novelraw Chapter 122: Two Options
Chapter 122: Two Options
Liam’s POV
The silence in the hallway was thick and suffocating. Our fathers stood their ground, their faces like stone. Father Lennox looked at the girls, who were still huddled in the sheets, and then back at us.
"The girls aren’t going anywhere," Father Lennox stated, his voice final. "They will stay in their rooms. We have a massive problem on our hands, and throwing royalty out into the street will only trigger the war faster."
"Let them go!" Leo roared, his face turning a dark shade of red. "We were drugged! We were basically raped by them, and you’re acting like we’re the criminals!"
"Nonsense!" Father Levi snapped, waving his hand as if to dismiss the very idea. "You were drunk. You made a mistake, and now you have to own up to it like men. Stop making up stories to hide your guilt."
Without another word, the three of them turned and walked away, leaving us standing in the wreckage of our lives. I looked at Leon and Leo. The anger in the air was so strong it was difficult to breathe.
"This is a trap," Leo hissed, his eyes glowing. "Think about it. How is it possible that the three of us got drunk at the exact same time? They set this up."
"I know," I muttered, my heart feeling heavy in my chest. "But they aren’t listening. I’m not marrying her, Leo. I’ll die before I call Camilla my Luna."
I turned on my heel and walked back into my room. The door shut with a heavy thud, but it didn’t block out the feeling of disgust. I glared at the bed, my eyes landing on the dark bloodstain on the white sheets. My stomach twisted. How was I even sure that was real? It could be animal blood, or a trick of the light, but the sight of it made me feel sick.
I grunted, ripping the stained sheets off the mattress with a violent tug. I bundled them up and threw them into the corner of the room, not wanting to look at them for another second. I redressed the bed with fresh, clean linens and lay down, staring at the ceiling.
The guilt hit me then, sharp and painful. I felt like I had cheated on Scarlett. Like I had betrayed her...like I had let another woman touch what was never meant to belong to anyone but her. Even if I had no control, it still felt like sin. The thought of another woman being in my bed made me feel like I had betrayed the only woman I ever loved.
I closed my eyes, trying to find her face in my mind, but all I could see were Camilla’s fake tears.
Night came quickly, bringing a cold darkness that matched my mood. I was still lying there when a soft knock sounded at the door. My Beta, Marcus, walked in, his face full of worry.
"Alpha," he began, his voice low. "I’m sorry to bother you, but rumors are spreading through the pack. People are talking about a war. A few of the elder pack members came to the gate—they’re scared, Liam. They’ve heard the Full Moon Pack might be attacked by the Silver Lake Pack."
I inhaled deeply, the weight of my title pressing down on me. "I’ll handle it, Marcus. Tell them to stay calm."
Once he left, I got up. I needed to talk to my brothers. I made my way toward Leon’s room, meeting Leo in the hallway. He looked like he hadn’t slept a wink. We reached Leon’s door and walked in without knocking.
Leon was sitting in a chair in the corner of his dimly lit room. He didn’t look up; he just stared at the floor, his hands clasped tightly together. We didn’t say anything at first. We just stood there in the shadows, three broken Alphas waiting for the world to end.
The door opened again, and Father Louis walked in. He didn’t look angry anymore; he looked tired, which was somehow worse.
"The girls have reported back to their father," Louis said quietly. "Their father is furious. He has laid out two options for us. Either you three marry and mark his daughters by the end of the week, or it is war."
"Then let it be war," Leon said, his voice cold.
Father Louis stepped closer, his eyes fixing on us. "Is that what you really want? Think about your late mother’s legacy. She spent her life building peace for this pack. You want to bring fire and blood upon your own people because of your pride?"
He paused, letting the words sink in. "Do you have any idea what war actually does? It destroys everything. Children lose their fathers. Fathers lose their children. Wives lose their husbands. Husbands lose their mates. Tell me, how will your people look at you tomorrow? Knowing that you could have prevented their slaughter, but you chose your own feelings over their lives?"
He looked at each of us, his voice cracking slightly. "As Alphas, the pack, and the people must come first. That is the burden you carry. If you let this pack burn, their blood will be on your hands, not the girls."
He didn’t wait for us to answer. He turned and walked out, leaving the three of us in total silence.
I looked at Leon and then at Leo. The anger was still there, but beneath it, a horrible realization was starting to grow.
We were trapped. Not by the girls, and not by the drug, but by the lives of the thousands of people who called us "Alpha."
"He’s using the pack against us," Leo whispered, his voice cracking. "He knows that’s the only way to make us buckle."
"It’s working," I said, the words feeling like ash in my mouth.
I thought of the kids I saw playing in the pack square yesterday. I thought of Marcus and his mate. If the Silver Lake Pack marched on us, they would be the first to die. "We can’t let them die for a mistake we didn’t even choose to make."