ve allowed that to happen if it wasn’t what you wanted."

Damien’s hand instinctively went to his neck, the throbbing bite mark that Jessica had left there still fresh, still burning with betrayal. He had no answer, not one that would satisfy Jackson or the council. He could only look at Anne, whose face was etched with hurt and confusion.

"I didn’t want this," Damien said quietly, his voice strained. "I never wanted this. That mark will disappear when you find your true mate. So I would suggest you focus on finding your mate rather than harassing me."